Family
Euphorbiaceae
Botanical Name
Euphorbia pulcherrima '490 Jingle Bells'( FREEDOM™ JINGLE BELLS, FREEDOM™ SERIES) PP8771
Plant Common Name
Freedom™ Jingle Bells Poinsettia, Poinsettia
General Description
One of several cultivars in the popular Freedom™ series of poinsettias, this 1993 introduction is noted for it red, pink-splotched flower bracts, deep green leaves, compact multi-branched habit, and early bloom. Plants in the Freedom™ series were developed and introduced by Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California. Like all modern selections of Euphorbia pulcherrima, Freedom™ cultivars were developed to meet the massive holiday demand for bushy, compact, greenhouse-produced poinsettias. Their wild ancestors in western Mexico are leggy, medium-sized deciduous shrubs that often shed their leaves before blooming.
All poinsettias have upright woody stems with large, slightly lobed leaves and milky sap. As nights lengthen in fall, clusters of inconspicuous yellow blooms with showy petal-like bracts develop at the stem tips. Freedom™ Jingle Bells bears blood-red flower bracts irregularly banded and flecked with pale pink. Bloom is from mid-autumn to early winter. The well-branched plants grow to 14 inches (35 cm) their first year. Plants retain their leaves through much of winter in mild sunny locations.
Poinsettias require full to partial sun and average to fertile well-drained soil. Purchased poinsettias can be moved to a sunny window or a frost-free garden niche after they bloom. These "saved" poinsettias will eventually grow far beyond their first-year size.
These tender ornamentals can be reluctant to rebloom because flowering is triggered by long nights. The best method is to site plants in natural daylight, where they will experience shortening days. Professional growers shade their plants at night starting around the autumnal equinox to ensure full bract coloration 6 to 8 weeks later.
Poinsettia is sometimes the subject of health concerns. See http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Euphopu.htm
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 10
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USDA Hardiness Zone
9 - 15
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Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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Height
14"-18" / 35.6cm - 45.7cm
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Width
18"-24" / 45.7cm - 61.0cm
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Bloom Time
Late Fall, Early Winter, Winter
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Native To
Mexico
Special Characteristics
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Bark Texture
Smooth
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Usage
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
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Sharp or Has Thorns
No
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Invasive
No
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Self-Sowing
No
