Hi, Desert Gardener!

With this warm weather, it doesn't feel like the holidays are right around the corner, so let's get in the spirit with some plants with holiday connections.

🌲 🎀 🌲

Today, December 12th, is National Poinsettia Day. Poinsettias are a beloved holiday plant, but they are also a "near native" that grow in the dry tropical forests of Mexico and Guatemala.

Have you ever had a poinsettia and wondered what to do with it after the holidays? While most people treat it like an annual and toss it, here in the southwest you've got options -- you can grow it as a houseplant, a patio plant, or in the ground as a shrub. Getting a poinsettia to thrive and bloom again is a bit tricky, but you'll find the step-by-step instructions in today's featured plant post.

🎀 🌲 🎀

Most of us are familiar with the custom of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas. But when you’re in the desert southwest, mistletoe has a different reputation and kissing is definitely not involved! Here it has a reputation as a tree-killer. But is this deserved, or is this plant unfairly blamed?

🌵 🌵 🌵

What you'll find in this week's newsletter:

• Growing poinsettia -- it's complicated
• Does desert mistletoe kill trees?
• Last minute! Salvaged succulent sale
• What to do in the garden in December
• Upcoming gardening classes & events
• and more!

A Reader Asks:

"My Gregg's mist is looking pretty ratty. Is this a good time to cut it back?"

Is your plant still flowering? If so, I would suggest trimming any dead parts but leaving any stalks that still have flowers or buds for the butterflies. Trim it down to the ground in the spring to encourage new growth and bushiness. Next year, you can keep your Gregg's mist looking good in the fall by cutting it back by about 1/3 in August. Fall is the prime time for butterfly activity.

🦋 🐛 🦋

Salvaged Succulent Sale!

This is last minute, but the Tucson Cactus & Succulent Society is hosting a sale of native cactus salvaged from construction sites this Saturday the 13th. Learn more here.

Tucson Garden Events & Classes

There are always plenty of garden-related activities happening around Tucson. Upcoming highlights include:
​* Winterize the Garden @ Pima Co. Master Gardeners
​* Sonoran Native Plants Guided Tour @ University of Arizona
​* Christmas Cactus Care Tips @ Green Things

Get the details on these events and more in our Tucson Gardening Events Calendar →

Not in Tucson? Look for online classes denoted with this icon. 💻 You can participate in these no matter where you live.

Garden Quote

"All gardeners live in beautiful places because they make them so." -- Joseph Joubert, French essayist

In Case You Missed It

​Peruvian Apple Cactus: Colorful Stunner​

​Get Your Desert Garden Ready for Winter​

​Selecting, Planting & Staking Trees​

Before You Go...

Do you have a gardening question you'd like to see answered here? Send it to ask@swgardener.com.

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Keep growing and learning,
​Desert Dee