Reader letter: I was totally disappointed with poinsettia from Bracklesham retail outlet

I wonder how many people in the Bracklesham area were totally disappointed with their poinsettias that were parched from the large retail outlet in Bracklesham?

I certainly was. Every year I am given a poinsettia by a dear friend who normally buys it from a superstore in Chichester, but wishing to support a more local shop this year used the large retail outlet in Bracklesham. Oh dear! It just goes to prove that some retail outlets have absolutely no idea on how to look after any type of plant. When I removed the thin polythene sleeve nearly all the leaves fell off and it was very dry. I asked my friend where the plants were situated in the store – right by the entrance, he said.

A poinsettia is a delicate plant that requires a temperature of 60° to 75°. Given the unusual cold spell that we had recently – before Christmas – that was the worst possible place to put poinsettias.

They should have been more in the centre of the store to avoid any cold droughts.

As far as I understand it – the thin polythene sleeve is put on the plant to protect it from the nursery to the retail outlet but should be removed after a couple of days to allow the plant to breathe and to see if the plant wants a drink. As in my case it certainly did. Then when a customer wants to purchase a poinsettia a dedicated member of staff can carefully replace the polythene sleeve and then it must be wrapped in florist-type paper to give several layers of protection against the cold weather – and very importantly – the top of the plant goes to its new home safely.

A poinsettia is a living thing that has had at least six months of tender loving care in a nursery and is only dispatched to retail outlets when it is in prime condition.

Why not purchase your plants from a florist or garden centre or a local nursery that do know how to look after their plants and how to sell them properly?

My late wife was a florist in Farnham for nearly 40 years, so I do know what I am talking about.

See also – Reader letter: ‘Is this really the service I get from Sussex Police?’

Reader letter: Care at Chichester’s St Richard’s Hospital ‘could not be faulted’

Reader letter: Stop wasting time and mend Chichester’s ‘very cracked pavements’

Reader letter: Having to pay via an app ‘is a form of digital discrimination’

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