Question
My church was given a 5 0r 6 foot tall Poinsetta Plant for Christmas about 4 years ago. We have never cut it back but it still "blooms" a little with small flowers around January. This year it bloomed on almost every branch. It's really looking scragly and has dropped most of it's leaves. Will it develop new leaves if I cut back the branches or should I just clip the flowers and hope for the best. I live in Minnesota, zone 4 so I can put it outside in the summer but it gets pretty warm.

Answer
Barb, cut it back and it will regenerate vigorously, but it should be outside in a dappled shady area and repotted with new soil; keep in mind that most people discard them after Christmas, because they can be tough to continue through the year. There is a lot of good information in the Internet under "poinsettia facts" this walks you through the whole process (which can be somewhat complicated). The plant needs a systematic process to get those flowers at Christmas; when you research that site, you will see what I mean. I am not passing the buck Barb, but it is so much easier to see what I am referring to, when you go to that site. Nick