Poinsettia plants usually last the Christmas season before many die and are discarded until another one is brought home the following year. But for one Canadian man, his poinsettia plant has lasted for 19 years and continues to grow, which is fine by him as the plant holds a very special place in his heart.
Frankie Allison says that his late wife, Maxine, won the plant in a call-in radio contest on Christmas Eve in 1996. Three days later, she unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. Frankie has had the plant ever since.
The poinsettia now stands at nearly five feet tall and weighs more than 100 pounds. It’s so big that the Halifax man jokes he might need to get a bigger house.
“They say that’s a miracle plant,” Frankie said. “They always say your wife is still with you.” Plant specialists agree, saying they’ve never seen anything like it. Frankie says he doesn’t give it any special treatment, just water twice a week and regular fertilizer.
Although Frankie says he never meant to keep the plant as long as he has, it simply refused to die so he’s kept it. Now every Christmas it blossoms and fills Frankie’s living room with color and with wonderful memories of his beloved late wife.
What a poignant story! No question that Frankie is an excellent gardener who, perhaps, gets a little help from heaven above!
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