it doesn't seem too difficult to keep them alive--- its getting the bracts to go red that I've never managed!

We have got one and it is several years old, the leaves drop off at times but it comes to life again.

It is a perennial native to Mexico. Getting them to go red outside their normal range involves putting them in a dark place for a long period of time. If you Google it, you can find the instructions, but it sounds like a lot of work. Those of us lucky enough to live in the Azores and New Zealand don't have to do anything except trim it back.

really Wylie--- I didn't know that---- why?

Go to www.ecke.com for temperature and re-blooming requirements. As a native of Mexico, it has to be kept above 50F/10C. Also, it will be needing 14 hours of darkness per day.