Archie's Gardenland in Fort Worth, Texas, sells blue poinsettias. Other stores, such as Wal-Mart and Lowe's, carry colored poinsettias, but demand has caused many stores to be sold out.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Feeling a little blue this holiday season? So, it seems, are poinsettias.

If you're not tied to tradition, the blue poinsettia can be a cool modern twist on the popular holiday plant. What's the deal with these nouveau Christmas classics?

They're not naturally blue.

At Ellison's Greenhouse in Brenham, Texas, they're hand-sprayed with a special fine mist that's designed to not harm the poinsettia, owner PJ Ellison said. After drying for about an hour, they should last as long as the red ones.

They're generally a bit more expensive than red ones. That's because of the time and labor that goes into the process. At Archie's Gardenland in Fort Worth, Texas, they run $16.95 for a 6 6Z\x-inch pot; a red one is $12.95.

Why would someone want a blue poinsettia? Steve McCoy, manager of Archie's Gardenland, said, "We had a customer yesterday who said: 'Why would anybody buy one of those?' But it just gives people more choices, different colors to decorate with."

But really. Blue? This time of year, you'll find all kinds of different-colored poinsettias — gold, turquoise, purple for Texas Christian University, burnt orange for the University of Texas.

But at Ellison's, blue is the most popular choice, after red, the owner said.

"Blue is probably the No. 1 color," Ellison said, "either because it's so unusual, for people who like novel concepts, or it's somebody's alma mater."

Where can you get them? Stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's usually carry blue poinsettias, but at press time, they were waiting on new or replenished shipments, so you might want to call before you go hunting there.

We did find them at a few places:

• Archie's Gardenland, 6700 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas, 817-737-6614 ($16.95)

• Wal-Mart stores ($7.88)