Dec 18, 2015

Exceptional Poinsettia Performers By Jasmina Dolce

It’s poinsettia time! I know many growers have a love-hate relationship with these winter varieties. They can be difficult to grow at times, but they’re a big seller and your customers have got to have them! That’s why many universities and various growing operations across the country host poinsettia trials this time of year – to figure out which varieties perform the best, are the easiest to grow and maintain, and are the most visually appealing.

I know many of you are unable to attend these regional trials, so I’d like to share some of the standout varieties with you. Michael Foster of Dan Schantz Farm in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Adam Heimos of HG Heimos Greenhouses in Millstadt, Illinois, have both shared highlights from their respective poinsettia trials:

Dan Schantz Farm & Greenhouses held its 2015 Poinsettia Trial and open house on Nov. 12 this year during which members of the horticultural industry gathered to see 196 varieties of poinsettias grown in a production environment. The day-long event featured five speakers that included Allen Hammer of Dümmen Orange, Jim Barrett of University of Florida, James Harbage from Longwood Gardens, Rick Yates from Griffin and Kerry Richards from PSU Pesticides, each of whom touched on a variety of topics important to those who grow and sell poinsettias.

This year what caught the judges’ eyes were the Titan series from Syngenta. With large luxurious bracts these poinsettias – red, white and pink – are perfect for the upcoming holidays. ‘Titan Pink’ was judged Best Pink of the trial for the second year in a row. Another interesting trend that we saw was the continuing effort from breeders to offer varieties that would extend the sales window of poinsettias into the fall and potentially into a time frame that would coincide with flower giving around Valentine’s Day. For the fall we have seen an interest in varieties like ‘Autumn Leaves’ and ‘Orange Spice’ both from Ecke (Dümmen Orange), which offer consumers a chance to pick up poinsettias not only for the traditional holidays but also to decorate their homes right along with the more traditional pumpkins and decorative corn in the fall of the year. For Valentine’s Day, Ecke Ranch wants to show that the Princettia line of poinsettias would make perfect flowers to give as gifts to loved ones or as decorations during that holiday. – Michael Foster, Dan Schantz Farm

‘Titan Pink’ (Syngenta Flowers)

‘Autumn Leaves’ (Dümmen Orange)

‘Princettia Max White’ (Suntory)

The 7th Annual Poinsettia Trial took place here on Nov. 19-20. We showcased over 160 different varieties from six breeding companies (Beekenkamp, Dümmen, Ecke, Florensis, Selecta and Syngenta). Every year, two families of poinsettias always stand out: Christmas Joy by Selecta and Premiums by Dümmen Orange. Both series flower naturally around the time of the trial so they are always in their peak of color. Syngenta’s Titan family is also worth noting with its large bracts and good color. One variety that is my personal favorite is D21 VG1 which is a trial variety by Florensis (a newcomer to our trial this year). – Adam Heimos, NG Heimos Greenhouses

‘Christmas Joy White’ (Selecta)

‘Premium Red’ (Dümmen Orange)

D21 VG1 (Florensis)

Are you growing any of the above varieties or do you plan on adding them to your production for 2016? Does your operation have its own poinsettia trials? If so, which ones performed best for you? Let me know; shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Holidays!

– Jasmina

P.S. The February issue of GPN will feature the results of the 2015 North American Poinsettia Trials (University of Florida, North Carolina State University, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Canada).