Celebrating 25 Years of Poinsettia Trials
While the traditional poinsettia-selling season has come to an end, now is an excellent time to review their performance. Which varieties were most successful this year, and are there any new varieties you want to add to your production next season?
Did you know that 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the National Poinsettia Trials (now known as the North American Poinsettia Trials)? A lot has changed since 1993. We now have hybrids on the market and fantastic new colors. Pink poinsettias are even making their way into other holiday markets, possibly October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month or February for Valentine’s Day.
This year, John Dole and Ingram McCall (North Carolina University; Paul Fisher and George Grant (University of Florida) and Mel Sawaya (Focus Greenhouse Management Inc.) evaluated more than 130 cultivars in this year’s trial program. And you can read about 21 cultivars that were newly released or introduced to the North American market in the February issue of GPN.
Can’t wait? Here are a few of the new red varieties that should be on your radar, along with commentary from the trial team. In my next newsletter, I’ll highlight some of the more novel colors now available.
‘Christmas Spirit’
Selecta
This cultivar has large red bracts that hang down a bit, producing the classic ball of red look. This early to midseason cultivar is fairly vigorous but is responsive to PGRs. Branching was good and growth was upright.
‘Robyn’
Beekenkamp
‘Robyn’ is a low to medium vigor plant with a great presentation of medium-sized red bracts. Plant have dark green rounded leaves and strong branches. University of Florida noted that ‘Robyn’ had very thick stems. Plants were uniform and flowered midseason.
‘Prima Bella’
Dümmen Orange
Naturally growing in a V-shape design, ‘Prima Bella’ produced a large number of bracts on the top of the plant. Bract size is smaller than typical poinsettias. Plants sleeve easily with less bract damage and branch breakage. It is highly vigorous and will likely require multiple PGR applications in Florida.
‘Lyra’
Syngenta Flowers
‘Lyra’ is an upright, easy-to-sleeve cultivar with attractive upright bracts. The bright red bracts have a hint of orange, allowing them to show well indoors. The medium green foliage is round. University of Florida noted that this variety had the thickest stems of any Syngenta variety.
‘Christmas Magic’
Selecta
‘Christmas Magic’ is a compact plant with relatively few leaves below the bracts. Plants showed first color early in Florida and North Carolina, and also flowered early in North Carolina. The average-sized bracts were medium red and flat across the top of the plant. Plants had uniform branching.
Did you trial any of the above poinsettias this year? Do you plan to add any to your lineup for next season? Be on the lookout for your February issue of GPN, where you can read even more in-depth coverage of the poinsettia trials.
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