The bright red and green of poinsettias fit them perfectly into
holiday
decorating. But today, consumers have many more color choices to
choose
from, thanks to the efforts of poinsettia breeders.
"Poinsettias can now be found in strong white, creamy white,
light pink,
solid pink, bright orange-red, deep purple-red and traditional
red," said
Paul Thomas, an extension horticulturist with the University
of Georgia College of
Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. "There are also speckled and
marbled varieties."
Thomas said the increase in poinsettia color choices are a
result of
breeders trying to meet consumer demands. "We find more and more
people
buying poinsettias for decorating," he said. "If you are going
to use poinsettias
for decorating, it's important to buy a color that matches your
home color
scheme."
Of the white varieties, Gutbier V-17 Angelika White is a
popular variety
because it has large bracts and is a big, vigorous plant, Thomas
said.
|
GETTING READY FOR
THE HOLIDAYS
Christy Markham, in photo, prepares pink poinsettias for the
holiday season.
Though plant breeders have produced white, pink, orange-red,
near-purple
and even yellow poinsettias, Paul Thomas, a UGA horticulturist
with the
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said
the No.
1 selling color is still red. "You can find poinsettias to match
your home
decor, but they may be more difficult to find," Thomas said.
(Photo
courtesy the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.) |
"The pink varieties seem to be a toss-up to consumers," he
said.
"People either love them or they hate them." He
recommends "Pelfi Flirt"
to people who fancy pink.
"Jingle Bells, the speckled poinsettias, come from two
different cell
types which create natural
variegations," Thomas said. "It's just like a speckled puppy
dog."
The newest colors in the poinsettia family are the marbled
varieties.
"Instead of the sharp blotches found on the speckled
poinsettias, the marbled
varieties are more smoothly blended and look as if an artist
painted the
bracts," Thomas said. "It's really a unique color you have to
see to believe
and appreciate."
Poinsettias' beautiful "flowers" aren't actually flowers at
all. The
plant's true flower is the small, yellow flower in the center of
the bracts,
or groups of leaves. The bracts provide the plants' spectacular
color.
Thomas said marbled poinsettias earn very high visual ratings
from consumers.
"They aren't grown in large numbers because they are so new," he
said.
Poinsettia breeders have learned from experience to breed
what consumers
will buy rather than experiment with too many new and different
colors.
"About four years ago, a yellow variety called Lemon Drop was
released,"
said Thomas. "Consumers said, 'Sorry, that's not a Christmas
color and
we don't want it.' Breeders assumed that the public would like
it just
because it was a new color."
Despite the release of these new colors, traditional red
poinsettias
still rank highest in sales.
"A typical greenhouse propagates hundreds of reds and only
dozens of
the other varieties,"
Thomas said. "The marketing surveys show that people still
prefer red,
and 90 percent of poinsettias sold are red varieties."
Thomas said the new variegated and marbled varieties may be
hard to
find, but not impossible.
"You can call your local greenhouse or florist to search for
a new variety
such as the marbled poinsettias," he said. "There are about 800
greenhouses
and 500 florists in the state. So you're probably only a few
miles from
one right now. If they don't have what you're looking for,
chances are
they can order it."
Quality is another reason to shop for poinsettias at florists
and greenhouses,
Thomas said, rather than department stores.
"At the chain stores," he said, "the plants may cost less.
But the plant
will be a lower-quality plant. And chances are you'll only find
the solid
red or solid white varieties."
