Poinsettias on Trial
Consumer Picks
We had more than 450 consumers come thorough the poinsettia trials during our open house at the University of Florida. The public is invited to tour the trials and participate in evaluating varieties based on their individual preferences. Our student club also has a sale during this event, where the average purchase is more than $50 per person. Attendees tell us that they come to the open house because they want to see and purchase the newest and most novel plants.
Participants in the consumer preference survey were asked to pick their 10 favorite varieties out of the 106 in the trial (Table 1, right). Given the interest of these consumers, it is not surprising that the top varieties included several novelties and newer varieties. ‘Sonora White Glitter’ and ‘Shimmer Surprise’ have been around for a while they’re perennial favorites and show the consumers’ interest is high-end jingle-bell types. For more information on some others in the top 15, click the PDF link in the LearnMore box to the right. Jim Barrett
Probing Poinsettias
One of the biggest influences in how a new poinsettia is evaluated comes down to which part of the industry the evaluator is coming from, says Jack Williams of Ecke Ranch. “The eye of a grower looks for something quite distinct and different than the eye of a retail distributor; the needs and desired characteristics are skewed toward factors most important to the segment represented.”
As retailers, there are several key things you should look for.
In spite of the key differences between what a grower looks at when evaluating a poinsettia versus a retailers perspective, “the optimum partnership” would be the combined focus of both a grower and a retailer, says Williams, “As it is today, not enough retailers are actively involved in looking at trials and helping make selections for which poinsettias will be available in their stores.”
So, what are you waiting for? These poinsettias will end up in your inventory; it’s only right that you have a say in which ones make the cut.
Pretty in Pink
‘Polly’s Pink’ is a new, interesting pink that is much brighter than other pinks on the market. When shown only pink varieties, about half of the consumers at the trial picked this as the best. It was the top-ranked pink pointsettia at last year’s University of Florida trials and has received high marks at other trials as well. However, some individuals do not like it because is it so bright some even liken its hue to a fluorescent-pink highlighter.
Orange: A Novelty Concept
‘Orange Spice’ is a vibrant, fiery orange that creates a lot of interest. But it can turn people off, especially the traditionalists. They’ll say, “That’s interesting, but I don’t want it for Christmas. It doesn’t go with anything.” It’ll cause a stir because it’s so different, but anyone trying to order it from a grower to sell it should understand that it’s a distinctly orange color that doesn’t fit in with most decorations very well.
So position it as a different kind of plant…maybe for Halloween? It’ll be tough selling a poinsettia as anything but a Christmas plant, but with some marketing brains and a few open-minded customers, you could be in business. However, under natural season production, it won’t finish in time for a late-October holiday. It’s a late-season plant put it under a special production schedule to have it in flower by Halloween.
Ravishing Red
‘Classic Red’ is a variety worth mentioning. It’s now a named Ecke variety, but anyone who’s had it as a trial would know it as Experimental No. 1090. As a plant, ‘Classic Red’ tends to be larger and showier; it was developed to suit smaller growers trying to differentiate themselves from a mass-market plant. The “classic” part? The plant has an “older” appearance, more like poinsettias of the past. The bracts are long and narrow instead of large and wide like current poinsettias. From surveys of consumers at the University of Florida trials, consumers tended to like that appearance: It’s the highest-rated standard red variety.
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