Washington Flowers
Washington Flower & Florist Information Directory

The National Poinsettia Cultivar Trials were established in an effort to bring a thorough body of research and information to poinsettia growers across the country.

The site contains recomendations for growing poinsettia cultivars useful to large commercial growers as well as small specialty growers and home gardeners.

The research is the result of efforts by:

• Universities:
• Purdue University
• University of Florida - Gainesville
• North Carolina State University
• Commercial Site:
• Homewood Nursery, NC
• Commercial Breeders:
• Paul Ecke Ranch
• Oglevee, Ltd.
• Fischer USA
• Selecta First Class
• Dummen

Read more about the National Poinsettia Cultivar Trials.

Purdue University Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

The Purdue University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture is a leader in ornamental horticulture research and education.

Consumer publications available include:

• General Horticulture
• Flowers And Houseplants
• Garden And Patio Flowers
• Houseplants
• Flower Arranging
• Fruits And Nuts
• Landscape Management
• Vegetables
• Multimedia Resources

Read more about the Purdue University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

Dummen Plant Breeders

Dummen is an international breeder of poinsettias and other flowers. The headquarters is in Germany and operates worldwide.

The USA office is in Hilliard, OH.

Dummen is also a major sponsor of university research on plant breeding and growth techniques.

The brand name of their flower varieties is Red Fox.

Dummen produces varieties of the following types of plants:

• Poinsettias
• Pelargonium
• Geranium
• Osteospermum
• New Guinea Impatiens
• Petunias
• Begonias
• Verbenas

Read more about Dummen Plant Breeders.

Selectra First Class is an international plant breeding company with a high technology plant breeding unit called Ornamental Bioscience. Selectra is a leading breeder of poinsettias as well as many other types of flowers.

The Ornamental Bioscience unit was formed in a merger with Mendel Biotechnology. Mendel has discovered ways to control flowering in poinsettias and other flowers that make them easier to grow.

Read more about Selectra First Class Plant Breeders.

Fisher USA is a leading breeder of poinsettias, impatiens and geraniums. They have over 400 varieties of flowers they sell to greenhouse growers all over North America.

Fisher is also a leading sponsor of university research on poinsettias as well as other types of flowers.

Their website has many useful resources for home gardeners as well as professional growers.

Read more about Fischer USA.

Oglevee Ltd is a leading producer of flower cultivars (varieties). Oglevee has an in-house breeding department and evaluates varieties submitted by breeders worldwide. The policy of Oglevee is to sell the best varieties regardless of the source.

Oglevee also sponsors university research on flowers.

Oglevee sells the following types of flowers:

• Begonias
• Carnations
• Geraniums
• Impatiens
• Kalanchoes
• Poinsettias
• Streptocarpus

Oglevee's web site has a great deal of information about growing these types of flowers for both professional growers and home gardeners.

Read more about Oglevee Ltd Flower Variety Producer.

The Texas A & M University Agricultural Extension Service has produced a great resource for growing poinsettias. The information aims specifically at growing conditions in Texas but is very useful for growing poinsettias anywhere.

Topics at the Texas Poinsettia Producers Guide site include:

• Poinsettia History
• Poinsettia Forms and Styles
• Poinsettia Economics and Marketing
• Poinsettia Cultural Characteristics
• Poinsettia Cultivars
• Production Schedule
• Poinsettia Height Control
• Selecting a Poinsettia Growing Medium
• Poinsettia Water Quality
• Poinsettia Irrigation
• Poinsettia Nutrition
• Insect and Mite Management
• Poinsettia Diseases and Control
• Common Poinsettia Disorders
• Conversion Tables for Growers and Gardeners
• Additional Poinsettia References

Read more about Texas Poinsettia Producers Guide.

The virtual monopoly on commercial poinsettia production by the Paul Ecke family for almost 80 years is a great example of floral industry economics.

Paul Ecke developed a technique for making poinsettias grow multiple branches from a single stem. The creates a fuller more colorful poinsettia plant we are accustomed to seeing at Christmas.

The Ecke family kept this a secret of poinsettia cultivation until around 1996 when university researchers were able to independently make the same discovery.

The result has been good for consumers, since poinsettias are much more plentiful and therefore less expensive than before.

Read more about the Poinsettia Monopoly in America.

Poinsettias are a Christmas tradition throughout the Americas. The plant is native to Southern Mexico and Central America.

Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825.

Paul Ecke of Encinitas, California was responsible for the technological advance that made poinsettias a successful commercial plant. One key to poinsettia profits is getting the plants to grow so that multiple branches come off one stem, creating a fuller, more colorful plant.

The Eckes' technique, which involved grafting two varieties of poinsettia together, made it possible to get every seedling to branch. Ecke had perfected this poinsettia secret before 1910 and his family had a virtual poinsettia monopoly for about 80 years. Around 1996 a university researcher made the same discovery and made the technique public.

Since then the Eckes Poinsettia Ranch has adapted and now is a great source of technical assistance and research funding for both commercial growers and consumers.

Read more about Poinsettia Origins.

The Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch had a virtual monopoly of poinsettias that lasted almost 80 years. About 1996 university researchers finally discovered the process to grow poinsettias with many colorful blooms.

This grower is still a major player in the poinsettia market. The Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch website has a great deal of technical information for growing poinsettias on a commercial scale. The Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch also has developed a large number of varieties or cultivars of poinsettias.

Read more about the Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch.