If you’ve ever cast a vote on your favorite poinsettia, you’re part of a larger effort to perfect these holiday classics. Every year, Mitchell’s Nursery in King, NC, participates in the National Poinsettia Trials, collaborating with breeders like Lazzeri, Dummen Orange, Selecta, Suntory, Rinehart, and Beekenkamp to bring forward new varieties and refine beloved classics.
The Beginning: A Journey from Cutting to Showcase
Breeders send cuttings of their latest and most popular poinsettia varieties to nurseries like Mitchell’s. These tiny beginnings are carefully nurtured into mature plants using customized soils, fertilizers, and watering schedules. Every step is meticulously tracked, from growth rates to the strength of each bract (the colorful “leaves” we often mistake for flowers). As the plants mature, supports are added to encourage upright growth, ensuring every poinsettia is ready for its holiday debut.
The Transformation: Colors Unfold
As shorter days settle in, poinsettias undergo a vibrant transformation. Yet, those brilliant reds, pinks, and whites aren’t blooms—they’re modified leaves, with the real flower being the tiny yellow centers. This distinction doesn’t detract from their charm, as each plant has a festive allure perfect for the season.
Observation: Spotting the Standouts
These poinsettias are observed closely throughout their growth for any signs of pests, weakness, or underperformance. Occasionally, a variety may surprise by not reaching its anticipated size or strength. Every detail is noted and fed into a larger data pool, helping refine each variety further.
Voting: The Consumer’s Choice
As the holiday season approaches, displays are arranged, and the voting begins. Visitors can vote for their favorites, lending insight into consumer preferences for color, fullness, and overall appeal. Far from a casual exercise, these votes offer breeders direct feedback on what resonates most with the public.
The Final Decision: What Stays, What Goes
Between grower observations and consumer votes, breeders make tough choices—determining which varieties promise to become next season’s stars and which may be retired. Poinsettia breeding has come a long way from the fragile plants of decades past, creating more resilient varieties that thrive with the right care. Through these trials, breeders continue to fine-tune each plant, ensuring they’re not only show-stoppers but hardy additions to our homes.
The next time you see a vibrant display of poinsettias, remember that each represents countless hours of cultivation, observation, and even your votes. These trials are a true collaboration of growers, breeders, and consumers, all coming together to celebrate and improve the poinsettia.