You may or may not have known that today, December 12, is Poinsettia Day. As a bonafide, unapologetic flower lover, I am grateful for flowers anytime, anywhere. Although I love best the flowers growing outside my door, I am grateful that in mid-winter, somebody, somewhere is growing flowers that will brighten up my holiday decorations.
I’m just the kind of person that Albert Ecke, a German immigrant living in California, was thinking about when he launched his Poinsettia business in Eagle Rock, CA in 1909. Although he was immensely successful, it was Paul Ecke, Jr. who took over in 1963 and developed the business into a monopoly. The Eckes discovered how to make the seedlings produce a bushy, compact plant which soon became a phenomenon. Paul’s horticultural skills were only surpassed by his marketing skills. Once he learned to mass produce these beautiful poinsettias, he began sending them out for free to all the T.V. stations. Poinsettias – and Paul – soon became a sensation and he appeared on The Tonight Show and on The Bob Hope Show, touting the beauty of this native Mexican plant.
For years, the Ecke Ranch held a virtual monopoly on growing and selling Poinsettias but in 1991, a university graduate student published a paper on how to perfect the branching technique and the secret was out. Soon the Eckes had competitors from all over the world. Even so, the Ecke Ranch (now owned by a Dutch Company) still holds an astounding 70 percent of the market in the U.S. and 50% world wide.
The Poinsettia was named for Joel R. Poinsett, a botanist and physician who served as the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He sent cuttings of a native Mexican shrub to his home in Charleston, S. C. where it was grown and admired. Eventually, the plant was named for Poinsett and December 12th, the anniversary of his death, has been declared Poinsettia Day.
There are now over 100 varieties of Poinsettias that come in not only red but also pink, cream, speckled and orange. Contrary to popular belief, Poinsettias are not really poisonous. It’s said that a 50 pound child would have to eat 500 – 600 leaves to suffer any lasting effects. The plants should however, be kept away from pets.
And, of course, the “flowers” on the Poinsettia are actually modified leaves called bracts so my “unapologetic” love of flowers might have to be expanded to include leaves as well.
I hope you all have the best Poinsettia Day ever!!