Grower News

Each year, D.S. Cole Growers in Loudon invites the public to visit and tour its greenhouses in late November. The attraction? They grow 40,000 poinsettias for the holiday season. Tour-goers are encouraged to bring their cameras to take photos, observe the numerous new and unusual varieties and learn more about the lucrative business of poinsettia growing. Unfortunately, the public can’t buy poinsettias at this annual event as the greenhouse is a wholesale distributor of annual plants, but visit any grocery store, department store or garden center this time of year and you’ll be able to find one easily. Red, pink or white, take your pick. Because Dec. 12 is National Poinsettia Day, and to pay tribute, here are a few facts to share about the holiday favorite, according to an article by Dr. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont Extension. You can read more at pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/points.htm . 300×250 image ad • Every state grows poinsettias commercially and California is the top producer with more than 6 million pots. North Carolina grows 4.4 million, Texas boasts 3.7 million and then comes Florida and Ohio with more than 3 million pots each. • More than 34 million poinsettias are sold annually in the U.S., accounting for about 23 percent of all flowering plant sales, according to a USDA report in 2013 — they are the highest selling potted plant. According to poinsettiaday.com , they account for upwards of $250 million in sales at the wholesale level. Easter lilies are the next popular. • At 75 percent of all sales, red is the most popular color, then white and then pink. With new varieties introduced annually, there are more than 100 in existence. • Although its leaves look like blooms, the flowers of the poinsettia are actually the cluster of yellow buds in the center of the colored leaves. In the wild or in tropical climates, the poinsettia can grow to 12 feet in height, the equivalent of a small tropical tree. • The poinsettia is native to Mexico where it blooms in December and is called “La Flor de la […]

Source: www.sentinelsource.com