Posted: December 17, 2024
On a brisk December day, the Poinsettia industry descended upon Cresco, Iowa, for Poinsettia Variety Day. This trial has become a must-attend event for breeders, brokers, growers, and retailers. Trial attendance and trial collection grow each year. This year over 200 commercial varieties awaited review and evaluation by the 150-plus attendees. Hosted on Thursday, December 5th, representatives from all commercial Poinsettia breeders, brokers, and growers were in attendance from 18 states and two European countries. In addition, Mike Poretsky of A-ROO presented value-added upgrade treatments and packaging.
Genetics were submitted by Beekenkamp, Dummen Orange, Graff, InBlume, Lazzeri, Rinehart Poinsettias, Selecta One, and Suntory Flowers. Plantpeddler is licensed by all breeders represented and prides itself on being a one-stop shop for premium Poinsettia liners.
As to why Plantpeddler conducts their Poinsettia trial, Mike Gooder, President of Plantpeddler, said, “As a leader in Poinsettia young plants, this investment is for our retailers, growers, brokers, and breeding partners. The Poinsettia Trial and Variety Day event emphasizes our commitment to the industry by showcasing genetics under northern USA growing conditions. It is important to do a commercial production trial for Poinsettias as a way for the industry and growers to evaluate variety performance and improve their selections.” Another commitment of Plantpeddler is to educate growers on best practices in the horticulture industry.
New this year at Poinsettia Variety Day was the 2024 Best of Class Red – 5 Year Challenge. This was a blind vote contest, pitting the six varieties which had placed first and/or second place over the past five years. The dominating varieties were Draco, Kayla, Mirage, Noel, Robyn, and Ruby. In a close competition, Noel garnered the winning vote count. Noel finished second in 2020 and 2022. Congratulations to Selecta on this prestigious award.
2024 Best of Class Red – 5 Year Challenge
| Variety | Breeder | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| A | Mirage Red | InBlume | #1 | ||||
| B | Robyn Red | Beekenkamp | #2 | #2 | |||
| C | Draco Red | InBlume | #1 | ||||
| D | Noel Red | Selecta | #2 | #2 | |||
| E | Kayla Red | Beekenkamp | #1 | #1 | |||
| F | Ruby Red | InBlume | #1 | #2 |
Best Of Class Red 5 Year – Challenge Winner: Noel Bred By Selecta
This year’s trial results might be tagged as “The Year of the Novelty” as non-traditional varieties dominated the trial in both the Red and Non-Red categories. This reflects the industry’s drive to keep innovating this holiday classic to drive consumer interest and sales. Congratulations also goes out to all the winning varieties. For the Variety Day Video: click here
Trial attendees voted using a three-flag system for “Best Red Variety” and “Best Non-Red Variety” with a 3, 2, 1 point scoring. The results are as follows:
Red Variety Top 10
| Rank | Variety | Breeder | Color | Timing | Vigor | Habit |
| 1 | Sky Fantasy | Selecta One | Red | 7.5 | Medium | V shaped |
| 2 | Red Ribbons | Dümmen Orange | Red | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
| 3 | Christmas Aurora Red | Selecta One | Red | 8.5 | Vigorous | Narrow |
| 4 | Roccostar Red Novita | Lazzeri | Red | 7.5 | Med-Vig | Wide |
| 5 | Christmas Morning | Selecta One | Red | 7.5 | Cmpt-Med | Narrow |
| 6 | Tapestry | Dümmen Orange | Red, Scarlet | 8.5 | Compact | Narrow |
| 7 | Draco Red | InBlume | Red | 9 | Medium | Wide |
| 8 | Kayla Red | Beekenkamp | Red, Dark | 7 | Medium | V shaped |
| 9 | Christmas Chorus | Selecta One | Red | 8 | Med-Vig | Narrow |
| 10 Tie | Astro Red | Beekenkamp | Red | 7.5 | Medium | V shaped |
| 10 Tie | Ruby Red | InBlume | Red, Dark | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
Non-Red Variety Top 10
| Rank | Variety | Breeder | Color | Timing | Vigor | Habit |
| 1 | Giulia | Lazzeri | Nov/Cinnamon | 7.5 | Vigorous | Wide |
| 2 | Ice Punch | Dümmen Orange | Novelty/Bicolor | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
| 3 | Princettia Queen Rose Punch | Suntory | Pink | 8 | Cmpt-Med | V shaped |
| 4 | Alaska White | Lazzeri | White | 8 | Vigorous | Wide |
| 5 | Pink Champagne | Selecta One | Novelty/Bicolor | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
| 6 | Superba New Glitter | Lazzeri | Jingle | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
| 7 | Brilliant White | Selecta One | White | 8 | Cmpt-Med | V shaped |
| 8 | Christmas Aurora Queen | Selecta One | Nov/Cinnamon | 8.5 | Med-Vig | Narrow |
| 9 | J’Adore H826 | Dümmen Orange | Pink | 8 | Medium | V shaped |
| 10 | Alpina | Lazzeri | White | 7.5 | Medium | Wide |
Plantpeddler extends a sincere thank-you to all the breeders and Vivero for helping make this trial possible. Thank-you to A-Roo, BioTherm and Oasis for sponsoring the outstanding U2 BBQ lunch. Also, thank-you to the team at Plantpeddler for producing an outstanding trial and event.
Mark your calendars now for next year’s Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day trial event on Thursday, December 4, 2025. Plantpeddler’s Variety Day trial event showcasing Annuals and 45th Anniversary Celebration is August 1, 2025. Please make plans to attend both events.