New Must-Haves for the Holidays

Compiled by Jennifer Zurko, Photos by Osvaldo Cuevas

Watch our video coverage of N.G. Heimos’ 2024 Poinsettia Open House where Jen asks the burning question: “Why do we like poinsettias?”

And learn why Hortistician Dr. Marvin Miller thinks we should be promoting (and charging more for) novelty poinsettia varieties.

Rapid Red (Dümmen Orange)

Timing: 6.5 weeks  
Vigor: Medium  
Recommended container: 4 in. and larger
They call this one “Rapid” because it finishes fast. It’s got medium vigor with large, true red bracts.

Noblesse (Dümmen Orange)

Timing: 8 weeks  
Vigor: Medium   
Recommended container: 4 to 6 in.
This variety has star-shaped bracts held above really dark foliage and stems with great uniformity.

Robyn White (Beekenkamp)

Timing: 7 weeks  
Vigor: Compact   
Recommended container: Mini to 6.5 in.
The medium-sized white bracts pair well with the rest of the Robyn series that already has a Red, Pink and Marble to make a complete collection. Excellent heat tolerance, so it’ll work well in all regions, including the south.

Freya Series (Dümmen Orange)

Timing: 7.5 weeks  
Vigor: Medium  
Recommended container: 4 to 8 in.
Already a best seller in the European market, Dümmen wanted to wait until they had a complete series with all four colors (Red, White, Pink and Marble) to really make a family. All four match in timing and habit, and work well in combos and smaller pots. The medium vigor makes it easy to control for mass market production.

Qismas Collection (Graff Breeding)

Graff Breeding, a third-generation operation based in Denmark, is typically known for their line of hibiscus plants called HibisQs, but about seven years ago they started breeding poinsettias. They’ve carved out a niche for themselves as tropicals breeders—and since poinsettias are technically a tropical—branching out into this crop is a natural fit.

Currently, Graff is working with breeder representative Matt Mart to bring their different types of poinsettias to the North American market. They have a selection of poinsettias that can fit minis and small pots to novelties to winter-rose types. They’re all bred under the name Qismas, which Matt said sounds like how a toddler pronounces Christmas.

Christmas Chorus Hot Pink (Selecta One)

Timing: 7.5 weeks  
Vigor: Compact/medium  
Recommended container: 8 in. and smaller
Part of the Christmas Chorus collection and a sport of the original Christmas Chorus, Hot Pink’s V-shaped habit works well in high-density production for mass market and it has an excellent root system so it’s more tolerant of high wood fiber mixes.
 

Roccostar (In Blume/Lazzeri)

Timing: 7.5 weeks  
Vigor: High  
Recommended container: 4 in. and larger
Now available in North America from Italian breeder Lazzeri as URCs coming from Vivero are two winter rose-types that are part of the Roccostar series: Red and White. They’re more vigorous than others on the market and have a more open V-shaped habit. They’ll still work well in high-density production and don’t need any support rings. You can do 1 ppp if you use PGRs.

Giulia (In Blume/Lazzeri)

Timing: 7.5 weeks  
Vigor: High  
Recommended container: 4 in. and larger
Giulia is a tough, stout plant that has multiple layers of color with a speckled pattern. It’s more of a florist type because it has a pretty vigorous habit, so it’s not the easiest to sleeve, but it’s a cool novelty.

Christmas Beauty Prince (Selecta One)

Timing: 8.5 to 9 weeks  
Vigor: Compact/medium  
Recommended container: 10 in. and smaller
This was one of my picks of the Heimos trial. An inversion of Christmas Beauty Princess, Prince has the marbling on the inside of the bracts instead of along the edges. It’s got compact/medium vigor and is what James Doukas calls “one of the Steady Eddies of growing poinsettias as far as vigor is concerned.” Prince times more traditionally with the rest of the Christmas Beauty series, which is a bit later—8.5 to 9 weeks, but in higher light regions Prince will finish in 8 weeks. GT