Growers final impressions of the 2014 poinsettia season according to Greenhouse Grower’s 2014 Poinsettia Survey were mixed, ranging from “flat” to “very strong” to “sucked.” Of the growers surveyed, 41 percent said they grew poinsettias to cover overhead costs, and 59 percent said they grew poinsettias to increase their operation’s profit margin.
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Cyclamen 'Allure' (Sakata)
'Allure' is an intermediate cyclamen with uniform, open flowering. It is suitable for phased growing. 'Allure' has a crop time of 27 to 29 weeks and is recommended for use in 4- to 5-inch containers.
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Cyclamen 'Picasso' (Sakata)
'Picasso' is a mini cyclamen known for its silvery foliage and beautiful, fragrant blooms. It has an open plant structure and is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. 'Picasso' has a crop time of 27 to 29 weeks and is recommended for use in packs and 4-inch containers.
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Cyclamen ‘Smartiz Astro Red’ (Morel Diffusion)
An incredibly compact mini that is fast to cultivate and ideal for high density programs (2 1/2- to 4-inch pots). Through completely new genetics, this series has a good response for early season programs. It includes 12 vibrant colors for high color impact.
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Cyclamen 'Verano' (Sakata)
'Verano' is a fast-growing mini cyclamen known for its heat tolerance and excellent performance as both a pot and bedding plant. It has a total crop time of 25 to 27 weeks and is recommended for use in packs and 2.5- to 4-inch containers.
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Poinsettia 'Astro Red' (Beekankamp)
‘Astro Red’ has many flower heads and an excellent shelf life. It can be grown in warmer and cooler climates and is suitable for pot sizes from 4 to 7 inches. ‘Astro Red’ has a medium plant habit with a good v-shape. Response time is 7 1/2 weeks.
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Poinsettia 'Autumn Leaves' (Ecke Ranch)
New for 2015, 'Autumn Leaves' is a compelling, warm-colored choice for early fall sales.
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Poinsettia 'Christmas Beauty Queen' (Selecta)
'Christmas Beauty Queen' is bred for more efficient, high-density production and saves space and time with a mid-season finish of eight weeks. Its controlled, v-shaped habit is excellent for sleeveability. Strong roots make for long-lasting plants and less shrink. New Queen offers good matching time with 'Christmas Beauty Red,' but with a slightly lower vigor.
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Poinsettia ‘Christmas Morning’ (Selecta)
This early season, medium-to-compact grower will look fresh and festive in a variety of pot sizes. It features the leaf shape, color and upright branching look of 'Christmas Day Red,' with an earlier season – 7.5 weeks – for quicker market delivery.
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Poinsettia ‘Christmas Party’ (Selecta)
Festive in color and ideal for Black Friday, ‘Christmas Party’ has a unique fluorescent pink color and flowers early for important sales dates. It also features exceptional uniformity with a response time of 7 1/2 weeks.
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Poinsettia 'Hera Red' (Beekenkamp)
'Hera Red' has a strong v-shape, which makes it easy to sleeve, and an excellent shelf life. It can be grown in warmer and cooler climates and is suitable for bigger pot sizes (from 4 inch). The plant habit is medium with sturdy stems and the flower heads are bright red with large berries. Response time is 8 to 8.5 weeks.
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Poinsettia 'Jingle Bell Rock' (Ecke Ranch)
'Jingle Bell Rock' is an exciting new offering for 2015. Striking red and white bicolor bracts stand out against deep-green foliage. With medium vigor and strong branching, this new introduction is sure to be a popular choice among the mid-season novelty types.
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Poinsettia 'Pallas Red' (Beekankamp)
'Pallas Red' has a strong v-shape, which makes it easy to sleeve, and an excellent shelf life. It can be grown in warmer and cooler climates and is suitable for bigger pot sizes (from 4 inch till to 7 inch). The plant habit is compact/medium with sturdy stems and the flower heads are bright red and smooth. Response time is 7.5 weeks.
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Poinsettia 'Prestige Burgundy' (Ecke Ranch)
Prestige is quite a tough poinsettia, surviving the one-meter drop test with no stem or branch breakage. It’s ideal for high-density production due to its strong, v-shaped architecture. New to the program for 2015, 'Prestige Burgundy' features vivid burgundy bracts with large cyathia.
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Poinsettia Titan Series (Syngenta Flowers)
Titan poinsettias are now a complete family. New ‘Titan Pink’ and ‘Titan White’ join the popular ‘Titan Red’ to help boost early season sales. They provide easy production with similar growing and finishing requirements. Strong stems, large smooth bracts, along with a steady shelf life make the Titan family great for retail.
Eighty-four percent of growers surveyed say they plan to buy-in finished product for 2015. Those who said they don’t plan to grow poinsettias in 2015 will replace them with crops like cyclamen, paperwhites and orchids. Others said they will bypass holiday crops in favor of succulents, vegetables, and eventually, marijuana (if it is legalized in their state). Growers’ reasons for not growing poinsettias mainly centered around the fact that production costs are too high and with the shrinking market it is hard to make a profit, while others cited space constraints and inadequate shading and lighting.
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Overall, growers were encouraged by plant quality, stronger sales and the less saturated market as production adjusts to meet demand, saying customers seemed very interested in novelty varieties, but red is still king. Some said demand for larger poinsettias was up and customers were asking for more decorative combinations.
Breeders are bringing out many new colors and novelty varieties in cyclamens and poinsettias for fall sales and holiday displays. The slide show above includes 14 of the newest varieties offered on the market for 2014 and 2015.
January 28, 2015 
