Greenhouse Grower recently focused on poinsettias and succulents in the Feb. 2018 print issue. Succulents continue to be hot items with consumers. It’s no surprise they’re still popular products. A quick Google search gives you a hint of the many creative ways people can use them to decorate their homes, landscapes, and offices. Altman Plants is one of the largest breeders and growers of succulent plants in the world. Marketing Director Ingeborg Carr talks about why the succulent market still thrives in “Hot-Selling Succulents Still Hip – With No End in Sight.”
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Luv U Hot Pink Poinsettia Series (Dümmen Orange) The impressive, pagoda-like bract structure of the Luv U series allows for a longer retail window and a showier product. The Luv U Euphorbia hybrid consistently places in the pink category at poinsettia trials.
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Mangave ‘Mad About Mangave Purple People Eater’ (Walters Gardens) Purple People Eater may be a funny name for a succulent, but it perfectly describes its characteristics. Extremely purple coloration appears on a neat rosette of succulent leaves. Leaves have their best color in direct full sun, otherwise leaf color will be green. A Mangave is a cross between Agave and Manfreda.
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Mangave ‘Mad About Mangave Red Wing’ (Walters Gardens) If you’re looking for a succulent with intense red color for combinations, you’ve found it with ‘Red Wing.’ This plant forms a large, refined rosette with color that’s best in full sun (leaves are greener in more shade or under plastic). A Mangave is a cross between Agave and Manfreda.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia) ‘Aries’ (Beekenkamp) Now part of the Beekenkamp Superstars, ‘Aries’ has a reaction time of seven weeks. It works well for 4- to 10-inch pots and is suitable for both warmer and cooler climates. ‘Aries’ has large flowers and a good V-shape.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia) ‘Ferrara’ (Dümmen Orange) Racing to a fast finish of 7½ weeks, ‘Ferrara’ is a solid choice, suitable for high-density production and Black Friday sales. It was voted the top red at N.G. Heimos Poinsettia Trials two years in a row.
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Sedumspurium ‘Summer Snow’ (Jelitto) This new, white-flowering Sedum spurium seed strain sports just a hint of pink from the style in the center of the flower. 'Summer Snow' is a vigorous grower that carpets the ground with glossy-green foliage. It flowers July through September and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
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Lewisia ‘Elise Ruby Red’ (Floragran) While not a true succulent, lewisia’s succulent-type characteristics make it a good fit for this category. Ruby Red is a stunning, single colored lewisia cotyledon, which allows producers to grow another single color alongside Elise White and the Elise mix. Abundant, continuous flowering provides a delicate looking, yet strong pot or garden plant that will flower for four to five months after sowing until the first frosts. ‘Elise Ruby Red’ tolerates heat and drought and grows well in cooler temperatures. It will overwinter with protection from wet weather. Ruby Red is a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner for 2018.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia) ‘Lyra’ (Syngenta Flowers) Well-suited for 6-inch pot sizes, 'Lyra' is a durable plant with a strong, v-shaped growth habit. It is a mid-season variety with medium to vigorous growth that exhibits a brilliant dark-red color. It finishes around Nov. 22 and is easy to grow without any special requirements.
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Sedumellacombianum ‘Cutting Edge’ (Intrinsic Perennial Gardens) ‘Cutting Edge’ is a virtually static plant that starts with bright, butter-yellow edges and hints of pink in spring. The yellow-edged, bright-green foliage on mounding plants 6 to 8 inches tall and spreading over 12 inches wide looks good from spring to fall, providing a bright, contrasting plant for full sun to part shade.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia) ‘Mirage’ (Syngenta Flowers) ‘Mirage’ is a good fit for Black Friday sales. Bracts have a vibrant, dark-red color with very pronounced and strong cyathias. ‘Mirage’ is a compact to medium vigorous variety that finishes early to mid-season, around Nov. 15. It is easy to grow without any special requirements.
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Poinsettia (Euphorbia) ‘Robyn’ (Beekenkamp) ‘Robyn’ is a good combination of dark leaves and red flower color. It is suitable for the 2½- to 8-inch pot with a natural flowering period in mid-November due to its reaction time of seven weeks.
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Sedum ‘Pillow Talk’ (Intrinsic Perennial Gardens) Substantial plants with hybrid vigor reach 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Gray-green foliage is larger, held on rose-colored stems, and at times it can have reddish edges. Large 5- to 6-inch flower heads are deep pink and magenta. Plants turn chartreuse in the fall, with pink foliage. They are resistant to Rhizoctonia, do best in full sun to light shade, and prefer well-drained soil.
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Sempervivum Chick Charms (Emerald Coast Growers) Emerald Coast has four new varieties in the Sempervivum Chick Charms collection of hardy succulents. 'Berry Bomb' (pictured) features burgundy red rosettes that deepen with age. 'Sugar Shimmer’s' tight rosettes are heavily frosted in dense white hairs and subtly pink-tipped. 'Silver Suede' has silvery, new peach-fuzzy leaves that turn to pale pink/purple open rosettes. 'Cosmic Candy’s' maroon-red leaves are adorned with cottony white whiskers.
Poinsettias, with their lasting, vibrant colors, are an in-demand holiday staple. According to Greenhouse Grower’s 2017 Poinsettia Survey, ‘Prestige Red’ was a top Black Friday seller, along with ‘Christmas Day Red’ and ‘Ice Punch.’ And while traditional reds were bestsellers last year, interest continues to grow for white and novelty varieties.
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Greenhouse Grower reached out to breeders to ask them to share their latest and greatest succulent and poinsettia varieties with you. Here are 12 introductions new to the market for retail sales in 2018 and 2019.
01513 New Poinsettias and Succulents for Holiday Sales, Crafting, and Landscaping
February 20, 2018 
