Texas among top states in poinsettia sales
12/14/2003
By JAMIE STENGLE / Associated Press
As Christmas Day nears, the sea of poinsettias brightening the greenhouses at Crump's Garden slowly shrinks.
"By the 19th, everything will be empty," said Bill Crump as he gazes at a seemingly never-ending blanket of bright red poinsettias.
Crump's Garden Inc., a family business just north of Dallas, grew about 75,000 poinsettias this year. About 5 percent of the crop was sold at Crump's retail store. The rest went to wholesalers who sell them to flower shops.
Crump is one of a number of Texas growers who has turned to poinsettias as a cash crop. Last year Texas ranked third in the nation in wholesale poinsettia sales. With a value of $14.6 million, the state came in behind No. 1 California ($38 million) and North Carolina ($17 million), according to the Society of American Florists.
"Poinsettias are the biggest single crop we do," Crump said, noting the flowers account for about 20 percent of the business' annual profits.
Poinsettias are part of the greenhouse and nursery industry, which ranks second in Texas for agricultural income. In 2002, the growers contributed $1.3 billion, or 10.6 percent, to the state's agricultural economy, ag department statistics show.
Cattle, which accounts for almost half of the agriculture income in Texas, is No. 1 with $6 billion. Cotton contributed $974 million, or 7.7 percent, last year to come in at No. 3, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
"Overall, poinsettias are the number one potted flowering plant in the nation," said Jenny Stromann, manager of consumer marketing with the Society of American Florists.
Poinsettias were introduced to the United States in the 1820s by Joel Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He brought the Mexican and Central American plant to the United States and they have grown in popularity since then as a holiday decoration.
"I think it's just become a tradition for a lot of people," Crump said. "That red is just so pretty."
Red is the most popular color, representing 76 percent of poinsettias sold in 2002, according to the Society of American Florists. Coming in a distant second was pink (7 percent), followed by white, purple, peach and yellow.
At Crump's, for instance, out of 65 greenhouses dedicated to poinsettias, only eight had colors other than red.
Linda Angle Miller, an archivist and senior lecturer in the history department at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., said the color red is popular because it lends itself well to the holidays.
"It's something that's pretty and blooming and bright in the winter time," she said. "Red has just been a part of the Christmas celebration for as long as we've had it."
Greenhouse operators usually begin growing the poinsettias in late summer, starting with cuttings. Within about 12 weeks, the plants' modified leaves, called bracts, have changed from green to a color, said Don Wilkerson, professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University in College Station.
It's actually the poinsettia leaves that become bright and colorful. The flower is the small yellow part in the middle of the leaves, he said.
Except for a some growers in Cherokee County, most of the Texas growers are near major metropolitan areas, where there is a demand for poinsettias, Wilkerson said.
He said that about 90 percent of Texas' poinsettias are grown in Tarrant, Dallas, Travis, Bexar, Harris and Cherokee counties.
Debby Baker, manager of a retail florist called Flower Mart near downtown Dallas, gets most of her poinsettias from a wholesaler who gets the poinsettias from Crump's. She said that she likes getting plants locally.
"I think that we get them fresher," Baker said. "It allows several shipments. They're not handled as many times."
12/14/2003
By JAMIE STENGLE / Associated Press
As Christmas Day nears, the sea of poinsettias brightening the greenhouses at Crump's Garden slowly shrinks.
"By the 19th, everything will be empty," said Bill Crump as he gazes at a seemingly never-ending blanket of bright red poinsettias.
Crump's Garden Inc., a family business just north of Dallas, grew about 75,000 poinsettias this year. About 5 percent of the crop was sold at Crump's retail store. The rest went to wholesalers who sell them to flower shops.
Crump is one of a number of Texas growers who has turned to poinsettias as a cash crop. Last year Texas ranked third in the nation in wholesale poinsettia sales. With a value of $14.6 million, the state came in behind No. 1 California ($38 million) and North Carolina ($17 million), according to the Society of American Florists.
"Poinsettias are the biggest single crop we do," Crump said, noting the flowers account for about 20 percent of the business' annual profits.
Poinsettias are part of the greenhouse and nursery industry, which ranks second in Texas for agricultural income. In 2002, the growers contributed $1.3 billion, or 10.6 percent, to the state's agricultural economy, ag department statistics show.
Cattle, which accounts for almost half of the agriculture income in Texas, is No. 1 with $6 billion. Cotton contributed $974 million, or 7.7 percent, last year to come in at No. 3, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
"Overall, poinsettias are the number one potted flowering plant in the nation," said Jenny Stromann, manager of consumer marketing with the Society of American Florists.
Poinsettias were introduced to the United States in the 1820s by Joel Poinsett, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He brought the Mexican and Central American plant to the United States and they have grown in popularity since then as a holiday decoration.
"I think it's just become a tradition for a lot of people," Crump said. "That red is just so pretty."
Red is the most popular color, representing 76 percent of poinsettias sold in 2002, according to the Society of American Florists. Coming in a distant second was pink (7 percent), followed by white, purple, peach and yellow.
At Crump's, for instance, out of 65 greenhouses dedicated to poinsettias, only eight had colors other than red.
Linda Angle Miller, an archivist and senior lecturer in the history department at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., said the color red is popular because it lends itself well to the holidays.
"It's something that's pretty and blooming and bright in the winter time," she said. "Red has just been a part of the Christmas celebration for as long as we've had it."
Greenhouse operators usually begin growing the poinsettias in late summer, starting with cuttings. Within about 12 weeks, the plants' modified leaves, called bracts, have changed from green to a color, said Don Wilkerson, professor of horticulture at Texas A&M University in College Station.
It's actually the poinsettia leaves that become bright and colorful. The flower is the small yellow part in the middle of the leaves, he said.
Except for a some growers in Cherokee County, most of the Texas growers are near major metropolitan areas, where there is a demand for poinsettias, Wilkerson said.
He said that about 90 percent of Texas' poinsettias are grown in Tarrant, Dallas, Travis, Bexar, Harris and Cherokee counties.
Debby Baker, manager of a retail florist called Flower Mart near downtown Dallas, gets most of her poinsettias from a wholesaler who gets the poinsettias from Crump's. She said that she likes getting plants locally.
"I think that we get them fresher," Baker said. "It allows several shipments. They're not handled as many times."
