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- Commercial assessment of new non-red poinsettia varieties
Commercial assessment of new non-red poinsettia varieties
As part of the Bedding and Pot Plant Centre, and other AHDB funded projects, a range of new poinsettia varieties (some still unnamed and coded) have been evaluated over several years. Previously, these have been red-bracted varieties, however this and next year the focus will be on non-red varieties. Unfortunately, because of the Covid restrictions a formal trial and events programme could not be undertaken this year, but the young plants of several varieties received from a number of suppliers were circulated to five nurseries to allow them to put them into their production programmes. This podcast captures the comments and opinions of growers from three of those businesses – Neame Lea Nurseries, Woodlark Nurseries and Cobbins Nurseries.
Introduction to the poinsettia variety assessment page
The comments and images below were kindly pulled together by Andrew Fuller and Viktorija Matule from Neame Lea Nurseries. Varieties are divided by supplier – Dummen Orange, Selecta and Syngenta Flowers. The hand out should be read in conjunction with the podcast.
Dummen Orange Varieties
Autumn Leaves
Summary:
- Little bit uneven - with double decking on bract presentation
- Quite compact
- Unique colour type
Bravo Pink
Summary:
- Not within AHDB trial but included for interest
- Clear 'light' pink colour
- Little 'open centred' to the bract
- Plant shape well rounded
- Broken well but with angular shoots so more difficult to sleeve
Candy Cane
Summary:
- Jingle Bells type showing some reversion
- Medium vigour
- Broken well but shoots are more angular in habit
- Quite compact against other Jingle types and little later to mature and bracts not as cleanly presented
Early Polly Pink
Summary:
- Not within the AHDB trial but included for interest
- Vivid bright 'hot' pink type
- Fairly vigorous plant
- Broken well with fairly upright habit
Golden Glow
Summary:
- Is very 'yellowy', quite compact/short
- Broken well and fairly upright
- Some uneveness in bract presentation
Ice Crystals
Summary:
- Compact/medium vigour and fairly good consistently in bract colouration
- Nice 'frosty pink' type colour
- Broken well and strong branches
Infinity Polar
Summary:
- Late to colour up which is characteristic of Infinity
- Medium vigour and good bract presentation - uniform heads and broken well
- Not a pure white
Jadore White Bush
Summary:
- Princettia type - very pale blush pink
- Broken well and uniform bract presentation
- Early to mature and fairly vigorous for this type
Lipstick Pink
Summary:
- Not sure this is a 'colour' other than a shade of red
- Red/rose pink colour
- Nice plants but not sure it’s a distinct colour…have we mixed it up?!
- Habit is good - v shape branches and broken well
Primero Red Glitter
Summary:
- Jingle Bells type - cleaner bract presentation compared to others within the trial, broken well with upright habit
- Uniform bract presentation but with some reversion back to white bracts
Selecta Varieties
Beauty Queen
Summary:
- Some variability in bract colouration from plant to plant
- Compact variety
- 2-3 main bracts with lower shoots (double decked)
- Broken well
Christmas Beauty
Summary:
- Broken well, uniform bract presentation
- Quite compact
- Later to develop/mature bracts
Christmas Feeling Glitter
Summary:
- Quite a high level of reversion back to marble from our main commercial crop
- Broken well and fairly upright habit
- Medium vigour
Christmas Frosty
Summary:
- Lime green white
- Compact habit, broken well with strong stems and upright habit
- Some uneveness across batch
SK 173
Summary:
- Bright orange (fire red) bract
- Dark green leaf but erratic bract development - typically 2-3 dominant shoots and then second layer of bracts (double decking)
Sky Star
Summary:
- Much more vigorous in comparison to other trial varieties
- Not convinced about about the white spots and not that strongly presented
- Upright habit, strong dark red stems
- Little uneven in habit
Valentine Red
Summary:
- Not within the AHDB trial but included for interest
- It’s a 'rose' type bract
- Broken well but uneven in bract developemnt - with typicaly 2-3 main heads and 2-3 lower shoots
- Head size is small comparatively
Syngenta Flowers Varieties
Alaska White
Summary:
- Oak leaf type, good pure white against dark leaf
- Broken well and nice shaped plant
- Little top heavy due to large/high number of bracts
Mars White
Summary:
- White, not pure white but well rounded plant, broken well medium vigour
- Some angular shoots
Mira White
Summary:
- Probably 'whiter' than the Mars selection but still 'cream' rather than white
- Bracts held a litle close to the leaf canopy
- Medium vigour
Superba Glitter
Summary:
- One of the better Jingle Bells in terms of bract presentation, fairly uniform, broken well but with some reversion (back to white)
Titan White
Summary:
- Clean well presented bracts (uniform) and broken well
- Not pure white
- Upright habit and medium vigour
Comparison Table
