Poinsettia Passion
16 Dec 2009 8 Comments
in euphorbia, Flowers, Photography Tags: encinitas tourism, paul ecke poinsettias, poinsettias, quail flower barn, rene van rems
Quail Flower Barn
Poinsettias (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) from the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, CA supply 70% of all poinsettias in the United States and 50% world-wide. The Ecke Family started breeding poinsettias in greenhouses for wholesale over 75 years ago. This photo was taken at the Quail Flower Barn located a half mile North of the San Diego Botanic Garden and sells Ecke poinsettias along with other flowers all year-long. Stop in to say hello to the owner Cheryl, she is a great source of information on the flower industry and its history in Encinitas. For tourists and locals alike, the Quail Flower Barn established in 1973 is an eclectic location to take photos against its backdrop of rustic brick walls, custom wood doors and antique farming equipment.
Poinsettia plants are natives of Southern Mexico where they can grow up to 12 feet tall in the wild and were used for centuries to decorate churches in December when they bloom. They come in a wide variety of colors and are distinguished with names such as “Jingle Bells” and “Candy Cane”. Poinsettias enjoy temperatures between 60-70 degrees and are part of the Euphorbia genus which is actually a tropical tree. The yellow center of the plant is actually the flower and the large red petals are the leaves.
* Poinsettia plants are not toxic. I saw the famous floral designer/consultant Rene Van Rems literally eat a leaf on stage at the San Diego Horticulture Society meeting tonight to disprove the myth. He was quite a funny speaker and it was well worth going to the meeting tonight to see his talent expressed in his floral and plant displays. I have included a link to his web site for the floral enthusiasts.
Thank you for visiting my garden blog: www.nadiaknows.com Create- Grow- Inspire
Dec 16, 2009 @ 08:05:27
Nadia, This is interesting, especially the part about the red leaves and the yellow flowers.
Dec 16, 2009 @ 10:47:17
What a cute roadside flower display- it looks like a nice little rustic flower shop. Encinitas still has a lot of old charm.
Dec 17, 2009 @ 14:55:26
that’s so interesting–i had no idea poinsettas are from Mexico and grow so huge!
Dec 17, 2009 @ 15:22:24
I saw some images on Google that were as tall as a two story house, we only see them here in little pots!
Dec 18, 2009 @ 05:37:00
A number of years ago I bought 1,000 cuttings from Paul Ecke and grew them out. It was an amazing experience.
I like your blog and I like the way you mix topics to offer a good diversity.
Thanks for the visit.
john
Dec 18, 2009 @ 23:33:14
I would love to hear more about how your cutting adventure went… that is a lot of cuttings… you must have had a beautiful christmas with all that red!
Dec 18, 2009 @ 23:35:33
I try to save my poinsettias each year but have no luck, they always die. Should I replant them in the ground or a bigger pot, bring them inside, or give them to my aunt?
Dec 18, 2009 @ 23:38:14
If your aunt is a better gardener than you, then by all means let her have at it! Or, replant them in a bigger pot, mostly shade and in mild temperatures and see how they do!