They bloom each winter, heralding Christmas in more than 100 different varieties — deep red, light pink, white, purple, mottled.
Poinsettia growers across the state make up an important agricultural sector in North Carolina, the plant's second-largest producer in the country. Last year, sales of the holiday flowers in North Carolina totaled more than $17 million in cash receipts, state agriculture officials say. North Carolina provides many of the poinsettias sold throughout the eastern part of the country.
Brian Whipker, an extension specialist in floriculture at North Carolina State University, says in the article that the state's climate is ideal for growing the tropical plant, and the state's large greenhouse industry means that there are plenty of places where poinsettias are cultivated.
The 2007 crop is a good one, growers and agriculture officials say. Unlike so many other crops, poinsettias generally have not been harmed by this year's record drought. Most poinsettia growers have their own source of water for irrigation, and greenhouses are very water-efficient, Whipker says.
And in a time where sales of outdoor flowers have been more than disappointing — consumers were reluctant to buy new outdoor plants while municipal watering restrictions were in effect— growers are hoping for strong sales of poinsettias, an indoor plant that should not be affected by watering restrictions.
"Our growers have been so affected by the drought that they had a very poor fall season with their pansies," says Bonnie Holloman, the executive director of the North Carolina Commercial Flower Growers Association, in the Journal. "Our growers really need to have a good Christmas season."
Judy Mitchell, who runs Mitchell's Nursery & Greenhouse in King, N.C., with her husband, Jim, thinks sales of the holiday staple will offer a much-needed boost. "A lot of people think they have to have at least one poinsettia every Christmas," Mitchell tells the Journal. "It's just easy holiday decoration. It's a living plant, and not real hard to take care of."
