"Poinsettias are a traditional part of Christmas. They make for a colorful and cosy festive season. So it is hardly surprising that poinsettias are the second-largest category of flowering indoor plants, although the sales period is limited to November and December."
According to the Stuttgart-based breeding company and young plant producer Selecta one, they are one of the market leader in poinsettias for many years. They state that every second poinsettia sold in Europe and North America comes from Selecta genetics. Klaus Gaumann, Director of Marketing and Product Management at Selecta one: "Poinsettias are like a light in dark times, they give people a smile and provide comfort and confidence. At Selecta, we have been offering an extensive range in top qualities for many years, convincing producers, retailers and consumers over and over again." In this article, he will highlight some of their top varieties, the services they offer and worldwide presence.
The shooting star: Christmas Universe
The color red continues to dominate among poinsettias, he says. "And there are two red Selecta varieties that stand out in particular: firstly, the highly acclaimed Christmas Feelings® Red, which has been tried and tested for many years, and secondly, the globally successful Christmas Universe - the shooting star of recent years and No. 1 in the Selecta range."
According to Gaumann, Christmas Universe stands out with its intense dark red color and good foliage quality, but is much more than just another red poinsettia. "It has far exceeded all expectations since its market launch: universally applicable, suitable for all market segments, different climate zones and all pot sizes, it has quickly become a worldwide success."
No. 1 series: Christmas Feelings Family
The undisputed No. 1 series is the Christmas Feelings Family, he says, which has been tried and tested for many years. "It owes its worldwide reputation not only to its appearance, but also to its quality and high economic efficiency. It repeatedly wins awards and impresses with its beautiful bracts, strong and healthy roots, maximum area efficiency, low use of growth regulators, long shelf life and high transport stability - simply the best."
Eye-catcher: Fantasy Star
And a true eye-catcher is the Fantasy Star® variety, Gaumann adds. "The color pattern of the red bracts with large white speckles is unique on the market and gives Fantasy Star an impressively eye-catching appearance. The variety impresses with its narrow, medium-strong growth, very early intensive coloring of the pattern and a reaction time of approx. 8-8.5 weeks. The variety is suitable for almost all production methods, from T6 minis to stems. The variety Fantasy Star Orange is now being introduced, which scores with the same production characteristics and a beautiful, intense color with an unmistakable pattern."
Star of the Year: Christmas Time
Selecta has chosen the Christmas Time variety as this year's 'Star of the Year'. "It has been on the market for two years now and has already clearly surpassed the million mark and is already a proud member of Selecta one's 'Top 7' red poinsettia club. With its bright red bract color, upright, medium-strong growth and V-shaped, even branching, it has received consistently positive feedback from growers in northern and southern Europe. Christmas Time is easy to produce and pack, it convinces with high productivity per area and low inhibitor requirements. It is very well suited to impressively occupying the interesting late sales segment in many markets and can be produced from mini 6 cm pots to pot size 14 cm."
Service information
Selecta not only offers quality, but also service information. "In addition to the special features of cultivation management for poinsettias, the newly introduced 'Long Sales Window' concept also helps with the selection of suitable varieties. The concept describes the suitability of many varieties for a particularly long marketing period in the supply chain from producer to retailer. The selected 'Long Sales Window' varieties have considerable development of the bracts before anthesis (i.e. before the first visible flower pollen) and can be marketed before they show pollen. They therefore offer greater flexibility in the sales period, better storability and a longer shelf life."
Fulfilling worldwide demand
According to Graumann, Selecta fulfills the demands of producers and customers worldwide.: "We have an attractive assortment. All segments can be covered by an extensive range of different colors, sizes, earliness and growth forms. Customers can choose from a range that is suitable for the climate, light and temperature conditions in their country. This is due to the fact that Selecta has tested and selected certain varieties separately for northern and southern Europe and has summarized them in regionally valid catalogs."
In the USA and Canada, Selecta is prominently represented by an experienced team through the co-operation between Selecta North America and Ball Flora Plant. "With the largest selection and solutions for every region and climate zone, Selecta is also the undisputed number one in North America."
Eager to learn more about the Selecta poinsettias? See their catalogs: Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and North America
For more information: 
Selecta one
www.selecta-one.com