Abstract
The Winter Rose® family of poinsettias (Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch) has been identified as a suitable poinsettia for use as a cut flower. With curly bracts that resemble rose petals, they may add welcome variety to florists’ holiday repertoire. Winter Rose® poinsettias are now available in cultivars of varying color. They are considered late season poinsettias, requiring nine and a half weeks to mature and come into full color from cuttings. The objective of this study was to determine consumer preference for Winter Rose® poinsettia as a cut flower. Consumers preferred the cultivar Winter Rose® ‘Dark Red’ over ‘Deep Pink’, ‘White’, and ‘Marble’ in order of preference. Consumers indicated a willingness to pay approximately $14.00 for an arrangement consisting of six poinsettia stems.
Highlights
There are more than 175 commercial varieties of poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima L.), and dozens of new varieties are being introduced each year
The objective of this study was to determine the suitability of Winter Rose® poinsettia as a cut flower crop by evaluating consumer preference and willingness to buy Winter Rose® poinsettia as a cut flower
Our results are consistent with the findings of Catanzaro and Bhatti (2006), they interviewed 293 respondents to rank different poinsettias cultivars as favorite based on personal preference and reported that red color cultivar was rated high as compared to other cultivars
Summary
There are more than 175 commercial varieties of poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima L.), and dozens of new varieties are being introduced each year. Poinsettias generate $250 million per year in wholesale revenues nationally. They are the biggest single holiday flowering crop, selling more than roses on Valentine’s Day or Easter lilies in the spring (Spence, 1999). Maximizing profits and sales potential are important objectives for growers and retailers. Sales potential is the amount consumers are willing to buy. Growers choose products based on retailer needs while retailers base their product needs on consumer demands. Knowledge of consumer purchasing characteristics is crucial for the development of risk and sales strategies that enhance profitability, market functionality, improved product quality, and price (Hinson et al, 2012)
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