Poinsettias, an Encinitas Legend

We love to decorate our homes and offices with the beautiful and vibrant Poinsettia plant each December. But, did you know that today’s popular holiday plants trace their roots back to San Diego?  Encinitas actually.

Native to Central America, especially southern Mexico, the Poinsettia plant with its bright red flowers was used to make dye for clothing and its white sap to treat fevers.

Had it not been for Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, we would not enjoy the beauty of this plant during the holiday season. He first brought the Poinsettia (named after him) to the United States in the early 1900’s.  It was originally considered that these early plants could only be grown in hothouses but that was until Albert Ecke, was captivated by this plant.

He and his son Paul began growing Poinsettias as part of their orchard and dairy farm business during the off-season in Hollywood. When Los Angeles continued to grow they needed to find a new place to grow their poinsettias and they moved to Encinitas in 1923.  The Encinitas Ranch’s main business from 1923 to the 1960’s was producing field grown poinsettia plants and then shipped to greenhouse growers across the country.  As the demand for poinsettias continued to grow so did the Ecke business. In the early 60’s they began shifting to a greenhouse culture. Today the Ecke Ranch is recognized as the largest poinsettia stock production facility in the world.

So next time you are hypnotized by those beautiful holiday Poinsettias, you can thank the Ecke family of San Diego for helping making this plant a holiday icon. 

You can read more about the history of the Poinsettia on the Paul Ecke Poinsettias website.

For tips on how to care for your Poinsettia visit Poinsettia Care.

If you are in need of Poinsettias, we have beautiful selection available.  

To order call (858) 576-9300