'Strawberries and Cream' Poinsettia: A Bold Holiday Hit

Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California, grows 80% of the world's poinsettias. The late Paul Ecke Jr. transformed this Mexican native into a global holiday icon. His final champion was 'Strawberries and Cream'—a hybrid with dark pink outer bracts and a sharply contrasting cream interior that provoked strong reactions: people either loved it or hated it.

Ecke believed in it despite staff misgivings. Trial markets proved him right—'Strawberries and Cream' sold well and is now widely available in nurseries and supermarket floral departments. As marketing director Laurie Scullin notes, "He wouldn't have been surprised."

A poinsettia that breaks the mold, just as Ecke always did.