US (CA): Local growers keep Encinitas poinsettia history alive
The poinsettias will come from Weidner’s Gardens in Encinitas, where because of the Ecke family, the plant became widely known as the Christmas flower and the city became known as the “Flower Capital of the World.”
“The reason the Weidners came to Encinitas is because they were friends with the Eckes in Los Angeles and they dragged them down here,” said Oliver Storm, head grower and co-owner of Weidner’s Gardens.
That was in the 1920s, and nearly 100 years later, business is still flourishing, some would say. Although Paul Ecke III sold the family business in 2012, he said the company that purchased it is still breeding poinsettias in Encinitas.
“And the company has bought other companies and morphed into more poinsettia breeding going on here than ever,” said Ecke, 60, who took charge of the family business in 1992.
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