New poinsettia to honor Norwin Heimos

Added on 07 March 2021

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Dümmen Orange recently announced it is honoring the legendary horticultural leader Norwin Heimos, who recently passed away, with the new 'Norwin' poinsettia (pictured above).

Heimos was the owner and founder of N.G. Heimos Greenhouses in Millstadt, Illinois. He started his first greenhouse in 1952, growing geraniums and poinsettias. His children still oversee the family-run greenhouse operation in the greater St. Louis area.

An instrumental collaborator with the Ecke poinsettia program (now part of Dümmen Orange), Heimos found a new pink genetic sport of a poinsettia in 1994 which was later named V-14. He brought it to Ecke and this variety was the new industry standard for years in pink poinsettias with the deepest color at that time. It was successfully sold worldwide from 1996 to 2004.

Norwin Heimos

Patented under his name, Norwin Heimos discovered the sport, but assigned it to the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California.

In addition to this memorable variety, N.G. Heimos Greenhouses has been a primary trialing site for Dümmen Orange poinsettias before they launch to the commercial market. They are also a rooting station, selling Dümmen Orange varieties.

Since he played a vital role in assisting Dümmen Orange by introducing a breakthrough to the color pink in the poinsettia genus, the company would like to honor Norwin by naming the newest advancement in orange genetics after him.

"Poinsettia 'Norwin' is an exciting advancement in the class," said QiuXia Chen, North American poinsettia product manager for Dümmen Orange. "This variety has the most vibrant and glowing orange color of any poinsettia on the market and is set against dark, charcoal green foliage for a dramatic contrast. 'Norwin' also comes into color very early in the season, allowing it to be retailed for holidays beginning in early November."

"We truly appreciate the partnership and working experience that Norwin gave to our company all these years," said Ruth Kobayashi, breeding manager at Dümmen Orange. "We are excited to honor his legacy in the industry with such an impressive breakthrough in poinsettias."

The 'Norwin' poinsettia is an improvement in orange color and provides earliness for growers to offer in time for Thanksgiving. It will be introduced for the 2022 holiday season.

For more details about Dümmen Orange, please visit na.dummenorange.com.