Three generations of Eckes at the former Ecke Ranch in Encinitas: Paul Ecke III, Paul Ecke Sr. and Paul Ecke Jr.
The story of how poinsettias moved from a relatively obscure plant to a top-selling Christmas gift is currently being told — through rare family photos and stories — at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum in Encinitas, California.
“Paul Ecke Ranch: 100 Years of Blooming History” highlights the contributions of the Ecke family, who revolutionized the popular plants, to both the floral industry and the local community.
Cal State-San Marcos history professor Jeff Charles played a major role in the exhibit, which is an extension of his project to digitize Ecke family paperwork for a forthcoming website.
“Before working with the papers, I knew that the Ecke Ranch was the major source of poinsettias in the United States, but what I hadn’t realized is how extensively Ecke Ranch poinsettias were marketed worldwide,” Charles told the Encinitas Advocate. “In fact, I don’t think it is too much to say that the Ecke business almost singlehandedly cemented the association between the poinsettia and Christmas in global culture.”
Paul Ecke Sr. moved to Encinitas in 1923 and built a business that at its height produced more than 90 percent of the world’s poinsettia stock. In 2012, the family sold the Ecke Ranch business to a Dutch agriculture company, citing global competition and industry consolidation. Around the same time, the nonprofit Leichtag Foundation bought the last of the former Ecke Ranch.
Find out more about how the exhibit came to life. The exhibit can be viewed during museum hours, noon to 4 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
Floral Management interviewed Paul Ecke III upon the sale of the Ecke Ranch in 2012. Read that candid conversation.
