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Dümmen Orange debuts poinsettia to honour Norwin Heimos

Dümmen Orange will be honouring the late legendary horticultural leader Norwin Heimos with the new “Norwin” poinsettia.

Horticulture legend Norwin G. Heimos passed away at the age of 90 on Feb. 18.

Heimos was the owner and founder of N.G. Heimos Greenhouses in Millstadt, Ill., who 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., following his death at the age of 90 on Feb. 18.

An instrumental collaborator with the Ecke poinsettia program (now part of Dümmen Orange), Norwin 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 colour at that time. It was successfully sold worldwide from 1996 to 2004.

Patented under his name, Norwin Heimos discovered the sport, but assigned it to the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, Calif. 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 colour pink in the poinsettia genus, the company would like to honour 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 colour of any poinsettia on the market and is set against dark, charcoal green foliage for a dramatic contrast. ‘Norwin’ also comes into colour very early in the season, allowing it to be retailed for holidays beginning in early November.”

A great leader in the transformation of the global horticultural industry, the late Mr. Heimos impacted generations of growers in North America and around the world.

“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 honour his legacy in the industry with such an impressive breakthrough in poinsettias.”

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