Texas Agriculture Daily

By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Their vibrant appearance and seasonal timing make poinsettias special and beloved during the holiday season.

And for the Jones family, who own and operate Spring Creek Growers, the festive plants are rooted in the family’s legacy and a staple of the Christmas season for their customers.

The family business started as a Christmas tree farm in Magnolia and expanded to a second location in Waller to include poinsettias.

In fact, the Jones family grows 30,000 poinsettias a year to be enjoyed by many Texans during the holidays.

Family tradition
Bob and Carla Jones have been in the nursery industry for over 30 years. Their children—Lauren, Evan and Kristen—now help with the family business.

The farm is in Magnolia and has been in the Jones family since 1921 when Carla’s grandparents purchased the land.

“They primarily grew produce vegetables for the Houston market,” Carla, co-owner of Spring Creek Growers, said. “When we acquired the farm, we saw an opportunity to utilize the land. The climate is perfect for Christmas trees, and at the time, Houston was expanding fast.”

In 1990, Bob and Carla began a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm, creating a destination for families to experience the magic of a real Christmas tree.

They took the business in a new direction in 2004, expanding to their second location in Waller. Today, they grow everything from annuals for local landscape businesses and retail trade to herbs, perennials and much more for H-E-B.

Lauren and Evan help their parents manage the farms. Lauren worked in the corporate world for a year before feeling a pull to come back to the family business. Now, she handles the sales and marketing at Spring Creek Growers. Evan oversees production and introduced poinsettias to the business after taking a nursey course in college.

Growing poinsettias
“Poinsettias are a special plant that kicks off the holiday season,” Evan said. “We’ve been doing it for many years now, and we always enjoy this time of year.”

Plans for the holiday plant begin in mid-July when they receive small cuttings of the plant from Central America. The cuttings are brought in by air freight, picked up and then put in propagation where they go through rooting.

“It’s a very stressful three weeks to make sure we’re sticking those cuttings in the heat of summer,” Bob said.

After rooting, the plants are transplanted to their final pots where they are watered, fertilized, treated for disease and insects, pruned and tended until they are fully matured.

Poinsettias require a lot of special attention and care that Spring Creek Growers provides. The plants need good air circulation and constant temperature control. Poinsettias like it to be warm, but not too hot, and need the right amount of water.

“After a very hot summer, it was a challenge to make sure everything was at the right temperature condition in the greenhouse and getting enough water, but not too much water,” Evan said.

Once the poinsettias have been transplanted to their final pot, nursery workers take the individual cutting and pinch the top of the plant. This creates a break, or side branches, that will grow into individual bracts.

Ideal poinsettias have six bracts. Often confused as the flower, bracts are the part of the plant that change from green to the bright red color poinsettias are known for.

Seeing red
Poinsettias can sense shorter days.

When the clock turns back, the plant can sense the limited sunlight hours and shorter days. That is when the bracts begin to change from green to red.

“When the photo light period reaches 10 hours a day, that is when the red of the poinsettias starts showing and will continue through the holidays,” Evan said.

Poinsettias will hold their red color for eight weeks or longer. When the days get longer and there is more sunlight, the bracts will transition back to green.

Spreading holiday cheer
By late November, the poinsettias are ready for customers.

Harvest moves quickly. Workers sleeve the 30,000 poinsettias in roughly 10 days. Then, they are loaded onto trucks and delivered.

“A lot of our poinsettias are going to fundraisers for local churches and sports teams,” Evan said. “That’s been a strong demand every year, and we continue to see it grow.”

It’s also an opportunity for Spring Creek Growers to engage with the community on a more intimate level.

“Fundraising poinsettias gives us an opportunity to participate in what’s happening in our community,” Lauren said. “It’s a real honor for us to participate and give back during the holiday season.”

Caring for poinsettias
Poinsettias need to be treated carefully because they are prone to breakage.

“First thing you need to do is unsleeve the poinsettia very, very carefully. They can be prone to breakage,” Lauren said. “They don’t like to be sitting in water, and my best recommendation is to water them every other day. Take the plant over the sink and let the water drip from the bottom of the drain holes until it’s done.”

Poinsettias need good air circulation.

The best spot for poinsettias, Lauren said, is by a windowsill where they can reach sunlight and be kept at about 70 degrees.

Continuing the legacy
As each season unfolds, the presence of poinsettias becomes a living testament to the family’s commitment to preserving and passing on the legacy of Christmas cheer.

“Growing poinsettias continues to be a celebration of the Christmas season in addition to our Christmas trees,” Carla said. “It provides a family tradition to so many families that come and see us, and that is another opportunity for us to be a part of everyone’s Christmas traditions and celebrations.”

Bob and Carla are proud of their children and honored they are continuing the farming legacy of Carla’s grandparents. And they are thankful for their employees who help Spring Creek Growers provide Christmas memories for the community.

“It’s a blessing to be associated with the season—with this unique plant that is a symbol of Christmas and the promise of our Savior coming,” Bob said.