The Paul Ecke Collection

Paul Ecke Sr. Took Over the Business in 1919

Paul Ecke Sr. took over the family business in 1919 after the death of his father, Albert Ecke. That same year, a group of 30 European-American flower growers (including Paul Ecke Sr.) formed the American Florist Exchange market, known as the Los Angeles Flower Market as of 2018. It was inspired by the success of local Japanese-American growers who established the city’s first major flower market in 1912 (the Southern California Flower Market). The goal of the Exchange was to develop a more efficient and direct way to sell and distribute perishable flowers to local florists and nurseries.

On a personal note, a bumper crop of poinsettias in 1918 had resulted in a profit, which Paul Ecke Sr. used to purchase multiple lots of land. He sold the dairy he ran with his sister, Frieda, in 1922 and ultimately bought 40 acres of land in Encinitas at $150 an acre in 1923. Over the years, he continued to buy adjoining land in the irrigation district and made considerable investments in real estate. 

Paul Ecke Sr. and Magdalena Maurer eloped on New Year's Eve in 1924. Magdalena's family had immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland when she was two and she had known Paul since she was 12 years old. The lot of land that Paul had bought in Encinitas included an old house and barn in disrepair. Paul and Magdalena commuted from Hollywood every weekend until they had transformed the house into their home. Their first child, Paul Ecke Jr., was born in 1925. Barbara Ecke (Winter) was born in 1927 and Ruth "Crix" Ecke (Dealy) in 1929. Paul Ecke Sr. looked after daily operations and was away frequently on business and sales trips. Magdalena raised the children, did the bookkeeping, and looked after boarding for the hired workers. 

Together they established a 945-acre farm in Encinitas, California, along with a 450-acre farm in Carlsbad, California. Paul Ecke Sr. was inducted into the Floriculture Hall of Fame in 1970. Magdalena died in 1981. Paul Ecke Sr. died in 1991 at age 96.  

Paul Ecke Jr.

Paul Ecke Jr. (1925-2002) assumed leadership of the business in 1963. He had a degree in floriculture from Ohio State University and formally shifted the focus of the Ecke Ranch from the field stock plant business to the potted plant business with a greater emphasis on production in greenhouses. Paul Jr. was also instrumental in establishing the poinsettia as the Christmas flower. Every holiday season he would send poinsettias to the White House, in addition to local television stations and national talk shows such as Bob Hope’s Christmas Special, Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, the Dinah Shore Show, and Good Morning America. He also placed advertisements in leading magazines. 

Paul Ecke Jr. married Elisabeth "Jinx" Joan Kenney in 1953. They first met on a blind date in 1952. Elisabeth is a graduate of San Diego State College with a specialization in speech therapy. Together they had three children - Paul Ecke III (1955-), Lizbeth Ecke (1957-), and Sara Ecke May (1959-). Paul and Elisabeth were subsequently divorced (ca. 1980s-1990s). Paul Ecke Jr. married Maureen “Mo” De St. Croix on January 31, 1998. 

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Elisabeth "Jinx" Ecke

During Elisabeth “Jinx” Ecke’s San Diego State years, she joined the Alpha Phi sorority, among other organizations. A sorority sister was engaged to a lieutenant in the United States Navy and set "Jinx" up on a blind date with her fiancé’s friend from the ship, who had specified he would like to meet someone while on leave in San Diego.  That friend was Lt. Paul Ecke, Jr. of Encinitas.         

After their first blind date, Jinx and Paul kept in touch throughout her remaining time in college and his time on tour with the Navy. Eventually, they were married on Oct. 4, 1953, at the La Jolla Presbyterian Church. They were married for 40 years before they divorced. Elisabeth "Jinx" Ecke joined the Paul Ecke Poinsettia Ranch family in Encinitas and made her mark alongside her husband and in-laws in growing the Ranch into a worldwide business and the largest of its kind for poinsettia plants.

She was passionate about equal rights for women and joined community groups that focused on important issues. Elisabeth “Jinx” Ecke moved into the Ranch house where she raised their three children, Paul III, Lizbeth, and Sara, amongst the large agricultural enterprise.       

  Paul Ecke III

                                                                     Paul Ecke III and his 4-H Steer

Paul Ecke III (1955-) joined the family business in 1987. He has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Colorado State University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. Paul Ecke III became CEO in 1991 and responded to competition by founding an offshore poinsettia cutting operation, Paul Ecke de Guatemala, with 1.2 million square feet of greenhouses and packing facilities. The original ranch in Encinitas was mostly used for research breeding. 

In 1987 the Carltas Development Company was formed to consolidate future development activities. Carltas sold 180-acres of Ecke-owned property to Legoland, in addition to the Carlsbad Company Stores outlet shopping center. It developed a 450-acre office park and hotel project on the hillsides above Carlsbad's Flower Fields. In addition, it created the Encinitas Ranch project, which includes a regional mall, municipal golf course, and a 1,100-home subdivision.

Paul Ecke III also developed Flower Fields Alliance, an association of spring-plant businesses, including the Yoder Brothers Inc. of Barberton, Ohio, Fischer USA and Goldsmith Seeds. In 2006, the business acquired the geranium nursery, Oglevee Ltd. of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, which commanded around 25% of the U.S. geranium market at the time.

In August 2012, the poinsettia operations of the Ecke Ranch were sold to the Dutch-based Agribio Group, marking the end of the Ecke family’s involvement in the business. In December 2012, 67 acres of the remaining Ecke Ranch property were sold to The Leichtag Foundation based in Carlsbad.

Paul Ecke III is married to Julianne Hampton. Together they have two children - Hans Maxwell Ecke (1993-) and Polly Elisabeth Mei Ecke (2001-). 

Paul Ecke III, Paul Ecke Jr., and Max Ecke.                                  Paul Ecke III with Amelita Ramos