Annual poinsettia sale starts Thursday

December 15, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will host the largest poinsettia show in North America this week, showing more than 6,000 plants that include everything from traditional versions of the colorful plant to more exotic varieties.

The UF environmental horticulture club will have more than 40 varieties for sale, ranging from traditional red, pink and white plants to novelty cultivars such as Visions of Grandeur, Orange Spice, Winter Rose and Ice Punch, according to Jim Barrett, a floriculture professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

The student-run sale, held at the Fifield Hall environmental horticulture greenhouse area, is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday, and from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday.

Fifield Hall is on Hull Road, about halfway between the Harn Museum and Lake Alice on the main UF campus. Signs will point the way to the greenhouses.

The poinsettias are sold in 6.5-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch pots. Prices start at $9 for red poinsettias in 6.5-inch pots, and only cash or checks will be accepted.

This year, Barrett said, poinsettia floral arrangements will be available to buyers.

Barrett and his research team will be holding their annual show in conjunction with the student sale. More than 6,000 plants and 150 plant varieties will be on display, and attendees can give their opinions about some of the plants by taking part in consumer-preference surveys, he said.