25
poinsettia varieties on sale by URI Master Gardeners, Nov. 30-Dec. 1
For those interested in holiday
decorating, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 are very big days. On that Friday and Saturday, the URI Master Gardeners will host their annual poinsettia sale, and 25 different poinsettia varieties will be available for purchase.
The event takes place at URI’s East
Farm on Route 108 in Kingston from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 30 and 9 a.m. to
noon on Dec. 1. The cost of each poinsettia is $10 while supplies last.
“The Master Gardeners have nursed
the plants into a glorious display of mostly red plants, with some whites,
pinks and variegated plants as well,” said Kate Venturini of the URI
Cooperative Extension. “Visitors will be impressed with the size and health of
the plants, as well as with their vibrant colors.”
All of the plants for sale were grown by the URI Master Gardeners as part of the North America Poinsettia Trials, a research effort to help commercial poinsettia growers learn about the growth stages, leaf structure, colors and blooms of a wide range of poinsettia varieties.
URI is one of many sites around the country participating in the trials. The project begins when the plugs arrive from two breeders in July and are started in the Master Gardener greenhouses at East Farm. More than 100 Master Gardeners participated in the project.
Poinsettia sales support the URI
Master Gardener Program’s educational services, including the Gardening and Environmental
Hotline, educational kiosks, soil pH testing, public presentations and Project
Open House.
For more information, call URI
Cooperative Extension at 401-874-2900 or email coopext@uri.edu.