48 poinsettia varieties on sale by URI Master Gardeners, Nov. 23

Another sign Christmas is coming

Todd McLeish

URI Master Gardeners (l-r) Kathy Larson, Betsy Polhemus, Ellen Grennan, Trudy Charboneau and Melissa Hugh tend to some of the 1,500 poinsettias that will be available for purchase on Nov. 23 at East Farm. (Photo by Michael Salerno)

For those interested in holiday decorating, Nov. 23 will be a very big day. On that Saturday morning from 9 to noon, the URI Master Gardeners will host their annual poinsettia sale, and more than 1,500 plants of 48 varieties will be available for purchase.

The event takes place at URI’s East Farm on Route 108 in Kingston. The cost of each poinsettia is $10. 

Bulk orders of 50 plants or more will be accepted until Nov. 18 via an online form at web.uri.edu/mastergardener/bulk-poinsettia-orders. Plants purchased in bulk cost $8 each while supplies last.

“Our Master Gardener volunteers have nursed the poinsettias into a glorious display of red, white, pink and variegated plants of all kinds,” said Kate Venturini of the URI Cooperative Extension.

“We are enthusiastic participants in the North America Poinsettia Trial each year, contributing data to a research effort that helps commercial growers learn about the growth stages, leaf structure, colors and blooms of a wide range of poinsettia varieties. I know visitors will be impressed with the size, health and variety of the plants.”

URI is one of many sites around the country participating in the trials. The project begins when the plugs arrive from three poinsettia breeders in July and are started in the Master Gardener greenhouses at East Farm.

More than 100 Master Gardeners participate in the project, the sales from which 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.