MORRISVILLE, NY—Morrisville State College is selling a festive array of poinsettias.
The colorful plants, a popular decoration throughout the holidays, are on sale now through Friday, Dec. 9, at the Spader Horticulture Complex on the Morrisville State College campus, Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. The sale is open to the public.
The college’s poinsettias will also be sold Saturdays, Dec. 3 and 10, at the Regional Market in Syracuse, in Building C, along with wreaths and holiday arrangements crafted by MSC horticulture students.
“This is one of our best crops ever with many favorite varieties back by popular demand,” said David Soucy, associate professor of horticulture.
A warm, sunny fall drove the growth of this year’s crop, which was grown by students in Soucy’s Horticulture Production class. Started as root cuttings at the beginning of the semester, the crop produced more than 1,300 colorful blooms.
Featured in the sale are Titan Red—one of the biggest poinsettias the college has ever grown—as well as Dramatic Red and White Star. Also included are novelty poinsettias, those with bracts (modified leaves) which are uniquely variegated and colored, including Jingle-Bell Rock (multi-colored); Sonora White Glitter (speckled, multi-colored); Ice Punch (bright red mixed with white and pink); Sparkling Punch (red and white multi-colored).
“The sale also provides an opportunity for the public to see what students are doing here,” Soucy said.
The college’s Horticulture Institute plans and runs the sale, which raises money to enhance the college’s horticulture program. Through the institute, students gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience which enhances their skills, making them marketable in their field.
The poinsettias, which range in size from six- to eight-inch pots are being sold for $6.50 and $15. Only cash and checks are accepted as payment for the sales.
Origin of the poinsettia and other facts
Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, an amateur botanist and the first United States ambassador to Mexico, introduced the plant that became known as the poinsettia to this country after he discovered a shrub with brilliantly colored red leaves growing by the side of the road in Taxco, Mexico, in December 1828.
The showy, colored parts of a poinsettia are not flowers; they are actually modified leaves called “bracts.”
December 12 is National Poinsettia Day and the United States has observed this official day since the mid-1800s to honor the man and the plant he introduced.
In Mexico, the Poinsettia is a perennial shrub that will grow 10-15 feet tall.
There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available today. Poinsettias come in a variety of colors including red, salmon, burgundy, apricot, yellow, cream and white. There are also unusual speckled or marbled varieties.
Caring for poinsettia plants
Avoid hot or cold drafts. Keep the soil moist, not soggy and place in a room with sufficient natural light and temperatures of around 60 to 70 degrees F. Water when the soil begins to dry.
Protect plants from exposure to wind or cold when transporting as they are highly sensitive to cold temperatures.
Place in indirect sunlight for at least six hours. If direct sun can’t be avoided, diffuse light with a shade or sheer curtain.
Students in Morrisville State’s associate degree horticulture program can choose from options in horticulture production, landscape development/management or general transfer. The college also offers a bachelor’s degree in horticulture business management and an associate degree in landscape architectural studies.
Morrisville State College’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2017 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2017 Best Colleges rankings.