University of Florida to Host Poinsettia Field Day

The University of Florida’s Annual Poinsettia Industry Field Day will take place Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., at the university’s Gainesville campus.

Horticulture professionals will have the opportunity to see more than 100 poinsettia cultivars including the latest novelty varieties as well as learn more about crop scheduling and growth regulator practices.

The university also will sponsor an open house and poinsettia sale to the public on Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Proceeds from the sale go to the university’s student environmental horticulture club.

For more information on the University of Florida’s poinsettia trials, contact the Environmental Horticulture Department at 352.392.1831 or visit http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu.

The University of Florida is one of the participants in the National Poinsettia Trials which is a collaboration of the research and trialing efforts at three universities (North Carolina State University and Purdue University and Florida) and one commercial site (Homewood Nursery in Raleigh, N.C.). Many of the major commercial poinsettia breeder companies also participate in these trials.

North Carolina State University and Homewood Nursery will open their doors to growers on Dec. 1, and NCSU also will have an Open House to the public on Dec. 5. Stay tuned to GPN Weekly for more details as they become available.

The February and March issues of GPN will contain exclusive coverage of the National Poinsettia Trials. You can read more about poinsettias and the National Poinsettia Trials in GPN’s Poinsettia Zone.