Poinsettia Open House Showcases Novelty Varieties

This time of year, potted poinsettias are everywhere — most being the traditional red color. Occasionally a holiday-rebel with a creative streak will opt for one of the white or pink varieties that are available commercially. But this weekend, 60 varieties of the popular holiday plant will be on display for public viewing.

The poinsettia open house is being hosted by undergraduate students in Daniel Warnock’s Greenhouse Management and Production class in the U of I Plant Sciences Building just north of Pennsylvania Avenue at 1201 S. Dorner Drive. The building, including the conservatory, will be open to the public on Saturday, December 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

At the open house, the public will see many traditional red poinsettias, as well as the white and pink varieties, but they’ll also see some new, unusual plants. “We have some of the winter rose varieties and others that have different shapes, as well as some that are marbled and some that are speckled,” said Warnock.

“The students have done a wonderful job putting together the open house,” said Warnock. “They will have displays to give people holiday decorating tips, demonstrating different ways to use poinsettias in home and office settings.”

Warnock said that for the past five years he has cooperated with researchers at Kansas State University and Tennessee State University to develop new varieties of poinsettias for commercial companies. Many of the experimental varieties will be available for viewing at the open house. The plants will not be for sale, however. “We are showcasing many varieties of poinsettias, but we are not selling them because we don’t want to compete with local suppliers and greenhouses,” said Warnock. “They have provided so much support to our horticulture program over the years, and we don’t want to jeopardize that relationship.”

The poinsettias grown by the U of I Greenhouse Management and Production class are used to decorate at banquets and in some university offices, but not advertised for sale to the general public, so as not to be in competition with local businesses.

For more information about the open house, contact Daniel Warnock (217-244-9380; dwarnock@uiuc.edu).

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