t takes four months to grow poinsettias, but they take two days to sell out.
The UF Environmental Horticulture Club is holding its 22nd annual poinsettia sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. The sale will be at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticultural greenhouses at 2550 Hull Road.
More than 5,000 plants with 150 types of poinsettias will be sold. The most popular are the red poinsettias. Every year, attendees rush to the greenhouses to get their hands on the plants in colors that range from gold to green, said Andrew Loufman, a 21-year-old UF marketing senior.
“It’s stuff you really can’t buy anywhere else,” Loufman, the treasurer of the UF Environmental Horticulture Club, said. “That’s why I think our sale is kind of more unique.”
Loufman said people should come to the sale early to get the first pick of the plants on Thursday morning.
The plants are grown by students in the club and are also donated by national and international growers, he said.
With the money generated from the sale, club members have been able to go on trips to learn more about horticulture around the world, Loufman said. Members have traveled to the Netherlands, Ecuador and plan on going to Spain next year.
Recently, club members have raised about $50,000 to $80,000 from the sale alone. Members want to hit these numbers again this year, said Alexandria Garcia, the president of the club.
The sale is popular because people like to purchase the plants before the holidays.
“It’s the best time of year for their color,” Garcia, a 21-year-old UF plant science senior, said.
Price range from $15 to $30
Red
Golden glow
Polly's pink
Red glitter
Snow Cap
Peppermint ruffle
Winter rose
White and pink Princettia
Christian Collazo, the former vice president of the UF Environmental and Horticulture Club, hands out plants in the club’s annual poinsettia sale last year. In its 22nd year, more than 5,000 plants with 150 types of poinsettias will be sold.
