Garden Talk: Holiday Plants

In this class, participants will learn how to decorate with holiday plants such as Poinsettias and grow them outdoors after the holidays! Poinsettias, native to Mexico and Central America, are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the U.S. Minister to Mexico when he introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1828. In southern Florida, we can grow poinsettias in the yard although they can grow to ten feet or more. Our records show that poinsettias were purchased for the home in 1908, long before Edison and his crew began their rubber research. It is likely that the Edisons just wanted to admire the plant’s brilliant red leaves against its dark green foliage, as we do today.

The difference between different types of blooming cactus will also be covered, along with the history of why many of these plants are given as gifts or used to decorate for the holidays.

Cost: $10 Edison Ford members; $15 for non-members.