SCC poinsettias brighten gray days
It was one of those cold, gray, rainy days that make you yearn for the sun and fall colors again.
But no such luck. Last week’s first Pineapple Express put an end to that. That is until I stepped into the greenhouses at the Spokane Community College’s Greenery and was greeted with their blazingly bright collection of holiday poinsettias. The gray outside actually made the colors even brighter.
Every fall SCC’s greenhouse management students raise poinsettias as part of their crop management education. This year each student is responsible for one block of the 49 varieties being grown. The students aren’t just growing poinsettias for the heck of it though. They are also testing new varieties that will be out on the market in the next few years.
Through ongoing agreements with the Paul Ecke Ranch and Fischer, USA, two of the world’s leading poinsettia breeders, SCC’s program raises anywhere from 40 to 60 varieties each year. “The students record data on the growth and flowering characteristics and report it back to the companies,” said Brian Green, horticulture instructor for the project. “It’s a win-win for them and the breeders.”
The research is part of a tradition started in the early 1900s, when the Ecke Ranch began to popularize the colorful Mexican native plant. The brightly colored parts of the plant are modified leaves called bracts. The poinsettia flower is the golden yellow clusters found in the center of the colored bracts.
Modern poinsettias now come in dozens of shades of red, white, pink, burgundy and variegated blends, making them a versatile holiday decoration. Some of this year’s introductions in the SCC greenhouses include Sonora White Glitter with bicolor bracts in white and red, Freedom White and Freedom Red with enormous bracts that dwarf the green leaves, and Shimmer Surprise, which has both variegated and single-color bracts in several colors on a plant.
The Greenery poinsettia open house
The students aren’t just growing them for the research, though. They want you to help pick the next poinsettia sensation by voting for your favorites at the annual Greenery Open House, next Thursday and Nov. 21. You will then be able to purchase the new varieties and a few old favorites. All proceeds from the sale go back into the horticulture programs at the college. The sale will be in Building 10 on the north side of the SCC campus, 1810 N Greene St. in Spokane. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
Tips for keeping your poinsettias happy
Place plants in a cool room where they get six or more hours of bright indirect light. Water them thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch but don’t let them sit in water. Don’t place plants where they are exposed to drafts or heat. Buy plants at the end of your shopping trip and take them straight home. Exposure to temperatures less than 50 degrees will cause leaf drop.