DURHAM, N.H. -- The Macfarlane Greenhouses, the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Thompson School horticultural facility at the University of New Hampshire host the popular Poinsettia Trials Open House Thursday, Nov. 29, through Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Visitors to the free event, now in its seventh year, will enjoy more than 100 poinsettia varieties and assist in ongoing research.

Poinsettias on display will go far beyond the traditional red to shades of pink, apricot, and deep burgundy; variegations of red, white, and pink shades; and those with names like Polar Bear, Red Glitter, Holly Jolly Dark Red, Sparkling Punch, Candlelight, Tapestry, and Ruby Frost. Visitors to the trials will assist in research by recording their favorites from among new and different varieties. Completing this survey will enter visitors into a drawing to win a poinsettia. In addition, visitors can tour the greenhouses and see the 12-foot poinsettia tree in the lobby of the Whittemore Center.

The Poinsettia Trials at UNH is a collaborative event to bring research to breeders, growers, and the public. Similar trials take place at universities and commercial greenhouses across the country, allowing breeders and growers to evaluate regional differences in the growth and performance of new cultivars. This valuable information provides a basis for choosing the best cultivars for a particular growing environment and market.

The Poinsettia Trials Open House is at the Macfarlane Greenhouses at 296 Mast Road, on the West edge of campus, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Thursday and Friday metered parking is available at the UNH Visitor Center across from the greenhouses; parking on Saturday is free. The greenhouses are also served by Wildcat Transit's free shuttle service: www.wildcattransit.com.

A broad selection of the many poinsettia varieties will be available for purchase from Thompson School students on all three days and throughout the holiday season, until Dec. 24. Learn more here: http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/hort/greenhouse-sales.

The Macfarlane Greenhouses are funded and managed by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at UNH. Learn more about the greenhouses at http://www.colsa.unh.edu/aes/macfarlane, and find updates at https://www.facebook.com/UNHMacfarlaneGreenhouses.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

Photographs available to download:
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Caption: At the University of New Hampshire's annual Poinsettia Trials Open House, Nov. 29 through Dec. 1, 2012, visitors can enjoy more than 100 poinsettia varieties while assisting in ongoing research.
Credit: Lisa Nugent, UNH Photographic Services

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