Poinsettias are a holiday staple. Pink, red and white varieties are synonymous with the season, and this year, the Lakewood High School horticulture class is selling the plants to support its program.

For 21 years, the horticulture program has held fundraisers to fund its budget. The program typically holds three sales annually: poinsettias in winter, Easter lilies in spring, and vegetables and herbs for gardens.

Funds raised go toward supplies, equipment and purchasing new plants, such as basil and thyme.

“We do so much in this class, we learn how to take care of these beautiful plants with techniques like pruning, and for the poinsettia specifically, restricting the amount of sunlight it gets so it can grow to its full potential. You can also see the vast amount of plants we grow in the room right now,” said horticulture student Indigo Moncreif.

Poinsettias are not easy to grow and require meticulous care. The class receives “pre-finished” plants, meaning they are mature but require specific conditions to reach full potential.

Most notably, poinsettias are “short-day plants.” To trigger the winter conditions necessary for the colorful leaves to bloom, they require a dark environment.

“When we get them, we buy them… about the first six, seven weeks that we have them, they need more dark than light. We cover them every day. We only give them about five hours of sunlight a day, and then around the second week of November, we open them up to give them as much sun as they can take,” said Shannon Snare, the horticulture teacher.

Students must also “deadhead” the plants to maintain health.

“I feel like my main role has really just been taking care of them, making sure they’re perfect,” said Chloe Matusa, a horticulture student. “We need to deadhead them, to get rid of the dead leaves and stems. It’s all to make sure they’re healthy… You just have to treat them like they’re a child.”

Beyond the holiday sale, the curriculum covers broad botany topics. Currently, students are studying root systems, such as taproots, which anchor plants and provide access to deep water sources during dry seasons.

Don’t wait to grab a holiday staple that supports student learning. The sale is currently underway and ends when supplies run out.