Traditional red and white and fancy-colored poinsettias in all different sizes and varieties fill Larry O’Malia’s greenhouses in Plains Twp.
O’Malia said they grow about 10,000 poinsettias in eight greenhouses. They start planting them at the end of July to be ready for the busy holiday season when demand rises for the plant that people call the “Christmas flower.”
The poinsettias started showing color by mid-October and were ready for sale at O’Malia’s the week of Thanksgiving.
“I’m very pleased with the way our crop came out,” O’Malia said. “I thought they even came out a little bit nicer than last year.”
Shorting after they began blooming, poinsettia sales have been booming.