Anyone want to put a smile on Mom's face this holiday season?

Why not buy her a poinsettia.

Second-year students in the Horticulture Technician program at Fanshawe College are currently selling poinsettias, which they have been nursing all semester, in hopes of raising funds for their program.

Acting coordinator for the program, Jack Parker said the Horticulture students were in charge of all aspects of the poinsettia project.

“From start to finish the project involved these students hands-on in all aspects of poinsettia production and in the final marketing phase,” Parker said.

People interested in purchasing a poinsettia for the holiday season can head to the Fanshawe College Greenhouse between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Poinsettias will be sold starting November 17 until December 17.

Prices range from $12 for a six-inch pot poinsettia, or $10 each for six-inch pot poinsettia when you purchase three or more.

Planter baskets with a 12-inch pot (three poinsettias per pot) cost $25, poinsettia mini-trees are $15, decorative baskets with six-inch pot are $25, and decorative baskets with a 12-inch pot (three poinsettias per pot) costs $50.

“The students take great pride and ownership of this project,” Parker said.“They bring friends and family out to the greenhouse frequently to ‘show off' their hard work.”

The horticulture program nursed over 1200 poinsettia plants in the greenhouse, in hopes of raising funds for their program and maintaining the continuous running of the student-managed greenhouse.

“We hope to raise five to six-thousand dollars for program related activities,” Parker said.

Parker added that students have previously taken the program have won an assortment of provincial, and national awards over the past six years.

“The students in our program create premium quality plants, definitely floral shop material,” Parker said.“They face bottom line pressure, as they have to raise about twenty-thousand dollars a year for operation cost of the greenhouse,” Parker said.

There are currently 34 students in the second-year Horticulture Technician program, which is in its sixth-year at the College.