Offsite meeting at Parkway Gardens December 3, 2015
Posted by Kevin Webb
on Dec 14, 2015
Offsite Meeting at Parkway Gardens Among the Poinsettias
Erik Jacobsen, owner of Parkway Gardens located on Gainsborough Road west of Hyde Park, introduces us to the history of the Poinsettia plant
Our December 3, 2015 meeting was held offsite at Parkway Gardens. We were treated to a hot breakfast and a tour of the garden centre including the 30,000 square foot "addition" that is nearing completion. Erik spoke about how the Poinsettia plant became the Christmas plant . The poinsettia was made widely known because of a man called Joel Roberts Poinsett (that's why we call them Poinsettia!). He was the first Ambassador from the USA to Mexico in 1825. Poinsett had some greenhouses on his plantations in South Carolina, and while visiting the Taco area in 1828, he became very interested in the plants. He immediately sent some of the plants back to South Carolina, where he began growing the plants and sending them to friends and botanical gardens.
As we were leaving we each presented with a Poinsettia plant for our homes. Thank you Erik & Parkway Gardens.
