High School Horticulture Expo in Bloom at Mercer County Community College March 15 and 16
3/07/19
West Windsor, N.J. –If you missed the Philadelphia Flower Show, Central New Jersey will usher in spring with a floral extravaganza of its own at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) during the New Jersey High School Horticulture Expo.
Now in its eighth year, MCCC, the MCCC Horticulture Program and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are partnering to host the New Jersey High School Horticulture Expo. The Expo takes place Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. The event is open to the public and free of charge.
Suggested visiting hours are: Friday, March 15, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, March 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibits will be displayed on the second floor skywalk, surrounding the quad on the college’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.
According to Professor Amy Ricco, Coordinator of the MCCC Horticulture/Plant Science programs, approximately 500 students from 27 New Jersey high schools will participate, including representatives of the FFA Student Leadership Organization. (Schools that participate offer horticulture and agriculture programs.)
Judging of all entries will be take place on March 15. Students will be judged in 30 categories including a live floral design competition on Friday morning. Other categories include house plants, terrariums, dish gardens, bedding plants grown from seed, and themed floral arrangements such as holidays, wedding and congratulatory bouquets.
The prizes will include Best in Division and Best in Show.
Ricco notes that MCCC is one of only a few community colleges in the state to offer Horticulture and Plant Science associate degree programs and adds that job prospects in the field remain strong.
Students during the live floral design competition at the 2018 Expo.
One of the displays from MCCC's 2018 Horticulture Expo.