High School Horticulture Expo in Bloom at Mercer County Community College This March

Too busy to get to the Philadelphia Flower Show this year? Central New Jersey will usher in spring with its very own flower show March 9 and 10.

Now in its seventh year, Mercer County Community College (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 9 and Saturday, March 10 and is presented to the public free of charge.

Suggested visiting hours are: Friday, March 9, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, March 10, 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 Ornamental 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 9. 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 associate degree programs in Horticulture and Plant Science and adds that job prospects in the field remain strong.

Directions to MCCC's West Windsor campus are available at www.mccc.edu.