More than 16,000 poinsettias await customers at , in Wildwood for an annual festival to be held Nov. 26 and 27 as well as Dec. 3 and 4. Guided tours are part of the visit, which is free admission.
In addition to purchasing poinsettias, there will be crafts, a Christmas store, children's activities, free refreshments and attendance prizes. Customers also are encouraged to bring their cameras for the visit so they can get a holiday photo taken among a sea of these flowering gems. The Fahr Greenhouse staff said pets, too, are welcome for photos.
Children can get their picture taken with Santa Claus. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Pat and Mary Bellrose, along with Larry Fahr, run the family's planting and landscape business, which originally was started by Dorothy and Leonard Fahr (Mary's parents) in 1950.
Pat said their poinsettia plants originate from a breeder in California. "We start with the plants in mid-July and eventually have to pinch off all 16,000 of them," he said.
He said 80 percent of their poinsettia production is red, 10 percent is white and the remaining 10 percent is pink, burgundy salmon-colored and verigated.
"We have had to keep the daytime temperature for the plants at 75 degrees and nighttime 65 degrees," he said.
Family members have hosted an Open House Festival for the past 30-plus years.
"There's a man with a great Scottish accent who comes every year. We have a lot of fun with him," Pat said.
Fahr's retail manager, Lynne Wright, said they also will offer custom greenery, such as swags for doors. "People sometimes get tired of hanging wreaths, so we work with them to create something different," she said.
Wright said Fahr customers will discover some unique items not found elsewhere, such as custom bows. "And we can make any size bow for special places."
She said gift baskets that combine poinsettias with ferns and other plants in iron works, as well as Christmas cacti and holiday planters, also will be part of their offerings.
Fahr's team also has a limited supply of other plants and mulch available.
Editor's Note: Fahr Greenhouses will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
