The Wonder of Lilies and Poinsettias

Two wonderful things are happening in the flowering "department" at Hendricks House, my home in Fort Smith to which I want to invite you now. These two wonderful things are Lilies and Poinsettias. Follow me into the back garden to see the lilies; they are spectacular this year and almost every year.

There are eight types of hardy lilies, and I grow varieties of Asiatic and Oriental Lilies which can be counted on to perform past your expectations. These are the very easiest of all lilies to grow and require only well drained soil, half a day of sun, a bit of mulch in the fall and removal of dead leaves. And just look:

The best guarantee for success is to start with the best bulbs and for those of you who don’t already know them, let me introduce you to the people at Van Engelen Company which sells bulbs wholesale to the public   through mail order.

Their’s is a fascinating and endearing story which began in the early 1970s when Jan Ohms and his wife purchased the Van Engelen Company’s Valley Stream, Long Island mailing list. They worked from their home in Stamford, CT. along side Dutch childhood friends and family associates in the Netherlands. The business has grown beyond their wildest dreams. Their bulbs are winners. Be sure to order the catalogue: http://www.vanengelen.com/

Now, this is a first for me: poinsettias in June! I have read about this, but never experienced it; I’m sure some of you have! You don’t have to throw out spent Poinsettias after Christmas as I’ve always done. This year mine were still doing so well in February when I left for Scotland and then Spain that I had just continued watering them. The friend who looks after things when I’m gone was to bring in the mail and water the plants. I assumed he would throw out the poinsettias but instead he just kept watering them and when I returned in May, they were going strong and growing.

They do re-bloom! I won’t go into all the details, but Google guided me to www.ecke.com a superb source of information for the care of poinsettias. There are numerous other sites as well.

Basically, it involves watering regularly, periodical feeding, cutting the plant back to about 8” around the end of April, and then placing the plant out of doors when night temperatures remain above 55 degrees. I have done none of these things so far but plan to catch up! Yet the plants are putting out an abundance of new growth. Just think what might happen if handled properly!

VEGETABLES-----VEGETABLES

Ah, spring gardens .......little vegetables are popping through the earth all over town. I saw the coolest scarecrow ever;  it was a lady! I’ve just returned from Spain about a week ago so am quite behind in the growing stuff race.  Nonetheless, determined to get more vegetables on the table and into our diets!....and since we all know that the shorter the time from ‘picking’ to ‘eating’ the better off we are, the facts seem to add up to a strong case for a vegetable patch, however small it may be. Mine will have to be supplemented by trips to the farmers market.

To get into the swing of things, to the present, 2 raised beds have been built from 2” x 8” treated lumber, each measuring 4’ x 8’. They are beautiful! Then a weed/grass barrier was laid over the grass bottom and covered with flattened cardboard boxes which should decompose and help with weed control, then the beds were filled with rich, black soil. Today, an old friend came and tilled a bit more land around the beds.

Of course, there was a trip to the Farmer’s Cooperative this morning for plants; while there shopping a farmer came in with 2 bushels of tiny yellow summer squash and 2” or smaller red-skinned new potatoes. Yes, I bought; to tide me over until mine are ready!

Here is how I cooked them for lunch and then ‘spiced up’ the left over’s for supper. Just for the record, lunch was better. This easy, quick, nourishing and beautiful dish can be served as a vegetable side dish or with rice or pasta for more substantial appetites!

Yellow Squash with Tomatoes, Coriander and Lime Juice

1 medium onion, chopped, not diced; sauté in a generous amount of
Olive oil, enough oil to cover the bottom of good sized fry pan

8 – 10 small summer squash, straight or crook neck, slice, and then add to onion. Gently cook onions and squash in Olive oil until slightly softened.

Large can of finely chopped tomatoes
2 Tablespoon lime juice
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh

………………………………Add all of this to squash and onions and continue to simmer
until squash is done to your taste, but do not overcook or you will lose nutrients.

1 large bunch of fresh Coriander (Cilantro); chop coarsely and sprinkle onto squash just before serving. Stir slightly.
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.


I recycled the leftovers for supper! You can use your imagination, but I cooked a bit of penne, steamed a few broccoli florettes and opened a can of Cream of Mushroom soup (the old standby). All of this was added to the squash mixture and gently heated and stirred until ready…….just an idea.

The whole idea is to eat vegetables. Hopefully you will be hearing more from me about this subject!