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!