Lilly Pad Report Archive

There are a lot more options for adding winter interest to your pots than the standard pansies and ornamental kale and cabbage.

Pansies are still the best to plant over tulips and narcissus as the bulbs can easily grow up through the roots.  There are lots of colors and types including some very nice, small-flowered violas.  The breeders come out with new ones every year.  Cabbage and kale will look good through late winter, but will begin to "bolt" as the light increases. 

BOB LILLY IS FOUND ON FHA WEB SITE

For those who couldn’t find The Lilly Pad, Bob Lilly’s popular column, in the current issue of FHA newsletter, it has moved here to the FHA web site. Why? The newsletter editors think the immediacy of the web pages will allow us to keep Bob’s information in sync with garden activities. And, as in the column from late summer 2007, you can better appreciate the color photo of tomatoes grown in Bob’s gardens on Tenas Chuck.

One day’s crop of tomatoes from Tenas Chuck, Summer 2006.

If you want to have a truly summer experience, grow your own tomatoes. Let them get dead-ripe on the plant (a slight but noticeable yield to pressure from thumb and index finger indicates the tomato is ready for harvest). Cut tomatoes in slices with a very sharp knife and serve, on a hot summer evening with a bit of salt, chopped fresh basil (you can grow that also), and a splash of good olive oil. Ecstasy!

The Cold

The winter of 2006-2007 has been a challenge and we have had several problems.  Our first cold snap was a quick freeze down to about 22 degrees Fahrenheit here at Tenas Chuck. There were no previous light freezes.  This order of events created the worst possible scenario for marginal plants. Here is a list of plants, their responses and what those responses indicate

This is lily ‘Golden Eagle’ a fragrant hybrid that gets 7 feet tall. The best results with lilies is to plant when they are dormant in October and November, another reason to visit the Arboretum Bulb sale in early October.  Look for Ann Hawes at Enchanted Lily, one of our vendors. 

We have all got pots of annuals for that flashy summer color; now, what do we do when the first 40 degree night sends the tropical and sub-tropical plants to never-never land?