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Friday, April 2, 2010 4:06 PM EDT

Tips for selecting, protecting Easter lilies BY DEBRA a. ALEKSINAS REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Mention “Easter flowers,” and lilies, with their ivory blooms and sweet fragrance, come to mind. They are grown by the millions each year, just in time to display their blooms for the Easter season.Whether you plan to give Easter lilies as gifts, use them to decorate your home, or replant them as part of your garden, you’ll want to pick only the healthiest of flowers. here are some tips:n Select medium plants that are well balanced and not too tall or too short.n look for plants with flowers in various stages of bloom. your best selection will have one bloom open, with the remaining buds closed or preparing to bloom.n Check the foliage when selecting Easter flowers. Rich, green leaves mean the lily is in good health.n in the home, lilies prefer moderately cool temperatures. their favorite daytime temperatures are 60 to 65 degrees. Avoid placing them near drafts or excess heat. Lilies love bright, natural daylight but do not do well in direct sunlight.n keep the soil moist and well drained and take care not to over-water. It’s best to remove the flower from any decorative foil coverings, then water until the water begins to trickle out of the pot’s drain holes. Remove the foil used in shipping to avoid waterlogged flowers and eventual root-rot.As the mature flowers start to droop and wane, remove them leaving only the fresher, newly-opened blooms.Easter flowers are a great addition to any garden. Ready to transplant your lilies? Here’s how in three easy steps:1. Fix a well-drained garden bed in a sunny location with rich, organic matter. Use a planting mix, or a mix of one part soil, one part peat moss and one part perlite. Easter lilies must have good drainage.2. give the lilies a site with bright light but some shelter from extreme heat and wind. Easter lilies bloom naturally in the summer. if you plant Easter flowers outdoors in the spring, they may bloom again in summer or fall. Otherwise, plant them in the fall before the soil freezes.3. Plant Easter lily bulbs three inches below ground level and mound up an additional three inches of topsoil over the bulb. Set bulbs at least 12 to 18 inches apart and make the hole deep dough so that bulbs can be positioned with the roots spread out and angled down. Work the soil in and around the bulbs and the roots. Water well, right after planting.Harwinton Garden Club lecture April 29″Wildflower Facts and Folksongs” by Hatsy Taylor will be presented by the Harwinton Garden Club on April 29 at 7 p.m., at the Harwinton Senior Center, 208 Weingart Road, Harwinton. a $5 donation is payable at the door.Taylor is a new England gardener, writer and professional garden lecturer. She is also the author of two books, “Weeds and Wisdom” and “Mother Nature’s Wit and Wisdom.” Taylor publishes columns in numerous local publications. for more information, visit www.weedsandwisdom.com.To reserve your seat for the lecture, contact Mary at (860) 485-1108, or Ellie at ewoike@att.net.Save date: Tomatomania back at White Flower FarmGardeners, mark your calendars. the tomatoes are coming. From may 21 through 23, White Flower Farm in Morris will once again host Tomatomania and its originator, author and tomato enthusiast Scott Daigre. Don’t miss the biggest tomato seedling sale on the East Coast and the chance to have all your questions about growing tomatoes answered by the experts. Shop for vegetable and herb plants, fertilizers, potting mix, supports and everything else you need for your home garden.Plant a row for the hungryThis spring, Connecticut Food Bank is marking the fifth anniversary of its Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign, which encourages home and community gardeners and farmers to plant an extra row of produce specifically to donate to local hunger-relief efforts.Every extra tomato, squash or watermelon can go a long way to help feed those who don’t have enough to eat every day. While Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the U.S., about 390,000 people are at risk of hunger each year. They are children, working parents, people with disabilities and seniors.Since Connecticut Food Bank launched the Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign in 2006, the program has collected about 11,400 pounds of fresh produce for people struggling with hunger in Connecticut.”As we start our fifth year with Plant a Row, we recognize the need to do more with the program so that we can feed more people in need with nutritious fruits and vegetables,” said Marilyn Wilkes, volunteer coordinator for Connecticut. “To grow the program, we need the help of the gardening community.”Gardeners, farmers, schools, places of worship, youth and community groups and businesses can make a difference by adding a row of seedbeds or donating their surplus produce to Connecticut Food Bank and other local hunger-relief organizations. Donations are tax-deductible and donor receipts will be provided.To help gardeners get started, Connecticut Food Bank is giving away free tomato seeds (donated by H. J. Heinz Company). call the Food Bank at (203) 469-5000 for details on how to obtain the free seeds.Fruit and vegetables most needed are spinach, kale, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, peas, green beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, summer and winter squash, zucchini, beets and garlic.Clean, fresh produce can be dropped off at any of Connecticut Food Bank’s warehouses in East Haven, Fairfield and Waterbury. Visit www.ctfoodbank.org/contact.php for directions to Connecticut Food Bank’s warehouses. for further details, or to volunteer, call Marilyn Wilkes at (203) 415-4712.Watertown Garden Club to meet on ThursdayThe Watertown Garden Club will meet on Thursday at the Union Congregational Church, 161 Buckingham St., Oakville. Guest speaker, George McCleary, will speak on Composting & Earthworms. a light lunch will be at noon, with the meeting at 12:30 p.m. and speaker at 1:30 p.m. Guests are welcome.Call (860) 274-0103 for information.Quote of the week”Gardens are a form of autobiography.”— Sydney Eddison of Newtown, in Horticulture magazine, Aug./Sept. 1993Do you have news about an upcoming gardening event, unusual plant or garden, or garden club news? Contact Features Editor Debra Aleksinas at daleksinas@rep-am.com. Subscribers can read more in the e-edition. Login here