Stealing a Peek into Spring with Terry Skillin

The long-awaited Terry Skillin checks in with a walk through our production greenhouses. As Terry so aptly describes below our greenhouses are chock full and getting fuller with all kinds of plants that we are growing for your Spring planting. This is a fast read; so hang on! Well, the read is fast but Terry is getting up there in age so I can assure you his walk was not so fast!


Ooops, if I keep talking we are going to fall behind Terry as he has started his walk! Let's go!


"This time of year with January behind us, and the days getting longer a walk through our production greenhouses is like looking through a crystal ball look into Spring. It’s not just all the sights that floods your optical senses as you walk in, but the smell of plants growing, the humidity and the warming sun through the greenhouse. Once I settle down from this awesome blast of Spring I settle down and start to focus on all the hopeful plants already growing.

Cineraria are the first I see and this is a great indoor late winter plant. It grows about 6 to 8” high and about 10” wide and produces many daisy-like flowers about the size of a quarter or a little larger. The color choices are many: from bright to pastel. Keep this plant cool: average temperature 58 to 65 degrees is best and give it plenty of light. This plant is an annual and inexpensive so trying to keep it alive after blooms have faded is not really practical, not one to save for Spring planting. . Once I did actually save a Cineraria and I did plant it out in the shade in late May. It did bloom again but not as spectacular and I blame the whole experience on my deep frugal Maine heritage. I had better things to do!

Easter Lilies have been part of the scene in our production greenhouses for about 3 months starting back in November. I can tell that this year’s crop will be one of the best. The whole crop is at an even 8-10” tall now, with great rich green stems and foliage. The stems are stocky from top to bottom with great consistent leaf count. I am going into my 33rd Spring here at Skillin’s and I am starting to notice a thing or two! Easter Lilies like plenty of sun however too much sun will cause their flowers to mature much faster. Keep them evenly moist and if there is a decorative foil on the container or on a container that holds water make sure that any excess water is dumped out right after watering. Easter Lilies sturdy white roots can rot easily if kept too wet. During their stay indoors there will be no need to fertilize. Room temperatures are ideal at the low to mid 60’s. If you have room in your garden it might be worth your while to plant your Easter Lilly outdoors in late May. Cut the stem back to about 4” and plant the bulb about 12” deep. During the coming seasons you should see flowers in mid summer.

Primrose--what a great tough little perennial! During mid and late winter this little tough guy does great indoors with cool room temperatures and plenty of sun. Kept moist but be careful not to over water. They produce a great array of bright to pastel colors. They are most spectacular when placed together in one container mixing several colors creating a miniature garden. Keep this one growing all winter and plant them out during late May with a westerly exposure and they will create a great little mass planting our use as a border plant.

We also have a great crop of early geraniums in bloom just perfect for those sunny windows indoors while they wait for the late May early June planting outdoors. While I am on the subject of geraniums we also have a great crop of Regal Geranium (a.k.a. Martha Washington) growing that will be ready in a couple of weeks. This plant is great to mix with ferns, orchids and other foliage pants to help chase away winter.

We have started our Fuchsia hanging baskets. They are still pretty small but if these little fuschias aren’t proclaiming joyfully that Spring is on the way then I don’t know what to tell you. In that same sprit we have transplanted our Dracaena Spikes and even before those are ready we will have an early crop of Osteosperumum probably ready in two or three weeks.

Osteospermum is a daisy like flower about 11/2” across that have been hybridized to produce some pretty great colors. Once outdoors this plant can take it a little dry but would do best if kept moist. Full sun to partial shade and will grow to about 8 to 10” tall. This plant really lends itself as a bedding plant, hanging basket or is great used with others mixed in patio containers and window boxes. As most plants in containers fertilize about every two weeks from early June until frost.

As I was leaving the greenhouse a big tractor-trailer was just leaving and left behind on the loading dock were crates and crates of dormant perennial roots. Can you believe it? Here we are again right back into the thick of making Spring happen again. It is my 34th Spring but the coming Spring is always my favorite!

You know I think this is going to be a great year to just stay home and work in the yard--and I can't wait!"


Terry Skillin
Skillin’s Greenhouses
February 5, 2008