May 15, 2008
Online garden site Touch of Nature is offering Spring 2008 Vendor Specials that are a great opportunity to flood your landscape with color.
Sample prices:
Red, white, or pink caladiums, 50 for $12
Mixed gladiolus, 100 for $5
Peony Sarah Bernhard, 5 for $8.75
Liatris Spicata, 50 for $5
There are hostas, daylilies, canna -- 23 species in all. Best sale I've seen in a long time.
Shipping is by cost, so at these prices it's a bargain:
$ 0.00 - $ 24.99 = $ 7.00
$ 25.00 - $ 74.99 = $ 10.00
$ 75.00 - 149.99 = $ 15.00
Apart from the usual credit cards, you can also pay by PayPal by sending your payment to the email address info@touchofnature.com; be sure to include your order number in the Message section so they know which order to apply it to.
Posted by Sheila Lennon 
at 9:17 AM | Permalink
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May 11, 2008
Cattaleya orchid
What is your favorite flower? What is your most favorite flower?
These are among the questions I have been known to ask my family, friends and colleagues for years.
I am not talking about the meaning of flowers. That you can find out from many websites. I only want to address your (or anyone’s) personal feelings for especially liking certain flowers.
Because of my psychiatric training and years in practice, I look for how people react to questions, not just the answers they give.
My own criteria for ‘favorites’ -- for a book or movie -- are those I want to read and see again and again.
-- Roses, sunflowers, tulips and orchids are among the most often picked as ‘favorites’ among the majority of people.
-- A person’s favorites can change, for various reasons.
-- Have you ever heard the saying, “Tell me what you think of the weather and I’ll tell you what I think of you”?
-- You can make a game out of it during a gathering. Ask people to match the answers with the person they think would have said that.
I believe I can make an interesting and fairly good assessment of a person from his or her chosen favorite flower, especially among those who are close to me.
My oldest son told me that his favorite was an orchid. I said “There are so many kinds of orchids – you need to tell me which one”. I showed him picture after pictures until he said, "That’s the one." It was a Cattaleya, pictured at the top of this post.
My second son’s favorite was A Bird-Of-Paradise:
My daughter named Bleeding heart and Sunflowers as her favorites.
My husband’s favorite flower is Tulip:
Mine, strangely enough, has always been a Cattaleya.
Posted by Pat Feinstein at 11:38 AM | Permalink
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May 8, 2008
What’s all this about 47 kinds of tomatoes at URI’s East Farm Spring Festival on Saturday?
How do you get to 47 different kinds of tomatoes?
(To that I, the tomato hater, would add why would you want to, but I’m often told I should just shut the heck up.)
The sensible answer is: Some are red and some are yellow and some are big and some are tiny and some are red striped and some are yellow striped and some are green striped and some are round and some are lumpy and some are plum shaped and … suddenly we are at 46 already.
The 47th, of course, is the coveted San Marzano. Which the Master Gardeners were snapping up pretty fast at the pre-sale, because, apparently, they are great. Really.
If you like that sort of thing.
Which brings me to my point. Slugabeds are not rewarded in plant sale season.
Good stuff goes early.
But that doesn’t mean if you had a hair appointment or Physics-palooza! ran long that it’s not worth going.
If something you want is sold out, give something new a try. A freckled lettuce or a Lime Frisson coleus is hardly a lifetime commitment. Give it a go.
(Don’t ask me what the freckles taste like. It’s lettuce, Bunny-bun. You’ll love it. I swear.)
There are many plant sales coming up. East Farm on Saturday, Casey Farm on Saturday and Sunday, Southside Community Land Trust next weekend and many others (check the calendars on projo.com for details, and for the latest events).
The appeal is good, often unusual plants, expert advice on-site, and often entertainment and a scenic setting. If the proceeds support a great group, all the better.
I’ll be at East Farm on Saturday. If you come, dress for any weather so you can take a stroll around the farm in between enjoying the activities, which are under tents.
Just put everything in a sheltered spot when you get home, particularly very tender things like basil. It's still a little chilly.
Posted by Paula Constantine at 6:03 PM | Permalink
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May 2, 2008
Before I worked at the Journal I worked at a paper on the Jersey Shore.
I lived on a barrier island a few feet above sea level, with little grass and no trees — and no alcohol, the legacy of its days as a vacation Bible colony.
When the weather was bad, I cursed the waves that broke over my Volkswagen as I drove down the causeway to the mainland, and the seagulls that dropped hard-shell clams on the hood of my car to crack them on the sand-drifted streets.
When the weather was good I cursed the heat and the shoobies who took all the parking spaces in the Tabernacle neighborhood, and whose boats forced the raising of the drawbridges and made me late for work almost as many times as I said it did.
Exiled from my beloved leafy East Side, and my treetop bedroom in my family home, I was lost.
I was in a second-story brick apartment. No balcony. Not even much in the way of windowsills. I wanted something that smelled green, and not like asphalt and funnel cake. What could I do?
Steps. Everything starts with steps.
I started with a few pansies in pots. And I placed them on the rickety, sun-baked exterior staircase leading to my apartment. Then a few more.
Then more ambitious flowers. Some leftover soil thrown into a plastic bin on the small deck started a compost rot pile.
I can’t remember at what point I decided to try vegetables.
I chose little golf ball size carrots, peas that grew up a trellis made of sticks and twine, lettuces in a mix of colors in a long terra cotta trough, and a few herbs. Not in huge numbers, but I could make a few salads, or have a handful of my own produce for dinner. A farmer with a view of the Boardwalk ferris wheels.
(I work for a living. I like plants that earn their keep too. If they don’t flower or smell nice or I can’t eat them, I don’t waste my time.)
I had plenty of sun in the alley, which is essential for growing most vegetables.
Getting soil right is key too. Containers are at a risk of drying out. The smaller the container, the faster it dries out. But you don’t want your containers to get so heavy they don’t drain well, or collapse your deck. So a mix of potting soil lightened with Perlite and/or sphagnum peat is good. Not too light though, or a big plant has nothing to grab onto and will fall over. Stake larger plants, or tie them to a trellis or railing, if it's handy.
You definitely need to make sure there are holes drilled in the bottom of your containers. Big holes so the water doesn’t pool on the bottom. You may even need to set the pot on stones, pot feet or a little gravel to make sure.
I then chose plant varieties that were suited for containers. This may be specified on the packet or catalog, or you can ask someone who really knows his or her veg.
For example, suitable tomatoes are often described as “bush” or “patio” type. I am not a tomato fan, but I have heard the cherry tomato Sweet 100s praised.
But with a big enough container, you can grow peppers (hot or sweet), cucumbers, beets, radishes, or various greens like chard and arugula — use your imagination. If the results amuse you nobody can say it's a bad idea.
You can grow from seed or buy small plants. Since you don't need huge numbers the cost isn't prohibitive.
A big enemy of would-be vegetable gardeners is ambition. They start too big, plan too much, it gets too hard, too complicated, too long a commitment. Their little plot becomes overtaken with weeds, bakes in the sun and they feel like a failure.
A few containers may be the perfect way to have some fun, grow some food and have a successful experience you can learn from.
It's good for you in a lot of ways.
For advice about growing other plants in containers, see the Home section of The Providence Sunday Journal.
Posted by Paula Constantine at 6:29 PM | Permalink
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April 27, 2008
Apple blossoms
My automatic sprinkler was turned on this week. I was away from home for 10 days and came back to Tulips, almost in full bloom. The gentleman from Yardwork said “ We’re having May weather in April .” He was right.
The apple blossoms in my backyard are also in full bloom. Since then the music of “I’ll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time….. One day in May I’ll Come And Stay/ Happy Surprise That The Sumshine On Today…” has been ringing in my ear. It is still April, but it feels like May.
Then I started to wonder… do other people think of songs about flowers the way I often do, not just flowers in general ( i.e. You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore ), but specific flowers?
I think of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, The Rose ( Bette Midler ), To Each His Own ( which starts with “A rose must remain with the sun and the rain..” )
Daisy, Daisy ; On The Street Where You Live ( Lilac ) and of course Tiptoe Thru The Tulips.
“I’ll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time” – the Andrew Sisters’ version has to be my favorite.
So – what’s your favorite flower song?
Cherry blossoms
Posted by Pat Feinstein at 1:43 PM | Permalink
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April 24, 2008
Last May, I remembered the Garden Market Fair at Wilcox Park in the heart of Westerly. Only problem was, I remembered a week too late. Boy, was I mad! The year before, I happened upon it and I thought I'd landed in heaven. All around me were plants that I couldn't resist, many of them unusual. It seemed that every vendor had something that made me stop and dream, so I spent several hours wandering through it all. And it was a beautiful sunny and warm spring day.
I called Alan Peck, Wilcox Park Manager, just yesterday to see what the date was this year and he told me it was Sunday, May 18th from 10-4, rain or shine. He was also quick to mention that Wilcox Park has recently installed 34 newly crafted 'grand, elegant and historically accurate Wilcox Park Lampposts' made by the O'Brien Company of Rhode Island. They're probably the first thing you'll see when you arrive at the fair, being 22 feet tall.
Funny, the things you see when you look up.
Illustration courtesy of Alan Peck
Posted by Beth Heaney at 5:45 PM | Permalink
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April 23, 2008
A healthy Bay starts on land.
I’m guessing that’s the idea behind the free Green Landscaping Workshop at Save the Bay on Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at STB’s HQ, 100 Save the Bay Dr. in Providence.
At the event, local experts will speak about environmentally friendly landscaping practices, how you can design and build a rain garden to handle runoffs in your yard, composting basics and organic pest control.
You will also be able to buy rain barrels, compost bins and other green yard care products, as well as native Rhode Island plants.
The event, sponsored by Home Depot, is on honor of Earth Day. Light refreshments will be served.
And, in case you missed that little word, it’s free!
Posted by Paula Constantine at 4:42 PM | Permalink
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