Posts categorized as Gardening

Photo courtesy of Tim Hill. Previously published in THE WAVE 125TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE I met Kerry and Jeanne of the O’toole family and Patty Shea last summer as they were walking down my block, all smiles. Turns out, at one time, it was their block too. We had a thriving community back in the day on 91st St.” Jeanne tells me. I was excited to meet these new friends, learning of their lives lived from the 60’s through the mid 90’s, on the same street that I now call home […]

It’s mid-April: the time to slip out after dusk with your trowels, rakes, plants and seeds. If heavy rain is in the forcast, get prepared to launch your green grenades over your shoulder on the way to work. What? I’m talking about guerrilla gardening, planting in places that need a little love and wouldn’t otherwise get it– abandoned lots, under the el, unkempt street medians, every tree pit on the blvd. past 90th st. Rockaway Beach is the perfect target, and the result is aesthetically pleasing, enhanced public spaces, not […]

The weather has been irregular lately but we’re all feeling it – spring is in sight!  And Spring brings the bird migration. As a coastal community neighboring Jamaica Bay and it’s surrounding marshy inlets, we have a unique opportunity to spy migratory birds without going far.  Throughout the year, over 300 bird species are sighted in and around our area. I’m definitely visiting the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in the upcoming weeks in hopes of spotting rare migratory birds. But we can also find beautiful bird travelers making a stop […]

I’m sure this has happened to you before. You buy too many onions because they’re on sale; you end up not using all of them and they sit for a while. Then, like magic, they start to sprout. While you can still eat sprouting onions, the flavor isn’t as sharp since the energy (sugar) is being used to grow the leaves. So what can you do with it besides composting? Plant it! Spring is in sight – and thank goodness because I’ve been antsy. I want to get out there […]

Over the summer I wrote a column about the development and design of my front garden. The wholesaler I was working with charged by the truckload, so the price would be the same whether it was half full or packed. This was a great opportunity to get hold of a tree, preferable one native to the area that would provide food for the birds and animal life. After consulting with plant whisperer and good buddy Walter Meyer* of Local Office Landscape Architecture, we decided to go with a serviceberry (Amelanchier […]

Here’s a recap of the best instagrams of last week. If you want the day to day follow me here! By now everyone’s garden is in full swing! These are tomatoes from the Beach 91st Street Community Garden (now on instagram) which I’m a member of. What are you going to make with all of your tomatoes this season? Here’s a great canning tutorial we posted a while back. Send me your tomato photos and I’ll post them on twitter. Another beauty from the community garden. Cooking with zucchini flowers is […]

Here’s a recap of the best instagrams of last week. If you want the day to day follow me here! I went to a free watercolor class this week at the library here in Rockaway. They  have many free classes. Check them out! Your looking at a serviceberry tree in my front yard! Delicious for the birds as well as you. This tree thrives in our costal zone. Edible gardens are beautiful and useful! More garden photos. This is an Oak  hydrangea which can grow six feet tall. Since last year, mine […]

Sweet William* (Dianthus Barbatus) is a hearty perennial flower used as an ornamental in gardens. It originated in southern Europe, spread through Asia and somehow made it to Rockaway. If you look around the neighborhood, you may start to notice the red, white, purple and/or pink floral in your neighbor’s garden. The first spring my husband and I had the house (2014), we were in the midst of a hellish renovation. (I’ll have to fill you in on that epic project at some point.) The front garden was far down on […]

I was walking back from the YMCA last week and noticed the dandelions have flowered. Time to forage in the great wilderness, or as I like to call it, the median of Shore Front Parkway. I know what you’re thinking, “Gross!! Dogs pee there!!” Whatever. I bet gophers pee on asparagus and kale in the organic farms. Either way, I still feel natural, locally grown foods are healthier for us than the pre-packaged produce in the supermarket. God knows what they spray on those greens! Besides, germs make your immune […]

Here’s a recap of the best instagrams of last week. If you want the day to day follow me here! Last Thursday I was cleaning out the backyard. We have a bunch of scrap wood and concrete bits that need to go. Obama was so adorable just hanging out with me in this planter. He’s a good cat! I like to drive fast Italian cars when I’m on Lawng Island #Maserati This week I noticed many daffodils have bloomed in Rockaway. There seems to be many more this year than last. So beautiful!