Posts categorized as Plants

Garden nerds unite! There are two spring plant sale events this weekend – The Beach 91st Street Community Garden is hosting a plant sale tomorrow, Saturday May 6, from 11am-2pm. On Sunday – the following day – head to Edgemere Farm for more plants of different varieties and music. Below are the details for both community happenings. B91 Garden Plant Sale – Saturday, May 6 from 11am-2pm For sale find veg starters and herbs – many varieties of tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, soybeans, basil, sage, parsley and more. Add […]

The crisp air reminds me of a fall day when I was in grammar school. We went outside and collected leaves from the field next to the playground. My classmates and I were scattered about. I remember feeling anxious, wanting to find the best and brightest ones before everyone else did. I was on a color collection mission. My next recollection is staring at my precious assortment of orange and red leaves on an off-white table. I don’t particularly remember what the art project entailed or what I made. I […]

From Left to Right – Diane Cardwell, Don Riepe, Charley The Dog, Kristi Dickerson   The New York Times published an article last week stating the monarch butterfly has been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The Times informed, “In 2020, U.S. wildlife officials found that monarchs were threatened with extinction but declined to add them to the endangered species list because they said conservation of other species took priority…. Eastern monarchs, which make up most of the population in North America, dropped by […]

I was gardening the other day and spotted a bug I’ve never seen before. It had bright red-orange markings contrasting the insects long black, flat body. It was on a milkweed plant. I took a closer look and noticed there were two bugs actually, connected back to back. Also on a seed pod, I saw about 12 little red dots which reminded me of aphids. Those concerned me. I thought this was a late season pest infestation. I immediately took out my phone and typed in a quick description. The […]

I’ve always admired prickly pear cactus for its distinctive paddle spikes, bright red buds, and showy yellow flowers. There are 181 different species. Opuntia is a perennial shrub with waxy skin. The cactus thrives in sandy soil and dry conditions. It grows wild in arid areas in the south and southwest. Opuntia is indigenous to the Americas. Pear cactus is a domesticated crop plant grown and harvested throughout the world. Right now is the plant’s growing season and when you see “baby paddles” forming. This is the ideal time to propagate. I’ve never grown prickly […]

Purslane I know a great deal about foraging at this point in my gardening “career.”  But there’s always more to discover. A few weeks back, I learned of a new edible from my friend Melissa Draugsvold. We were at the Beach 91st Community Garden watering our adjacent plots. She pointed out the purslane that popped up between her lettuce crop. Purslane (also known as little hogweed, pigweed, pusley) is an annual in our garden zone 7.  This succulent can grow in sandy soil and resists drought. You’ll see it everywhere if you look […]

I was watering my hanging baskets when I noticed hundreds of aphids on the underside of the delicate petunia petals. I almost fell off the ladder! Unmanaged infestations will kill plants within a few weeks. Aphids are very small bugs – bright green, burnt orange, or black in color. If you see them, take action quickly. Here you can see aphids on the flower and one ladybug larva enjoying a feast. To combat these garden pests, fill a water bottle and add natural dish soap (1-2 tablespoons). Shake, then spray […]

This past weekend was The Beach 91st Street Community Gardens’ plant sale. A big thank you to the garden members who donated plants and helped manage the event. Special thanks to Walsh Properties, Inc. and Rockaway Beach resident Joanne McGrath for donating so many beautiful perennials and bulbs. Props to The Wave for promoting the sale in The Happenings section last week! The event was a great success. Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy the garden space, talk about plants, and mingle. It was […]

I remember my father taking so much care to make his little patch of grass perfect. But there was always some kind of problem –  grubs one year, the neighbor’s cat the next year. And us kids that one time we destroyed the grass with Slip N’ Slide! I’ll never forget my father’s face after seeing the mud puddles everywhere, which looked more like a Florida marshland than a Long Island lawn … oops. There’s so much maintenance to lawn care. “Don’t walk on the grass, I just put down […]

Monica Glynn, my work friend and The Wave’s Administrative Associate, asked me last week knowing I’m a “plant person,” “What’s the history of mistletoe?” Umm… I actually have know idea,” I said. We both thought, “This would be a timely column.” I remember the mistletoe in my home growing up as a kid. It wasn’t fancy, the exact opposite actually. Our mistletoe was a round ball made of hard plastic leaves and red berries. It had a vine of more plastic leaves that my father would hang from the light […]