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 fertilizer,” my father would say all the time. And he’d complain about the water bill too. The idea of the perfectly bright green lawn is in a sense the “american garden” standard. I find it a little comical though, you have this piece of property and yet you can’t really use it because the grass is so delicate and prized. And grass is not beneficial to animals or insects. So why are lawns popular? I suppose it’s a status symbol of the American dream, the white picket fence … that kind of thing.
This brings me to groundcover as a substitute for grass. I’m a huge fan of it for many reasons. Groundcover is versaille and there are many different varieties suited for different environments, moisture levels and soil types. Using groundcover within a garden adds dimension, color and texture. Unlike grass, a flower garden attracts bees and insects that are crucial to our ecosystem, especially in the city.
I have three groundcover recommendations that will work very well in Rockaway. Consider using them throughout your garden and instead of grass.
Purple Mazus: This is one of my favorites. The flowers are gorgeous. They’re mostly purple but if you look closely, you see a tiny bit of orange and white. Mazus blooms in early spring, bringing that first burst of color to your garden. The dark green leaves continue to spread throughout the season and help prevent unwanted weeds from sprouting. Mazus does best in full sun and well-drained soil but are tolerant to many conditions. Lisena Garden Center (12-5 Cross Bay Blvd, Queens, NY 11693 / 718.607.5413) will have creeping phloxs available in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for this beautiful, versatile groundcover.
Sedums: There are so many! And they’re drought tolerant, and love sandy soil. These succulents like full sun but will do fine in part-sun. There’s so much variation in color and leaf appearance. The ones in my garden that thrive are: sedum reflexum (green/yellow in color) and sedum pachyclados (dark purple to bright maroon bloom). These can be clipped and put directly back into the soil as a propagating technique, it’s that easy. Sedums also spread on their own and require very little nutrition from the soil.
Alyssum (white or purple): This puffy white plant found its way into my garden from my neighbors garden a few houses down. The plant is a bit higher than a traditional groundcover (8 inches tall) but it works the same way. Alyssum is an annual that reseeds itself and returns yearly like a perennial. It can almost be considered invasive due to how much it spreads but with some care this groundcover can add a sea of white “snow” to your landscape design. Sun to part-sun, drought tolerant and Alyssum does not require nutrient rich soil.
For more on gardening, follow Paula for the day-to-day IG: @theglorifiedtomato
by Paula D.
on April 8, 2021 4:44 pm in Gardening
On warmer mornings, I walk around the garden with my coffee, assessing what needs to be done. My conclusion – a lot! Now is the time to get the real work done before the burst of blooms begin.
Earl spring tasks:
Clearing out organics from the year before
Removing weeds (yes they’re green and growing now), composting, mulching,
Pruning
Making moves – transplanting, separating bulbs, buying/planting new perennials
Start seedlings
I can write a column on each one of the above tasks but as an overview, I will touch on a few important points for now.
Weeding/soil prep: It’s important to remove weeds now making sure you get the roots. If you don’t, it’s all for naught. They will return and create a lot of work for you throughout the growing season.
Consider adding a top layer of compost as nutritional feed instead of other non-organic fertilizers. We have sandy soil here in Rockaway so I recommend a compost layer yearly. After you weed and tend to the soil composition, mulch. Mulching works well to keep the weeds at bay and it looks nice. There are places you can get mulch and compost for free – Check NYC Parks and tree pruning companies before you get store-bought bags.
Pruning: What I’ve learned over the years is, don’t be afraid to aggressively prune shrubs and perennials. Pruning invigorates plants and helps them to grow in a fuller shape. Just take care to read up on the plant you’re pruning beforehand, especially if you’re new to gardening or have a first year plant.
Making moves: For a while now I’ve been thinking about replacing the beach grass in my garden to something different, that presents with color in late summer/fall. The past two years, I miss the seasonal window to do so. Now is the time to transplant and change out plants. Read the care instructions for your new plant before digging and don’t discard the old! Post the plant on Facebook and Instagram. I’m sure there is someone in the neighborhood that would love to adopt it.
Walkers low spreads, don’t be afraid to aggressively break this up.
There are many bulbs and tubers that need to be separated after a few years. There are two benefits to this. First, the plant will grow stronger and produce bigger flowers. Second, you’re creating more plants to spread around the garden or to share with a friend. How do you know when to divide bulbs? The easiest way to determine this is when they look noticeably crowded. Examples of bulbs that should be divided are: daffodils, daylilies, irises, crocuses, hyacinth, grape hyacinth, and gladiolus (there are many more).
Many gardening websites have instructions on dividing bulbs and tubers. Most suggest to do it in the fall or after the leaves die back. This may sound like garden sacrilege, but I divide my daylilies in the spring. This is the time where I can visualize the shape of the garden and I know which sections are over-crowded. This method works for me and as a rule of (green) thumb, do what works for you and your garden. Every garden is unique and an evolving work in progress. Don’t be afraid to break the rules.
Seeds: I wrote a helpful column last year on starting seeds indoors.You can find it here.
For more on gardening follow Paula on IG @theglorifiedtomato
Transplanted daylilies in the spring will still bloom the same year!
by Paula D.
on March 12, 2021 9:12 am in Recipes
Several months back I treated myself to a weekend subscription to the New York Times. It’s taking over my physical world. I want to read and look through every page so I’ve been saving the sections I don’t get to every week. It’s piling up. The paper has effectively taken over my dining room table and now has expanded to the living room coffee table. And it sort of feels good.
Besides enjoying the articles, I get really excited looking at the illustrations, layouts and typographic design. It’s been inspiring my own graphic design work, which I hadn’t expected.
Even more surprising: last Friday night I was having wine at the table (not the surprising part), and I started to doodle on the newspaper. That transformed into somewhat legitimate art work. It’s been too long since I’ve put the pen to paper. This impromptu art night now has become a regular thing and I’m so happy to be drawing again.
Artists know staring at that blank white piece of paper can be overwhelming. That’s not an issue when you work on newsprint. The text and images on the page inform what and where I decide to draw. It’s a great exercise for those of you who are interested in getting back into creating artwork but may feel hesitation. Also, I like the idea of upcycling the newspaper.
I almost started drawing on a page in the Home section but I caught myself — there was a very interesting recipe. Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil? It looked so simple and delicious. The article mentions you can make it in advance. The fish can be steamed, grilled, roasted or pan-grilled. If you’re not a fan of salmon, use the same technique with tuna steak or white fish, etc.
Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ to 2 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise (4 pieces)
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Salt and fresh ground pepper
16 basil leaves
Directions:
- For each of 4 packages, place one 12-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil on top of another. Smear top sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and layer a fillet of salmon, 6 tomato halves, salt and pepper, basil leaves and another half tablespoon oil. Seal package by folding foil onto itself and crimping edges. Repeat to make other packages. Refrigerate until ready to cook, no more than 24 hours later.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 500 degrees. Place packages in a roasting pan. (Or they can be cooked on top of the stove in 2 skillets over medium-high heat.) Cook for 8-12 minutes or cook for 6 minutes with the packets open in the broiler for more crisp.
- Let packages rest a minute, and cut a slit along the top with a knife. Use a knife and fork to open the package. Spoon the salmon, garnish and juices onto a plate, and serve.
I was tempted to add diced garlic and spinach along with the tomatoes but held back in an effort to try the recipe in its pure form. The outcome: light, flavorful and fulfilling. I used a lot of freshly ground pepper which added a nice texture over the smooth fish and a pop of boldness it needed with the limited ingredients. I kept some whole basil leaves for the effect of beauty but I’d recommend dicing more so you taste the basil in every bite.
This is a fast, healthy appetizing dish for fish lovers. Additionally, it’s a great weeknight dinner only taking 20 minutes to prepare. Keep this in mind for summer as it’s perfect for a grill-out as you can make the packets in advance. Enjoy!
Recipe from cooking.nytimes.com
by Paula D.
on March 12, 2021 8:53 am in Food
When I received my first COVID-19 pizza box it was unsettling. I tried to enjoy my delicious slices but kept thinking about “THE VIRUS.” Now for some reason, I’m oddly obsessed with the boxes. I suppose my interest is due to my profession – I’m a graphic designer with a background in marketing. The concept of using a pizza box as a vehicle to promote health safety and Covid-19 testing throughout NYC – a city obsessed with pizza – is clever to say the least.
There are currently two editions of the NYC Covid-19 pizza box and the word at La Sorrentina (420 Beach 129th St, Queens, NY 11694) is that NYC.gov / NYC Test & Trace Corp. will have a third edition available in the upcoming weeks. The city is calling Pizzeria’s all around NYC with an offering of these free pizza boxes.
Edition one features a family photo with the words “Do it for them. Get tested for Covid-19.” It’s pretty straight forward. The second edition is bold, bright and graphic. It seems the color and concept/tagline is meant to boost morale and invigorate New Yorkers at a time where we’re all mentally exhausted of pandemic life, “NYC, you’re doing great at mask wearing!” And the secondary text urges us to continually get tested even if we don’t present with symptoms. What will edition three look like?! I am eagerly anticipating it.
You’ve seen the second bold design everywhere around NYC – on buses, in the subway, direct mailers, etc. I did some digging but It’s unclear whether the city is outsourcing their Covid-19 marketing campaign or it is done in-house. If anyone has a lead on this query please contact me, I’m so curious because this is top-notch marketing.
On the back of the NYC Covid-19 Pizza boxes, Encompass Media Group’s website is printed. It seems they are the producers of these boxes. The site says, “pizza box advertising campaigns are a hot way to reach consumers of all ages and demographics! Your ad is sure to be seen with 94% of Americans eating pizza regularly.”
I thought for sure there must be articles about these unique pizza boxes all over the internet but shockingly all I found was one Reddit thread and a handful of tweets with no significant sharing. I can’t get over it – a pandemic pizza box in NYC and it’s not getting major buzz? This has Gothamist.com and Vice.com written all over it. Perhaps after my article these big-timers will pick up the story (credit please).
If you’ve received a pandemic pizza box send me a pic and I’ll add it to my photo collection on theglorifiedtomato.com. Please also email the name and contact info of the pizzeria your received it from – pdigioia@rockawave.com
And one last thing … I’ve been saving the boxes because in 10 years these iconic pizza boxes, marking an unprecedented period of time in our history are going to be worth big bucks on Ebay. Although I could have just lowered the value by sharing this information with you …
