238.LFK Cafe at Longfellow Square: A funky neighborhood bar with comfy corners and friendly atmosphere. This used to be a bookstore and the "flavor" remains. Try their bacon-wrapped meatloaf for great comfort food.
Food, Entertainment, and Arts
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
101 Things I Love about Portland Maine
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Perennials
Perennial Flowers: A Little Care Says ‘Encore! Encore!’ Each Year
Don’t take your old garden friends — perennial flowers — for granted. A little routine love keeps these stunners growing for bloomin’ ever. ROI, anyone?
You don’t need a calendar if you grow perennial
flowers, which return each year like clockwork. But home owners often take these
Old Faithfuls for granted. We don’t divide, deadhead, or cut back like we
should. Before we know it, our lush hydrangeas are barren, and our salvia has
run amuck.
Luckily, perennial flowers are a forgiving bunch; and with a little love, will keep on blooming — a nice ROI. Here’s how to care for your perennials and protect your landscape year after year.
Luckily, perennial flowers are a forgiving bunch; and with a little love, will keep on blooming — a nice ROI. Here’s how to care for your perennials and protect your landscape year after year.
Chose varieties, location wisely
Growing perennial flowers is all about planting the right flower in the right spot. In other words: Know thy garden, and read thy plant label.
“I’ve had couples in here fighting about whether a spot is sunny or shady,” says Alison Caldwell, buyer for Hicks Nurseries on Long Island, N.Y. “You really must know your site — sunny, shady, clay soil, or sandy — and then pick the appropriate plant.”
Grow labels tells you everything a plant loves — partial shade or full sun, a lot of water or a little drought.
“Succulents favor droughts, so don’t plant them next to a sprinkler head,” Caldwell says. “And hostas don’t want to be in full sun — their leaves burn.”
Some hardy perennial flowers that grow from coast to coast, Florida to Maine, include:
Warning: Never try to break up clay soil with sand alone. Sand + clay + water = cement.
Mulch miracles
Growing perennial flowers is all about planting the right flower in the right spot. In other words: Know thy garden, and read thy plant label.
“I’ve had couples in here fighting about whether a spot is sunny or shady,” says Alison Caldwell, buyer for Hicks Nurseries on Long Island, N.Y. “You really must know your site — sunny, shady, clay soil, or sandy — and then pick the appropriate plant.”
Grow labels tells you everything a plant loves — partial shade or full sun, a lot of water or a little drought.
“Succulents favor droughts, so don’t plant them next to a sprinkler head,” Caldwell says. “And hostas don’t want to be in full sun — their leaves burn.”
Some hardy perennial flowers that grow from coast to coast, Florida to Maine, include:
- Ornamental grasses
- Hostas
- Daylilies
- Iris
- Mums
- Salvia
- Yarrow
Warning: Never try to break up clay soil with sand alone. Sand + clay + water = cement.
Mulch miracles
Mulching perennials gives them a fighting chance
of surviving climate swings — frigid winters, blistering summers. After
planting, mound up to 4 inches of mulch
around the plant base. This insulation will keep soil temperature and moisture
levels relatively constant, and protect plants from surprises — plants don’t
like surprises — like record-warm winters and summer heat
waves.
Divide and nurture in spring
Divide and nurture in spring
Perennial flowers return each year bigger and
better … until they don’t. Overcrowding could be the culprit, and dividing the
plant is the answer.
You know it’s time to divide when blooms are fewer and smaller, and when the plant’s center is open or dead.
“When it comes to dividing, every plant is a little different,” says Lance Walheim, author of Roses for Dummies and an expert at Bayer Advanced Garden, which makes lawn and pest products.
You can break daylilies apart with your hand, but you’ll have to divide salvia’s hard root ball with a shovel or other sharp landscape tools.
Plant and fertilize divisions in bare spots around your yard. Or have a perennial swap with neighbors — your daylilies for their hostas.
If you decide not to divide, stake drooping stalks to protect against disease.
Deadhead in summer; cut back in fall
After blooms are spent, lop off their heads to direct energy to a second
bloom, rather than a seed head. When the growing season is finished, and you’re
cleaning up your garden for winter, cut off dead stalks and foliage. This will
help plants get a good rest and return healthier and happier in
spring.You know it’s time to divide when blooms are fewer and smaller, and when the plant’s center is open or dead.
“When it comes to dividing, every plant is a little different,” says Lance Walheim, author of Roses for Dummies and an expert at Bayer Advanced Garden, which makes lawn and pest products.
You can break daylilies apart with your hand, but you’ll have to divide salvia’s hard root ball with a shovel or other sharp landscape tools.
Plant and fertilize divisions in bare spots around your yard. Or have a perennial swap with neighbors — your daylilies for their hostas.
If you decide not to divide, stake drooping stalks to protect against disease.
Deadhead in summer; cut back in fall
Lisa Kaplan
Gordon
Lisa Kaplan Gordon is a HouseLogic contributor and builder of luxury homes in
McLean, Va. She’s been a Homes editor for Gannett News Service and has reviewed
home improvement products for AOL.Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/home-advice/gardens/perennial-flowers/#ixzz1wHDZ50SB
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Flower Garden Tips
Designing a Flower Garden? Don’t Make These 5 Rookie Mistakes
Excited about designing your first flower garden? Calm down before you make these 5 rookie mistakes.
When designing your first flower garden,
you’re bound to make some mistakes.
Nick Statton of Monrovia plant
sellers says beginners don’t ask enough questions or read planting labels. The
cure? Don’t be shy about bugging your local plant growers with basic inquiries —
they’re there to help!
George Pisegna of The Horticultural Society of New York says newbies don’t know enough about their soil. Get smart by testing your soil.
What other mistakes do first-time gardeners make when designing and planting their flower gardens?
Mistake 1: Disregarding the sun
Do you know how many hours of full sun your garden gets each day in each season?
If you can delay gratification, study your yard over a year before designing a garden. See how long the sun shines in the fall, spring, and summer. Read planting labels to determine how much sun a particular plant needs.
Sun-loving plants, such as roses, need at least 6 hours of sun a day; partial sun/shade plants need 4 to 6 hours; and shade plants need little or dappled sunlight: more sun can burn their leaves.
Mistake 2: Failing to consider color
It doesn’t matter what color story you tell, just make sure you know the story before you plant. Here are some ideas:
George Pisegna of The Horticultural Society of New York says newbies don’t know enough about their soil. Get smart by testing your soil.
What other mistakes do first-time gardeners make when designing and planting their flower gardens?
Mistake 1: Disregarding the sun
Do you know how many hours of full sun your garden gets each day in each season?
If you can delay gratification, study your yard over a year before designing a garden. See how long the sun shines in the fall, spring, and summer. Read planting labels to determine how much sun a particular plant needs.
Sun-loving plants, such as roses, need at least 6 hours of sun a day; partial sun/shade plants need 4 to 6 hours; and shade plants need little or dappled sunlight: more sun can burn their leaves.
Mistake 2: Failing to consider color
It doesn’t matter what color story you tell, just make sure you know the story before you plant. Here are some ideas:
- Pull out your color wheel and find plants with complementary colors, such as yellow coreopsis with violet salvia.
- Monochromatic gardens are stunners. Dot your one-color story with whites (daisies) and greens (hostas), considered neutrals in the garden world.
- If you want to attract birds, add plants with vivid colors. Hummingbirds like reds, and goldfinches fly to yellows.
- Pick blooms that contrast with the exterior paint color of your house, so plants will stand out and add to your curb appeal.
Mistake 3:
Over-planting
When it comes to perennials, remember this rule: First year they sleep; second year they creep; third year they leap. Be sure to leave 2-3 feet between plants, giving them room to breathe and space to grow.
Mistake 4: Favoring lines over bunches
Tulips look like lonely soldiers when planted in lines. Instead, arrange bulbs and plants in more natural-looking, odd-numbered clusters of 3, 5, 7, and so on.
Mistake 5: Forgetting that size matters
Check labels for mature plant heights. Tallest go in back; medium in the middle; shortest in front. And don’t forget to install a focal point, like an ornamental tree or fountain.
When it comes to perennials, remember this rule: First year they sleep; second year they creep; third year they leap. Be sure to leave 2-3 feet between plants, giving them room to breathe and space to grow.
Mistake 4: Favoring lines over bunches
Tulips look like lonely soldiers when planted in lines. Instead, arrange bulbs and plants in more natural-looking, odd-numbered clusters of 3, 5, 7, and so on.
Mistake 5: Forgetting that size matters
Check labels for mature plant heights. Tallest go in back; medium in the middle; shortest in front. And don’t forget to install a focal point, like an ornamental tree or fountain.
Lisa Kaplan
Gordon
Lisa Kaplan Gordon is a HouseLogic contributor and builder of luxury homes in
McLean, Va. She’s been a Homes editor for Gannett News Service and has reviewed
home improvement products for AOL.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
101 Things I Love about Portland Maine
236: Portland Flea for All: New vintage and craft group shop in Portland back Bay area has a little something for everyone from handmade jewelry to vintage clothing made into hip new styles.
Open on Sat and Sun.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
101 Things I Love about Portland Maine
235: Expressly Trends: Old Port boutique shopping at discount store prices. Find all the cute latest styles for much less. Always new arrivals. Fun!
https://www.facebook.com/ExpresslyTrends
101 Things I Love about Portland, Maine
234: The Portland Glass Company on India Street gives you a fair and reasonable deal on glass replacement.
They are quick and courteous!
www.facebook.com/pages/Port-City-Glass/168468506543253
www.facebook.com/pages/Port-City-Glass/168468506543253
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