The fragrance of roses can bring back memories for many people: a prom corsage, a wedding bouquet - here's mine.

When my sisters and I were little, my mother sent us to dancing lessons. Every June, Miss Patsy's School of Dance would have its spring recital, a time to show off the accomplishments of the year, before parents took their kids away on summer vacation. For my sisters and me, recital night was a magical, exciting time to wear sequined costumes, rouge and lipstick, and show off our ballet or tap dancing before an admiring audience of parents.

After each dance, children would be called out onto the stage again, to be presented with flowers from their parents. Shy or smiling little girls emerged from the wings to receive large bouquets of long-stemmed roses straight from the florist, wrapped in tissue paper, to the applause of the audience. As each girl returned proudly backstage cradling her treasure, we gathered round and oohed and aahed over the perfection of each bouquet.

My sisters and I also received rose bouquets. Ours were more like nosegays, which my mother made from the roses of her own garden. These were old-fashioned roses, in delicate colors of shell pink, ivory, and lavender, roses whose names were lost in antiquity. The fragrance of them was enough to make you swoon with delight. She would chop their short, floribunda stems, bundle them together with a paper lace doily, and tie them with whatever ribbon she had on hand - perhaps a light blue satin. As children, we looked only at the smallness of these bouquets. We knew that other parents had spent lots of money for the lavish flowers our classmates received, and in our childish way, we chided our mother for not buying us a big, "store-bought" bouquet.

Now, I am older than my mother was when she made those nosegays for us, and she has been gone for many years. But every June, when I smell that first heady scent of roses - the old, fragrant kind - I think of the dancing school bouquets that my mother made for us with love from her own garden.

Candace Kearney

Designer

Winterberry Gardens

There is a fungus among us this time of the year. It is called red thread.

Red thread is most common in lawns that have low fertility, experience excessive moisture, and experience cool nights.

The red thread fungus has a 14 day life cycle - while unsightly,  it is not fatal to the turf grass plant. With our OrganiScapes lawn care program, we follow a particular regime - during the second round of  fertilization treatment in June, we flush growth and push away blemishes.

For a healthy, green lawn, consider our OrganiScapes lawn and landscape fertilization program. It is an environmentally friendly lawn care system that reduces chemicals and pesticides by 60%, giving you a sustainable, greener lawn and landscape. It is the evolution of lawn and landscape care!

For more information visit www.organiscapes.com - or give us a call at 860-378-0071

Dan Sisson

Organiscapes

Many people would love to grow their own vegetables but can't due to either lack of yard/ space like living in a condo or maybe just physically taking care of a garden is too much work. Well there is a solution to that! It's called "Vegetable Container Gardening"! Now I know many people think of pretty flowering planters when they think of "container gardening" but it is so much more than that. And many wouldn't even think of putting a vegetable or herb plant into a pot anyway. Well times are changing and for many it's just simply impossible to have a garden in the back yard never mind all the time it takes to care for it.

            There are many different vegetables that will do just fine in a container. Example: smaller varieties of tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, eggplant, green beans, cucumbers (with a trellis of course), potatoes and just about any herb you can think of. Your containers do need to be of a decent size, just think of all the room for root growth there is planted in a garden. As long as it's outside in the sun, receiving plenty of water (but not too much), and has the necessary nutrients from fertilizers or other organic products you are sure to be successful and grow your own garden right on your patio without all that back breaking work! 

 If your pots are big enough you can even mix a few varieties together like a nice tomato plant to the back with your favorite basil, parsley or oregano to the front. Then before you know it you'll be inviting the family over for a homemade pasta dinner. Or how about if you have a container growing the biggest and tastiest eggplant right next to your tomato planter, now you're ready for some Eggplant Parmesan! 

Try growing your tomatillos and spicy jalapenos with a cilantro plant and with a few more ingredients you'll be ready to invite friends over for a Mexican fiesta! The possibilities are endless! So for those of you who yearn for your own "Fresh from the garden" vegetables, go and give it a try! A few good size containers, rich organic soil, some seeds or veggie plugs and of course love is all you need.