Spring is in the Air
By Elizabeth Dougherty
It’s so nice to wake up in the
morning to birds singing, blue
skies and mild weather. The leaves
have sprouted on the trees and the
season’s first flowers are blooming.
It kind of makes you want to
plant something,
doesn’t it?
Blooming
Colors
on South
Donahue is
a welcome
sight for
those who
are in a green
thumb state of
mind. With beautiful (and
colorful) Adirondack chairs out
front beckoning one to stay a while,
and the surrounding inspiring
foliage, it’s a needed respite away
from the hustle and bustle of work
and school. Step inside for relaxing
sights and sounds beginning with
soothing music punctuated by
harmonious chimes, and pick up a
few plants along the way.
If you are getting ready to list
your home, your Realtor probably
told you that it never hurts to
spruce up the front walkway with
some colorful spring blooms. Pull
up any errant weeds and put down
some fresh mulch. Anything that
makes the front more attractive
contributes to curb appeal and
translates into more activity/
showings on your house.
Plants don’t have to be all
for show, either. There are plenty
of greens and flowers that are
beautiful as well as edible. An herb
like rosemary, for instance, will
grow into a lush, attractive bush
while still making your
filets and foccacia
taste great.
Basil is a
fragrant
addition to
any garden
and a
“must
have” for
authentic
pesto. Fresh
marjoram tastes
fantastic on home baked pizza.
Unfortunately, edible flowers
seem to be used much less often
these days. Rose petal ice cream
is a showstopper served after an
elegant lunch. Colorful nasturtiums
take an everyday salad to the
next level. Violets crystallized with
sugar turn regular cupcakes into a
dinner party dessert. It is important,
however, never to eat flowers (or
herbs, for that matter) that have
been treated with pesticides.
If you are growing your own
edibles, Miracle Gro makes an
organic potting soil that also
fertilizes your plants. To ward
off bugs, try using some natural
pesticides. On www.hgtv.com there
is an entire page of alternative
fungicides and pesticides that will
keep your herbs, vegetables and
edible flowers safe to consume. The
trick is to ward off the bad bugs
and fungi and still keep the helpful
critters like ladybeetles in your
garden. There are lures that can be
placed in your garden to keep the
helpful pests around.
In next week’s HomeSeeker,
we’ll talk a little more about curb
appeal and some other things you
can do to attract buyers.
Liz Dougherty has been a freelance food
writer and culinary consultant through
her company, Culinary Pursuits, Inc., for
the past six years. She trained under a
maniacal Swiss-German chef and later
received her Bachelor's degree, Magna
Cum Laude in Hospitality. Prior to that,
she was a licensed real estate broker and
mortgage broker with a total of over
ten years experience in real estate and
finance. She can be reached at
EADougherty1@aol.com
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