The Winchendon Courier
Serving the community since 1878 ~ A By Light Unseen Media publication
Week of July 16 to July 23, 2020

Gardening

Tips to Help Your Landscape Beat the Heat

mulched garden beds
Mulching garden beds and around trees and shrubs conserves moisture, keeps roots cool and moist, and suppresses weeds.
Photo credit: Melinda Myers, LLC


Summer has arrived and for many so has the heat. High temperatures and dry conditions often lead to watering bans. This is not only hard on gardeners but also our gardens and lawns. Fortunately, there are ways to help plants thrive despite stressful growing conditions.

Adjust landscape care based on the weather conditions, each plant’s tolerance level and your gardening goals. Enlist these low maintenance, eco-friendly strategies to help keep your landscape looking its best throughout the summer months.

Water plants thoroughly to promote deep drought-and pest-resistant roots. Wait until the top few inches of soil are crumbly and moist or footprints remain in the lawn before watering again.

Avoid light, frequent watering that encourages shallow roots. Shallow roots are less able to tolerate drought and more susceptible to disease and insect problems.

Water early in the day when possible to minimize water lost to evaporation. Avoid late evening watering that leaves foliage wet going into the night. This can increase the risk of disease.

Spread a two- to three-inch layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles, or shredded bark mulch over the soil in garden beds and around trees and shrubs. Mulching will conserve moisture, keep roots cool and moist, and suppress weeds. As the organic mulch decomposes, it adds nutrients and organic matter to the soil. All these benefits stem from one maintenance task.

Mow lawns high and often, removing no more than one third the total height of the grass. Taller grass produces deeper roots, making the lawn more drought tolerant and more resistant to insects, disease, and other environmental stresses.

Leave the grass clippings on the lawn. They add nitrogen, organic matter, and moisture to the soil. One season of clippings is equal to one fertilizer application. Every time you mow you are improving the soil and fertilizing the lawn.

Sharpen your mower blades to save time by boosting efficiency. And speaking of savings, your mower will consume 22% less fuel and your lawn will use up to 30% less water when your mower blades are sharp.

Use a low nitrogen, slow release fertilizer if your lawn and garden plants need a nutrient boost. These types of fertilizers release small amounts of nutrients over an extended period of time. The low level of nitrogen reduces the risk of damaging your already heat-stressed plants.

Remove weeds from garden beds and borders as soon as they appear. These “plants out of place” steal water and nutrients from your desirable garden plants. Plus, they can harbor insects and diseases that are harmful to your garden plants. Removing them before they flower and set seed means you will have hundreds of less weeds to pull next season.

Provide stressed plants with a bit of shade from the hot afternoon sun. Containers can be moved to a more suitable spot during heat waves. Add a bit of temporary shade to garden plants that are struggling to survive in the blazing hot sun. A strategically placed chair, lattice or umbrella may be all that is needed. As temperatures drop, you can move plants back in place and remove the temporary shade.

Use the shade to your advantage as well. Garden in the shady spots whenever possible or use a pop-up canopy to provide shade when needed. Always drink plenty of water, use sunscreen, and work during the cooler morning and evening hours.

Then take some time to enjoy your handiwork. Look at the progress that has been made as you sit back, relax, and enjoy your favorite beverage.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Antiques

Ephemera that was Saved from the Trash

antique broadside


Merriam Webster defines ephemera as “something of no lasting significance.” Their second definition reads “paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles.”

Ephemera was not meant to be preserved. Posters were used to promote events like movies, plays, the circus, sport matches or to advertise products. The posters were typically ripped down after the event or another poster was plastered over them.

Tickets were typically ripped or punched. Most people threw them away as soon as the event ended.

Merriam Webster’s definition for a broadside is “a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side.” Broadsides documented events prior to the Revolutionary War, during the Civil War, and throughout other significant times in history. They were intended to inform the public and were not expected to last long after they were printed.

There are also other types of ephemera not included in Merriam Webster’s definition. Postcards were meant to communicate with family and friends and then be thrown away. Programs for a play or sporting event provided you information on the event and performers or players. Most were not saved. Locally, Whitney in Worcester played a big part in producing greeting cards. Those made in Worcester and elsewhere were usually discarded after the holiday or event passed.

As with other antiques or collectibles, it is often the things that most people threw away that are the most collectible. Some ephemeral pieces can bring large sums at auction.

A 1959 ticket for a John F. Kennedy speech in Nashville, TN signed by JFK, Robert Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy sold for over $8,000 last year. A “Mountain Road” lottery ticket signed by George Washington brought $12,500 this year. The tickets were sold to raise funds for a proposed road to a resort in Virginia. A ticket stub for Michael Jordan’s first NBA basketball game from 1984 went for over $36,000 at auction in 2018.

Real photo postcards are actual photographs with a postcard back and some can be quite valuable. A real photo postcard that read “WRIGHT AEROPLANE COLLEGE PARK MD OCT '09” pictured the Wright Brothers’ airplane. It sold for $10,000 in 2017. A 1964 Beatles postcard signed by all four reached over $18,000. As you might expect, sports related postcards can be some of the most valuable. A 1915 Red Sox team real photo postcard that included Babe Ruth during his rookie year fetched $80,000.

A six-color broadside offering sale of Missouri lands in 40 acre or more lots by the Hannibal & St. Joseph's Railroad brought nearly $20,000 in 2013. A broadside advertising a $100,000 reward for Abraham Lincoln’s assassins sold for $80,000 in 2009. A rare July 1776 printed broadside of the Declaration of Independence sold at auction in 2016. The Massachusetts-Bay Colony's Authorized Edition was printed by Ezekiel Russell of Salem, MA. It realized over $500,000.

An 1892 Henri de Toulose-Lautrec poster, “AMBASSADEURS / ARISTIDE BRUANT,” brought $50,000 in 2016. An 1864 campaign poster for Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson sold for $250,000 last year. A 1932 movie poster for the Boris Karloff’s “The Old Dark House,” which was said to be one of two known to exist, went for $950,000 in 2019. Bela Lugosi's IMDb profile shows his highest salary for a film was $5,000. Lugosi would have had to make 190 films to pay for the poster.

We will soon be hosting an online auction in Warren, RI. We are planning an estate sale in Auburn later this summer. We also will be offering toys from a huge collection in multiple online auctions. The first auctions will feature diecast cars and later auctions will feature some of the finest antique toys that we have handled. Please keep checking www.centralmassauctions.com for details.

Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique Auctions, Estate Sales and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com