Gardening
Save Money by Planting Flower Seeds Directly in the Garden
Sunflowers, like Suntastic Jaune Coeur Noir, are commonly started from seeds in the garden.
Photo courtesy of All-America Selections
Don't worry if you have already spent most of your plant budget for the year. Fill voids in your gardens and containers with heat tolerant annuals planted from seeds directly in the garden.
Zinnia and marigolds are traditional favorites often started from seeds planted directly in the garden. These germinate quickly and begin flowering in about eight weeks.
Zinnias are heat and drought tolerant once established. The Profusion series are compact, disease resistant, and produce flowers early and all season long. The Zahara series of zinnias are also heat and drought tolerant and resistant to leaf spot and mildew. Zinnias have excellent pollinator appeal and make great cut flowers.
Moss rose's drought tolerance makes it an excellent choice for sandy, gravelly, and rocky areas. The fine seeds make it a bit more challenging to plant. Try mixing the seeds with sand to help distribute the seeds more evenly. Look for varieties like Afternoon Delight and the Happy Hour and Sundial series with flowers that open earlier or stay open later in the day, extending your enjoyment.
Cleome is a big annual that can easily fill the space between those small, newly planted shrubs. It prefers full sun and moist well-drained soil but will tolerate dry conditions. Thin seeds so the final spacing of plants is between 1 to 3 feet. The more space, the fuller and bushier the plant. These plants reseed readily so watch for volunteer plants in next year's garden.
Sunflowers are commonly started from seeds in the garden. You will find single and double flowered varieties ranging in height from 18 inches to 12 feet or more. Stagger your planting to extend the bloom time. Plant seeds every two weeks, so you have lots of fresh flowers to enjoy. Just check the seed packet for the number of days from planting until flowering. Make sure your last planting has time to reach maturity and bloom before the end of your growing season.
Mexican sunflower is not as well known as the common sunflower but is just as welcome in the garden. The bright orange flowers combine nicely with yellow, blue, and purple flowers and attract butterflies and other pollinators to the garden. Grow these in a sunny area with well-drained soil. Avoid windy locations that may cause the brittle stems to break. Give this big plant plenty of room to reach its mature size. Mexican sunflower grows four to six feet tall and two to three feet wide. Fiesta del Sol and Goldfinger are shorter varieties that are a better fit for smaller spaces.
Check the seed packet for more details on planting seeds of these and other flowers directly in the garden. With proper planting and care you will have lots of flowers to enjoy this season.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Gardener's Supply for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Collecting Local Memorabilia
Many people are interested in their local history, so it's no wonder collectors often focus their collections on items from their own town or city. They may hone in on one type of collectible, such as postcards, or they may seek out a wide variety of items that have a connection to their area.
I'll focus on Worcester related items in this column given its large size and significant history, and the fact that much of my collection features items that were produced and sold in the city.
If you are just starting out collecting, you may want to start with postcards and other smaller items, which you can purchase for 25 cents and up. Vintage matchbook covers advertising Blue Moon Stockings being sold at Vera Green Inc. in Worcester and TO Flynn's Restaurant each recently sold in the $2 range. A Victorian trade card for Palace Organs manufactured by Loring and Blake Organ Company of Worcester went for $4. A small German made souvenir porcelain pitcher of Worcester City Hall sold for $10 in 2019.
If you're looking to go bigger, many pieces of local memorabilia could bring you a windfall. It should be noted, however, that many top selling items are cross collectibles. This is when items have characteristics that appeal to multiple collectors. For example, Oilzum motor oil was manufactured in Worcester, so there are local people who collect Oilzum advertising. There are also petroliana (gas station and petroleum industry) collectors interested in Oilzum, making their products even more desirable.
As for earlier local history, Isaiah Thomas was an anti-British journalist and publisher from Worcester who published the Worcester Spy. The Spy and Thomas' close connections with other patriots helped fuel the American Revolution. Many of his books can sell in the hundreds, but one book brought a huge figure at auction. A Narrative of the Excursion and Ravages of the King's Troops under the Command of General Gage, on the Nineteenth of April 1775 sold for $19,550 in 2010.
Almost 200 years after Thomas' book was printed, A 1964 "Caravan of Record Stars" poster advertised a concert featuring 15 performers at the Worcester Memorial Auditorium. The Supremes and the Drifters were two of the headliners. Despite pinholes and over 20 staple holes, it sold for $9,540.
1930s cone top cans from Worcester's Brockert Ale are popular with breweriana collectors and collectors of local memorabilia. The brewery opened in 1935, according to the Worcester Sun. They sold their first beer on St. Patrick's Day 1936. Oscar Brockert left a year after founding the business, but the company kept selling beer as Brockert until after World War II. It then became the Worcester Brewing Company. Brockert cone top cans can sell in the hundreds to the thousands. A can in pristine condition sold for $3,000 last year. I'm sure the consignor raised a glass to that.
I'm always looking for Worcester related items for my collection. I am particularly interested in Worcester County sports memorabilia and railroad memorabilia from local railroads.
We continue to pick up items for our major fall multi-estate auction. The 6th session of model trains, die-cast cars, models and other toys is running now and will end on July 13th. We will also be starting the Beacon Street, Boston online estate auction when the sale of the home is finalized. I'll be appraising items at the Leicester Senior Center as a fundraiser for the Leicester Historical Society on November 5th. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to upcoming events.
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