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Home and Garden

  • Grasping at straw

     Gregory A. Summers

    gsummers@thelancasternews.com

    For almost four years, Sally Deese had an unused gift from her neighbor in the backyard of her Four Oaks farm in the Buford community.

    At one time it was a bale of hay just sitting there.

    But now, the bale of hay in wrapped in vines producing round, ripe and great-tasting watermelons.

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  • Magnolia trees are icons of the American South

    Psychologists have long delved into people’s memories trying to identify early events that influenced later behavior or choices.

    I clearly remember attending a birthday party when I was four years old.

    Several games were played and when I won one, the prize was a very small pocket-sized book about trees. All of the pictures were in full color and I spent hours turning the pages, amazed to see flowering trees.

    My favorite was one with big white flowers that I now realize was a Southern Magnolia.

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  • Catawba woman celebrates 100th birthday

    Bertha Harris of Catawba will turn 100 years old on Saturday, June 29. On her birthday, devoted family members and loving friends and neighbors from her church community will gather for a day of celebration in her honor from 10 a.m. to noon at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989 Reservation Road, Rock Hill. The public is invited to attend the gathering.

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  • Starnes raised garden has risen eyebrows
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  • From West Coast to East Coast: Fulfilling The Great Commission

    Barbara Westbrook
    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

    “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

    This familiar scripture – known as the “great commission” – was given by Jesus to his disciples. He wanted them to devote their lives to teaching His Gospel to those who would accept and follow Him.

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  • Smells of blossoms bring back memories

    Returning from a mid-May trip to Virginia, I was very happy to be bringing back a bouquet of lilacs cut from my sister’s yard.
    Growing up, we both loved an old lilac that stood at our home’s back door and would often take flowering branches, stems wrapped in damp paper towels, to our teachers. The scent of lilacs still transports me back to those schoolgirl days.

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  • Trees provide a sense of time and place

    My sister recently sent me interesting newspaper articles about old trees on two Virginia college campuses. In both cases the trees were in rapidly declining health and deemed safety hazards. There were emotional outpourings of sadness by students, alumni and townspeople as each was scheduled for removal. But then, something wonderful happened.
    At Virginia Tech an ancient sycamore had stood prominently on Henderson Lawn, the southern entrance to campus, since before the university was established in 1872.

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  • Family stories, picking cotton and selling GRIT

    Have you ever looked up your family history, also known as geneology or "family tree," to see when and where your ancestors came from? Maybe there is a skeleton in the closet or a pot of gold buried beside the oak tree. I have had some help looking up part of my family history from my niece Joy Mullis of Gaffney. (She is a real whiz at geneology.)

    It has been my experience that whatever you find is interesting and fascinating.

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  • Garden revival made easy

    Spring floods, summer droughts and temperature extremes take their toll on gardens and the gardeners who tend them.

    It is possible to help gardens recover from the crazy temperature and moisture extremes that seem to occur each year.

    Start by assessing the current condition of the landscape. Remove dead plants as soon as possible; they can harbor insect and disease organisms that can infest healthy plantings. Consider replacing struggling plants with healthy plants better suited to the space, growing conditions and landscape design.

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  • Yard of the Month

    Sal and Lois Rao moved into their home at 1839 Tara Trail almost 20 years ago. Since that time they have steadily been improving the landscaping. Their front yard is now filled with mature azaleas growing freely under majestic hardwoods. A blend of small and large, single and double blooms, these azaleas create a colorful impact from early to late spring.

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