Historic
Old Northeast
Neighborhood
News
Volume 32 Issue 4 www.honna.org December 2005
Please Support
Our Advertisers
Who Support This Newsletter
Barbara Rhode
LMFT
Thank You, ful eye of committee members The oaks were planted at various
locations from 6th to 23rd Avenues.
Virginia
Unfortunately the City does not currently have funds to assist
homeowners to plant trees in the rights of way. Wendy Mansfield
hopes that through the Garden Stroll and other HONNA fund rais-
ing activities that the Tree Planting Project can be continued in
The Officers and Board of The
coming years.
Historic Old Northeast Neighbor-
hood Association wish to thank Vir- Please contact her ( 894-1057) if you are interested in getting a
ginia Littrell, our neighbor and City tree for your right of way.
Council member, for her four years
of unselfish service to our neighbor-
hood, community and City.
Have a Happy and Safe Holiday
We have valued the positive work-
ing relationship the Association has had with Virginia, who
addressed our interests and concerns ably, promptly and
enthusiastically. We knew we could rely on Virginia to
return phone calls and e-mails, attend meetings and trouble-
shoot issues and problems.
We have sincerely appreciated her care, concern and
commitment: she did her homework, researched issues
thoroughly and put in the time to get answers. While we
may not always have liked what she had to tell us about
City processes or procedures or the realities of holding a
minority position, we knew that we could depend on Vir-
ginia for a frank and honest assessment.
As Virginia moves on, we hope that our neighborhood
and City can continue to benefit from her considerable
talents, knowledge and passion for the community.
W
hile walking in the park two weeks ago, we blundered ing the box, other than not eating and excreting they dont
into the SPCAs Paws on Parade Pet Walk. Since one seem to do anything much different than our dogs do -- ab-
of our dogs has some social issues concerning other solutely nothing until we show up and activate them by our
dogs in her proximity, we usually try to avoid such events. But the presence.
number of human and animal participants was impressive, and it Although I decided it wasnt worth the money to buy a
made me wonder just why people do these things with animals that robot, it was the visual image of
for the most part seem oblivious to such shenanigans. that plastic dog that gave me
After some research, I discovered that, on the average, it costs some insight into why
$6,500 to maintain a dogs proper American lifestyle from its birth some of us dress up
to death. My concentration then fell upon the fuzzy 15 pounder on our dogs and parade
my bed and the 50 pounder on the floor and I silently did the math. them around the
There is no denying that $13,000 can buy a lot of interesting things park. They are real,
to make my life, if not easier, at least a little more interesting. But warm and fuzzy be-
for whatever reason, 37.3% of our countrys population has found ings that love us no
that maintaining 53 million household dogs makes this expendi- matter what type of per-
ture worthwhile. Why? son we are. They do not
care if we are a bad boss,
You dont have to be a history teacher to know that these crea-
hate children, spend too
tures have been living within close proximity of humans for a long
time. Some resources state that the dog was the first domesticated much time on the Internet,
are bad tippers or dress
animal we ever had to snuggle up with at the nighttime fire. The
them up and put them in
benefits of this relationship are obvious -- the dog could forsake
baby carriages. They are
sleeping in the cold and insinuate itself onto our bed, forever leave
the instant love we need in
its fleas, take up too much space and we humans could finally find
a loveless world. One of
our dogs is now at my feet
Give the Gift of Time... and the other sleeps on the
GIFT CERTIFICATES couch, and while I would
AVAILABLE like to spend more time
Buy 2 gift hours, get one pondering this subject, I
for yourself @ ½ price! have to go -- the dogs need
(thru 12/31/05)
to go on a walk.
simplify your life & let us do your...
For this issue I have chosen three topics that are loosely related
Vinoy Park Festivals + Parking
to preserving the character of The Historic Old Northeast. Al- With cooler weather come the near-weekly festivals at Vinoy
though they are not about architectural details such as windows, Park and the occasional headaches they bring for residents in
doors, and siding which can help define our neighborhoods the south end of the neighborhood. While many of us enjoy
character these three items do pertain to quality-of-life issues, being able to walk to the action and even being able to hear the
which can influence the way we feel about and take care of the music from our homes, the traffic and parking situation has
place we all call home. While there is much to celebrate in our gotten ridiculous. Although the City opens the garages down-
neighborhoods renaissance, these improvements can sometimes town and provides shuttle buses, many people find it more
spawn negative results. We can choose to ignore these problems convenient to park on neighborhood streets, which are already
or face them head-on and develop solutions as a community. crowded with residents cars on non-festival days. During mid-
Novembers Ribfest event, confused drivers looking for close-
Save Our Homes in parking availed themselves of every legal and non-legal spot
The Save Our Homes amendment, which was approved by they could find. Some of them received tickets for blocking
Florida voters in 1995, is beginning to have serious consequences the sidewalks and parking in clearly marked No Parking
on long-time Old Northeast zones. On 8 th Avenue
property owners who have NE a typically nar-
seen a tremendous run-up row neighborhood street
lately in their property val- with only one travel lane
ues. Owners who would like for traffic and on-street
to move could be trapped, parking cars attempt-
unable to move because they ing to pass each other
cant afford the dramatically mid-block drove over
higher tax bills they would the granite curbs and
receive on their new houses. drove through some
This problem has existed for residents landscape
a couple of years now, but beds and sidewalks to
with the recent upsurge in get by each other.
property values it has become One solution to the
acute. Because property valu- problem would be resi-
ation increases under Save dent-only parking for
Our Homes are capped at the the affected area (say
greater of 3% or the Con- from 6th Avenue NE to
sumer Price Index while you 9th Avenue NE and from
are homesteaded, your taxes 1 st
Street to Beach
remain artificially low while Drive). This would pre-
you remain in your residence. vent heavy traffic from
But when you sell, the new Property at 3rd Street and 6th Avenue N. coming into the neigh-
owner will have to pay taxes continued on page 12
on the full value, and you will
have to pay taxes on the full value of whatever new home you
purchase. The long-term result of this amendment may force people
Construction
in Progress
by Peter Stanhope
As I make my way
around The Historic
Old Northeast, it
seems there is work in
progress everywhere.
Renovation and resto- pane glass French doors to separate the kitchen and bath from the
ration abounds. Some main room. It must have been quite fashionable. Later, wooden
of the more controver- porches were added to the rear of the buildings. Unfortunately,
sial construction sites time and deferred maintenance had taken its toll. The buildings
are the condomini- sat vacant for two years while the owner secured financing for
ums. One of the sites, the project.
which has garnered Instead of tearing it all down and replacing it with new con-
great interest but little struction, the two main buildings still exist (the garages are gone).
controversy, is the The interiors of the buildings were gutted to convert the space
Poinciana. into eight new town homes. All the original features of the build-
Situated at the corner of 15th Avenue NE and Oak Street, the ings such as the doors with glass knobs, the windows, kitchen
Poinciana was built as a twenty- unit multifamily residence in cabinets, radiators, sinks, etc., were purchased by a local salvage
1925. Each apartment in the two main buildings had a living space, yard to be sold and recycled. According to the owner, the most
kitchen and bath, with a small front porch. The third building was difficult and time-consuming part of the project was obtaining
a parking garage for the units with four efficiency apartments the permits to begin the work. Studies were conducted to deter-
above. After nearly 80 years and many owners, it was purchased mine the impact of the project on the infrastructure of the area.
in 2002 by Allen Porkorny with plans to develop the property into Environmental testing determined water runoff rates. Many ex-
condominiums. isting code violations were settled by demolition. It was far more
expensive to restore the buildings than to tear them down. How-
Nestled in the heart of the neighborhood, the Spanish-style
ever, saving the buildings and the character of the neighborhood
buildings were typical of the 1920s. Each unit had oak hardwood
is what makes them unique and desirable.
floors. The porches were Cuban tile. The units were heated with
hot water from a central boiler. Heat was regulated by turning up Now in the eleventh month of construction, the town homes
or down the radiator. There was no air conditioning. The rooms are starting to take shape. The buildings maintain their original
had painted baseboards and crown moldings along with fifteen- character. At the same time, all the units will meet present con-
struction codes. The windows are hurricane strength and the wir-
ing is new. Other than the shell of the buildings, the only original
feature that remains is the Cuban-tiled front porches. The build-
ings look the same. It is hard to tell from driving by the site that
there is so much happening. And the good news is that the build-
ings remain part of the neighborhood as they have since 1928.
All the surprises will be inside. Projected completion is this com-
ing January. Ill be anxious to see the finished product.
Peter and his partner Marc moved to Florida seven years ago from
their home in the historic German Village section of Columbus, OH. Peter
offers renovation and interior design services. He may be contacted at
Projectmgr246@aol.com
3rd Place
Jenny Noyes
and Tom
Sheehan
112 16th
Avenue N *DOOHU\ )UDPHU\
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Alley Rally
How do you feel about a
neighborhood-wide alley/
yard/garage sale?
HONNA is planning to
sponsor and publicize such a
sale on a Saturday in February.
Anyone and everyone in The
Your newsletter has introduced a new feature. As many of us Old Northeast can participate
renovate our homes, rather than toss into the garbage or Dumpster at no cost.
various architectural features weve ripped out we may keep them Stay tuned for details!
around for awhile in case we discover that someone can use what
we no longer can. Well, this is an effort at matchmaking.
If you have items like old wood doors or windows, fireplace
mantels, hex blocks, light fixtures, door hardware, staircase
spindles or need something specific for your 20s bungalow or
30s Mediterranean revival you can list it here at no charge (and
it also will be posted on the Associations website). Actually,
weve expanded the category of items featured to include furni-
ture (please in decent condition).
Also, keep in mind that Westminster Presbyterian Church on
11th Avenue NE accepts donations for furniture and furnishings
to assist women from CASA in their transitional housing needs.
Deadline for submitting an ad for the March issue is February
14th; send the information to NSNAEditor@aol.com or mail to
HONNA, P.O. Box 76324, St. Petersburg, FL 33734.
KORNER If you really want to experience snow, falling snow that is,
any evening from November 19th through December 31st you
With the steady influx into our neighbor- can enjoy that thrill at Channelside, near downtown Tampa. Cold
hood of new residents, were seeing an in- and white snow will come falling down for 10 full minutes at 6,
creasing number of families with young 7, 8 and 9pm nightly! With a 34-foot tall Christmas tree in the
children plus the stork is keeping courtyard, its a winter wonderland for sure.
pretty busy around here as it is. So we How about a horse-drawn carriage ride with real jingle bells
thought it might be helpful to share and real, live reindeer? Go to Lowry Park Zoo for Wild Won-
with parents of youngsters (as well as derland a sparkling holiday treat with thousands of holi-
grandparents welcoming visiting day light and animatronics displays. This fantasyland takes place
grandkids) ideas of family-friendly activi- from 6-9pm starting November 26th through December 28th.
ties and destinations nearby, especially ones
Check the dates online at www.lowryparkzoo.com.
which are free or inexpensive. If you have any such good secrets
youd like to pass along, let us know. Something more traditional for the
Florida folks (and closer to home)
is the annual Lighted Boat Pa-
Fun Holiday Doings for Kids rade on December 9th starting at
by Linda Dobbs about 7pm. The best view ac-
cording to those who know is
Snow in Florida??? Yes, its possible but only on a sched- from Cha Cha Coconuts at The
ule! Kids of all ages can experience a winter wonderland (sort Pier. Setting sail from Harbor-
of) by going to downtown St. Petersburg (North Straub Park) age Marina at 6:30pm, the parade
on December 3rd for Snowfest, winter fun for kids (shaved lasts about 2 ½ hours as the boats
snow, etc.) This is a free event that includes an arts festival and pass The Pier and sail around Snell
follows the annual Holiday Parade featuring Santa Claus. Just Isle before returning to the marina.
follow the clowns or the sounds of the local high school bands!
$80 for family. Offer reedemable for one month only; Good
through 12/31/05. We hope to see you on the court soon!
Serving Northeast St. Petersburg for 36 years! 170 47th Avenue NE St. Petersburg, FL 33703 www.raquetclubstpete.com 727.527.6553
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New on 5th
We welcome to the neighborhood Kathy and As Mike explains about their choice of a house in The
Peter Plautz, the new (as of August) owners of the Mansion Old Northeast, There is a feel to this neighborhood, this
House B&B on 5th Avenue NE. They came here from Wisconsin house. We felt it the first time we drove by [in 1985], and
where they both had worked in the real estate field. When they we have felt it every day since. Its a feeling that goes be-
retired last year it was to their power boat and exploring the east yond the physical surroundings of brick, wood and mortar.
coast, hoping to find a new home somewhere in Florida. They had Its a feeling that makes you say, this is more than just a
never been to St. Pete until Kathy spotted an ad for a B&B that house. This is our home.
was for sale and since theyd always talked about owning an inn
after theyd retired it was fate. If youre reading this on or be- Mystery writer Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, the book upon
fore December 7th, theyre planning a ribbon cutting on that day which the Oscar-winning film was based) is living in the neigh-
between 5-7pm so walk on over for some holiday cheer and greet borhood while teaching creative writing at Eckerd College. Hes
our new neighbors. And we thank former owner Rose Marie Ray currently organizing a Writers in Paradise conference at the col-
and her late husband, Robert, for creating such an asset in our lege set for January and plans to put on a play hes written at
neighborhood
. Have you noticed the sign change on the Olivias American Stage in April.
Flowers shop on 5th Avenue NE? Its now the Renaissance Flower A Katrina Connection
Neighbor Ken Grimes (8th Avenue
Boutique still under the same ownership though. N) was involved early and deeply in helping in the aftermath of
Bombs Bursting in Air
Thanks to neighbor Helen Torres hurricane Katrina. When Tulane University Hospital in New Or-
(15th Avenue NE) for once again making possible the free Florida leans called to Lifenet an air ambulance/medical services com-
Orchestra in the Park in late October. In a break from the usual, pany for help on Tuesday, August 30th, Ken, as a regional VP
the fireworks were launched from North Shore Park instead of with a background in federal disaster responses, flew to its Den-
the Vinoy Yacht Basin. If youve never stood under a fireworks ver headquarters to coordinate the evacuation of patients and hos-
display, its hard to beat (even though the proximity to the neigh- pital staff. He sent three helicopters with paramedics and nurses
borhood shook windows, set off car alarms and sent dogs scurry- aboard to rescue the 140 patients plus staff who were stranded in
ing under beds). the hospital surrounded by water. When it quickly became appar-
Neighbor Helping Neighbor
A neighborhood family has been ent Ken was needed closer to the scene, he flew to New Orleans
going through a rough patch with some serious health issues. To to handle the logistics of landing 16 aircraft on an improvised
help with some basics friends realized that the family would wel- helipad. The operation became the largest ever civilian evacua-
come prepared meals, so the word went out and the calendar be- tion of patients from a hospital all without incident.
came filled with casseroles, salads, soups and other fare to get Driver Quiz Time
The words that describe driving down 9th
them through their down period. Probably something like this could Avenue between 4th Street and Beach Drive are: 1) game of
be a godsend to more folks in the neighborhood than we realize. chicken; 2) bumper cars; 3) Indy 500; 4) count three and pray 5)
Lock Up the Small Women and Small Children
At least one all 4. Answer: is there really any question (its #5 if you need
brazen hawk or hawk-like bird has been spotted in the neighbor- some help)?
hood on the ground and not just flying around. Anyone missing Odds and Ends
Is there a reason the City put up the holiday
a puppy, cat
or tiny toddler? If its breathing and no bigger than decorations in Straub Park the weekend of November 12th? Cant
a breadbox it just might become some big birds dinner. we try and savor the approach of Thanksgiving a bit longer? Guess
Neighborhood Spotlight
Several neighborhood residents have not. Probably the same reason Christmas decorations are on the
found themselves featured in recent editions of the St. Petersburg store shelves before Halloween now. Pretty soon 4th of July spar-
Times. One involved the story of Elizabeth and Ken Grimes (8th klers will be fighting Santa for our attention
Remember when
Avenue N) moving a 100-year-old building to its new site and we reported in September that the condemned Madrid Apart-
restoring it to its former splendor. Another, in a Getting There ments on 17th Avenue NE were soon to be torn down? Well,
profile, interviewed Rich Castle (11th Avenue NE), a Continental theyre still standing (barely). Stay tuned for more on this on-
Express pilot, on his weekly 850 mile commute to Houston. In an going saga
.We also passed along rumors that the old Ambro-
I Live Here feature, the Gilson family (Nancy and Mike and sia location was slated to become an upscale restaurant and mar-
daughters Kelli and Katie) (16th Avenue NE) reveal how they ended tini bar (that was after wed told you it was going to be a Cuban
up living in The Old Northeast. café). Okay, so now weve heard efforts are afoot to establish a
tavern on the corner. Guess wed just better wait and see on this
Please Support the Advertisers one
.What big event in Vinoy Park takes the prize for the noisi-
est and most inconsiderate of the neighborhood (trash strewn all
in Our Newsletter over, illegal parking and reckless driving)?
Page 16 HISTORIC OLD NORTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
Unique Toys, Games, Arts, Crafts & Stuff
For Everyone
Ed. Note: Holidays especially Christmas hold would start with the kindergartners leaving their classroom in a
special memories for us all. We asked a few residents long line and snake through the hallway and pick up the next class-
who go back a few years here in St. Petersburg to room singing carols along the way. They would go to the next
share with our readers some reminiscences about classroom and then the next until the entire school was on the
Christmases past. Perhaps their reflections will help move in one giant chain.
you recapture in your own mind some special and
pleasant remembrances of long ago Christmases. A few of the other things I remember were the live Christmas
trees we had in our classrooms, the displays in the store windows
Candy Jones Lenderman and, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus waving from their bal-
Candy is a native of St. Petersburg, a cony at their home on Coffee Pot Boulevard. Who could ever
retired elementary school teacher and forget that.
presently writes the Lawn and Garden ar-
ticle for the Northeast Journal.
One of my fondest memories of Harry F. Woods
Christmas was going to a poultry market Harry has lived in St. Petersburg since
on 9th Street somewhere near downtown. 1930. He is a retired general contrac-
It was a fresh market and my grandmother tor, owned and operated Woods and
would always get her turkey there. There Lockhart Fuel Oil companies and was a
were live turkeys, chickens and all sorts longtime resident of The Old Northeast
of things. As a child I was totally fasci-
nated by seeing all the animals there. The At Christmas time (before WWII) all
turkeys my grandmother bought there were the fraternities, mostly from the Univer-
not as oven-ready as they are today. She would have to singe sity of Florida, would sponsor a dance at
some of the feathers off the bird for one thing, making it a little the Vinoy, the Soreno and the old Pink
more work than we do today. Lady (the Don CeSar) You had to be
invited, but in those days everyone knew
Having my picture taken at everyone and they were well-attended.
Maas Brothers with Santa was
a good experience for me. I In those days the Vinoy opened about a week be-
think it was because all around fore Christmas and closed the beginning of April.
where Santa sat were candy The dances were stag or drag and called tag dances.
canes it was Candy Land You came with or without a date. The stags (young
so I thought they did that just men without a date) would stand in the middle of
for me since my name is Candy. the floor and tag the girls they wanted to dance with.
We ballroom danced we didnt dance the way
When I taught school, there people do today Latin American dances, the Fox
were all the Christmas pageants Trot, the Tango, the Waltz, and the Rumba.
we used to have with all the
carols being sung. A tradition The young people danced to local big bands
For years the Lajeunesses were Santa and Mrs. dressed formally in their best tuxes. The band mem-
that they had at North Shore
Claus greeting passing cars from their home. bers were local professional musicians but were only
was the Christmas chain. It
paid $5 a night which was a lot of money in the 30s.
Men making $13 a week could get married and support a family.
As far as refreshments, before prohibition ended in 1932 or
Monica M. Vernon, CPA 1933 there
was no
146 17th Avenue Northeast drinking so
they would
St. Petersburg, FL 33704 bring their
alcohol in
(727) 502-9397 flasks. The
various fra-
ternities and
Individual and Business Tax Returns civic clubs Rutlands Department
would have Store c.1942
Small Business Accounting and Consulting their own
Page 20 HISTORIC OLD NORTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
tables with their invited guests. ness name, Wilhelm Funeral
As far as Christmas shopping, I did it all at Rutlands Depart- Home, was on one of those trees.
ment Store. In those days, all the clerks knew my wife and would It was a tradition that continued
help me pick something out for her. They would wrap it and call for many years.
me and say, Your present is ready to be picked up, Harry. Thats As my friend Candy
when business people knew everyone and were there to help you. Lenderman mentioned, a trip to
Christmas is still my favorite time of the year. Maas Brothers to sit on Santas
lap and have your picture taken
was a must. However, unlike my
friend, I was terrified of Santa. It
was not such a
Hayden Knowlton great experience
Hayden is another for me, but Ive got
longtime resident of St. a great picture to
Petersburg, having show my children.
grown up here and also Pennflora In my case, it cer-
having lived in The Old Hotel and Williams Park tainly showed my
Northeast since 1972. Cafeteria true feelings of being near Santa.
He is presently a Risk c.1925
My parents always made Christmas very spe-
Management Consult-
cial for me and being an only child, I had all the
ant for Waters Risk
gifts and all the attention. Their best present to me,
Management.
however, was their unconditional love which will
My father owned last my lifetime.
the Pennflora Hotel Photos courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of
which was located History and Susan Alderson.
across from the City
Hall Building. When my four siblings and I were little (in the 50s) Susan Woods Alderson is a wife and mother of four children. She moved
to a home on 16th Avenue NE with her mother, father and grandmother when
my mother would dress us all up in our red Dr. Denims and we would she was five years old. She also lived in another home on 16th till she mar-
spend Christmas Eve at my fathers hotel entertaining the guests. ried. When she moved back to St. Pete from Washington, D.C., in 1977 its
We would help with the party, pass out the gifts they would ex- been on 19th Avenue NE. She wouldnt want to live anywhere else in the
change and sing Christmas carols. The guests were seasonal and world! As Dorothy (and Susan) would say, Theres no place like home.
probably missed their own grandchildren so we filled in for them.
As we got older, my parents would put all the guests on a bus
which brought them to our home on Snell Isle on Christmas Eve.
We would have a party for them there, but this time no Dr. Den-
ims. The guests watched us grow up during those years.
One thing I think we all remember about growing up in St. Pe-
tersburg was driving around looking at the lights. One of those
special houses was Doc Webbs home as well as what we called
the blue house which was all lit up with blue lights with rein-
deer on the roof. I think that house was on 19th or 20th Avenue and
just off 1st Street.
After I was married with my own children, we would always
enjoy taking them to see the live manger scene at First Presbyte-
rian Church on Beach Drive. We would get out of our car to stand
there and watch the donkey and other real animals they had there.
It was a special place for everyone to see.
December 13th
Neighborhood
Holiday Party in lieu
[see front page]
January 20th
Ben and Susan Alderson
426 19th Avenue NE
February 17th
James and Angie Landers
2234 Coffee Pot
Boulevard NE
The
poofers Old Northeast
S
by D.S. Forman
DISCLAIMER: The stories you are about
to read are not true. Not even the names
have been changed to protect the innocent. Enquirer
BULLDOZE OUR BUNGALOWS OLD NORTHEAST
GAINING STEAM SHRINKING
Fed up with the constant renovations their century-old homes demand, scores City surveyors have discovered that St. Petes
of Old NE homeowners are looking forward to a new construction project: tearing oldest neighborhood, The Historic Old Northeast, is
down their aging Craftsmans and bungalows and replacing them with modern losing approximately two inches per year due to ag-
luxury homes. My crooked floors used to be charming, but after nine years my ing.
whole body is now leaning, This area is well over a hundred years old, so
claimed homeowner Richard its bound to show signs of old age, claimed lead
Frock, Ive had enough charm! surveyor, Kurt Thenman. Its boundaries are sagging
Frock, along with over 75 other neigh- and its elevation is stooped, but its nose and ears are
borhood residents, wants to clear The growing. The discovery also suggests the
Old Northeast of its aging wood-framed neighborhoods western border along 4th Street could
houses and establish a gated community of shrink half a block inward, thwarting plans for new
state-of-the-art luxury homes made of con- retail development.
crete. The Bulldoze Our Bungalows Bri- To prevent any further wrinkles, city engineer
gade is awaiting a decision from the citys Fred Michaels will infuse The Old Northeast with
Historic Commission which has been hos- massive doses of Ensure.
pitalized indefinitely due to acute stress.
Spoof is a noun which the dictionary defines as a light humorous parody. Actually the word is an acronym devised in the early 20th century from the phrase
St. Pete: Our Outlandish Funtasyland. SPOOFers was a column in the local newspaper, The Leningrad LAMPOON (the precursor to the St. Petersburg TIMES).
Holiday
at the supermarket to add to your ar-
rangements. Even quality silk
flowers from the craft store can
Decorating
spice up an arrangement.
Any leak-proof container
can hold cuttings. Raid your
Hints
kitchen cabinets for pretty
glassware and bowls. You can
even use a large plastic tumbler
just wrap it with a large pothos
leaf from the garden and secure with
Now that its holiday time, many gardeners are turning their
raffia, twine or ribbon. To make a
focus to the indoors, creating festive floral arrangements using
wreath, start with a metal or Styrofoam
cuttings from the yard mixed with items such as fresh fruit, pine
wreath mold from the craft store.
cones, cinnamon sticks, colorful bows and tinsel.
Dont forget potted herbs, which thrive
If youve got a good selection of plants in your yard, put on
during our winter months. Garden Group member Rita Knorr
your gloves and get your hand pruners ready. Youll find a virtual
enjoys creating herb gardens in rectangular clay pots and training
floral shop of greenery and more right in your own garden.
rosemary into a Christmas tree shape. It makes a lasting present
Some plants last longer than others once cut. Evergreens, in- in a lovely clay pot, she says. Holiday rosemary pots are avail-
cluding magnolia, pine, holly, ferns and juniper, hold up well in able now at local garden centers. They require a full-sun location
an arrangement. So, too, do tropical plants such as schefflera, and regular pruning to maintain their shape.
croton, xanadu philodendron, ginger and robellini palm fronds.
Each year I create a fragrant fruit arrangement for the table
Steer clear of hibiscus, allamanda and bougainvillea. They are
or kitchen island using cut greenery from the yard and store-bought
beautiful in the yard, but extremely short-lived once cut. Poison-
apples, oranges, lemons and pomegranates. I place podocarpus,
ous plants, particularly oleander, are best left in the landscape
schefflera and palm cuttings on an 18-inch high Christmas tree-
and away from children and pets.
shaped metal frame that I purchased at a craft store. In the frames
Linda Santoro, a member of The Old Northeast Garden Group, dozen or so grooves I place small fruits, sometimes adorning them
likes using glossy green magnolia leaves in holiday arrange- with whole cloves. When the greenery looks
ments. Gather up a few on a branch and tuck in an artifi- tired, I simply make new cuttings and replace
cial magnolia flower. No one will ever know worn stems. The arrangement lasts for weeks and
the difference or they never say so, she the spicy fruit aroma is delightful.
notes.
Use your imagination this holiday season to cre-
Make your cuttings with sharp pruners, ate a homegrown floral arrangement or wreath.
cutting each stem at an angle. Immediately Its a great way to enjoy the fruits of your
immerse entire stems in a bucket of water gardening labor and decorate your home for
for four hours or longer to hydrate stems and the holidays.
flowers so they will last longer. When prun-
ing stems of flowers, make generous cuts. Yvonne Swanson is a master gardener for
If your garden selection is limited, swap cut- Pinellas County. She also writes a garden col-
tings with a neighbor or gardening friend. Or pick umn for the St. Petersburg Times.
Just The
freshments and restrooms will be available.
Purchased by mail (HONNA, P.O. Box 76324, St. Petersburg
33734) or at selected outlets prior to the Tour, tickets are $15 and
Right
will be available beginning Thanksgiving weekend. Tickets may
be purchased at the following locations:
Dolins Garden Center Uncorked
IN THIS ISSUE
Home Tour
Ps & Qs
Bah, Humbug?
Trees and
More Trees
Holiday Fun
Plus Spoofers
and more