BostonZest

Step Away from that Leaf Blower!

Back in 2008 I wrote in praise of this lovely lady who took care of a property along my morning walk. 

This is how a good neighbor takes care of leaves and other debris on their property. If they are a really good neighbor, they take care of the sidewalk in front of their property as well.

• You make sure the job is done without the noise and pollution of a leaf blower. 
• You actually gather the debris, pick it up, and takes it away to the trash.
• You don't blow dust and pollution in the faces of passersby who might have respiratory conditions that are made worse by these triggers.
• You don't disturb the neighborhood with the sound of an unneeded power tool.
• You don't move the trash elsewhere for someone else to move again or for you to move again the next day after it blows back from where you sent it.

Back then, not much scientific evidence on the downside of leaf blowers was available. Now articles like, "We know you love your leaf blower, but it’s ruining the neighborhood" from Noise and the City tells me I'm not alone in my hatred of these noise makers.

They call these machines The Devil's Hair Dryer in another post. And, as noted above, noise is not the only thing about blowing leaves away that makes it unneighborly. 

What You Can Do 

Start with your own building and ask your management company, board of trustees, or landlord to have leaves raked or swept and picked up rather than using a leaf blower. 

WBUR ran this piece on what one town did in response to this issue. You could organize your neighborhood association or your block.

If you've been successful with your own building, you can bring that up as the start of a movement on your block. Gently ask neighbors to do the same. In this age of incivility, this is hard to do. But looking at the surveys on the sites linked to here, you may find people receptive.

Add a decibel meter app to your phone and call 311 if you come across a leaf blower that is violating noise regulations. Give the address and the reading on your meter.

It may not result in someone coming out and stopping the noise, but it will deliver a message to the city that citizens have had enough of unnecessary leaf blower noise.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

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Glowing Golden Ginkgo

This golden, glowing ginkgo has spread a matching carpet of brilliant yellow leaves on the lawn in the Boston Public Garden.

"The ginkgo tree is from the era of dinosaurs, but while the dinosaur has been extinguished, the modern ginkgo has not changed. After the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the ginkgo was the first tree that came up. It’s amazing."

— Koji Nakanishi

 

As quoted in Columbia University Press Release, On Campus (21 Feb 2013).

About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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Time for the Public Garden Tropicals to Travel to Their Winter Quarters

After last weekend's tropical rain and the first warning of frost in our area, gardeners began moving the Public Garden tropical plants to their greenhouse winter quarters in Franklin Park. 

Standing guard over the plants is gardener Josh Altidor. You can read more about him and his love for his job in this Boston Globe article. He told the Globe, “I want the design to be eye-catching.” He certainly caught our eyes this year. (And, from the number of photos in our files of his flower bed designs, he caught our camera lenses too!)

Bed-by-bed the plants were lifted and set in neat rows on the back of Parks Department trucks for the ride across town. 

Once upon a time, the Victorian tropical plants would have been walked to the greenhouse that was once located on the Beacon Street side of the Public Garden. The 1862 Public Garden photo above is from the Boston Public Library's collection.

Here's a photo (circa 1924) of the palm greenhouse at Franklin Park also from the Boston Public Library's collection.

Be ready for a change of scene on your next visit to Boston's gem of a park. It's time for the fall foliage and mums to take over the spotlight. And, before you know it the caretakers will tuck in the flower beds for winter.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino with historic photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library as credited above. 

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Russet May Be the Color of Autumn 2016 in Boston

When we think of autumn colors in New England, we conjure up images of reds, yellows, and brilliant oranges. But, with this year's drought, we may be seeing russets and browns. Here's a link to the drought map to give you some idea of the places where colors will be weak.

As leaves are falling, they have a bit of color in some spots, but a lot of dry brown edges. The Boston Globe ran an article this week predicting less color in Massachusetts and recommending that you visit Northern New England if you want your annual color feast.

On my morning walks this week, I've only seen a few hints of bright color on trees, even in well watered gardens.

In most cases, the trees are turning a russet brown.

Obviously trees are suffering in places where no one cares for them. This week's rain will help, but making a habit of watering the trees in your area into November would help even more! 

Here's a link to the city's page on Boston's trees. You can download instructions on watering, mulching, and planting around street trees. In case that page disappears as the city "improves" its website, you can download that PDF here. Download Street Tree tips.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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The Lawn Is Brown and the River Is Green!

On a walk this week, we passed the Muddy River and saw this contrast in colors.

The lawn in the small park at Charlesgate East is dry and brown, while the surface of the Muddy River running alongside is emerald green.

What the specific growth on the river's surface is, we don't know. But this page from the Charles River Watershed Association does give some alerts for some types of blooms. In the past, there have been potentially toxic blooms on the Muddy.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

As with so many things that have to do with gardens or nature, I learned about the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge from the The Garden Club of the Back Bay's website. It is an amazing resource!

The garden club post explained that they will be joining with others to help restore and protect pollinators' habitats, "... members will be providing food and habitat for pollinators in our home gardens (can even be a container on a deck or a condo window planter), as well as through public garden projects, youth garden projects, nursing homes, botanical gardens, business areas, and government offices."

You can help by taking the three steps outlined in this handout. 

If you have your own garden, all the resources you need to get underway are at this site. If you live in a rental or condominium, ask the management company or board of trustees to take a pollinator mindset when planning the common area gardens. 

When you consider the importance of what pollinators do for us, learning more and taking action is the least we can do to help turn around this critical shortage. 

 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2009 Penny Cherubino  

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Time to Trim the Magnolias!

Back in 2011, Penny wrote an article for the Back Bay Sun about caring for the trees damaged in a blizzard. Today we ask that those of you responsible for the beautiful magnolias and other lush trees around the city prevent this from happening again. 

Currently the magnolias along Commonwealth Avenue, for example, are lush, full, and offer lovely shade. We enjoy walking under their protection on hot summer days. However many of them the are very much in need of pruning before the next round of winter or early spring storms.

Broken magnolia after a blizzard in 2011.

Back in 2011, arborist Bobby Loree of Boston Tree Company reassured homeowners saying, “The first thing is don’t panic. It may look awful, but magnolias are resilient and grow fast. Many of the magnolias that got broken up badly in the April Fools day storm of about a dozen years ago recovered nicely though they looked hopeless at the time.”

The Trees Have Recovered

And now they need pruning for a few reasons. Trees with dense foliage and branches are more likely to be damaged in hurricanes and northeasters because they resist the wind rather the letting it pass through.

The weight of heavy snow that collects on branches can cause breakage even when the foliage is not out. Should it be a spring storm when the trees are in leaf, it can be much worse. A good pruning can make a world of difference in the outcome. 

As a courtesy to pedestrians, trees should be trimmed high enough above the sidewalk so that people can pass under them even when rain and snow lower the branches. Right now you have to be well under 6 foot to walk under some of these trees. 

Call a Pro

Take a few minutes to examine your tree canopy. How dense is it? Are there branches rubbing on one another that might cause damage in a wind storm? Would a heavy snow be caught up in your tree with branches breaking from the weight? If so, it's time to call an arborist to evaluate and perhaps prune your trees.

As Boston’s Tree Warden Greg Mosman said back in 2011, “Trees should be cared for by professionals and proper pruning can reduce damage in extreme weather conditions, though no amount of pruning can totally prevent damage.” He advised, "Pruning should be done by a certified arborist."

 

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