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Garden and Home

Let the Rain Fall

Rain gardens offer an opportunity to work with nature to restore balance, using the contours of the land to capture water that flows to lower elevations. The plants’ roots absorb rainwater and nitrogen runoff, while the soil filters particulates before they end up in our waterways. And rain gardens are also a way to ameliorate the dramatic loss of 3 billion birds in North America over the past 50 years.

Apr 29, 2022
Remember, Leaf Blowers Are Regulated

Like helicopters and jets, leaf blowers have long been the bane of many a South Fork resident’s existence, each one a portable spewer of pollutants and source of ear-splitting noise. But in towns and villages alike, enough residents got angry and organized, and governments listened. Today, the use of leaf blowers is restricted across the South Fork.

Apr 29, 2022
Wild Thing

Where some see weeds, others, like Jill Musnicki of Sag Harbor, see "a hotbed of glorious biodiversity," to borrrow a phrase from The Guardian. Her front yard has been carefully cultivated into a pollinator garden with native plants undesirable to some but "a miracle" to bees, butterflies, birds, and all kinds of beneficial insects.

Apr 29, 2022
Stop and Smell the Roses

In the Northeastern United States, at least, these blossoms — whether red, pink, peach, yellow, white, or some combination of all — are at peak perfection starting in late May through June. As you stroll about, drive around town, or even take the train, here are some South Fork spots where you can find this favorite flower.

Apr 29, 2022
Making Sense of Moving

On the list of milestones that allow you, force you even, to reflect back on your life, moving is right up near the top. Efficient packing and smart planning can reduce the angst just a little bit.

Apr 29, 2022
From Fashion to Fashioning Spaces

Who better to understand the power of collaborations between brands than two women with backgrounds in the fashion industry, which seems to rely on the constant merging of brands? With 100 Design Style, Nikki Butler and Brigitte Branconnier created an interior design company that seems to strike the perfect balance between layout, light, color, tactile materials, and a connection to nature.

Apr 29, 2022
The Oenophile’s Garden

Budbreak — when wine grapes’ winter buds open and begin to release their woolly leaves — has unfurled across the East End, perhaps inspiring people to dream of growing wine grapes of their own.

Apr 29, 2022
On the Wing: Think Like a Bird in Your Backyard

To make your backyard bird-friendly, you'll need to think like a bird when making landscaping decisions.

Apr 29, 2022
Abuzz About Pollinator Pathways

What are pollinator gardens and why are so many people talking about them right now? The idea, according to the organizers of the Pollinator Pathway movement, is to manage backyards without pesticides and with native plantings so they can connect with parks and preserves, creating a sort of bird and insect “refuge corridor,” an "archipelago" of habitats.

Apr 28, 2022
For Your Moment of Zen

Priya Kapoor Lasky started her business, Own Retreat, based on a simple question: If you desire peace in your life, why not create a dedicated space in which to seek it? She is referring to Zen, meaning a sense of calm, quiet focus, often derived from Buddhism and other philosophies in Asian and South Asian cultures.

Apr 24, 2021
In Defense of Dandelions

These small, sunny flowers, scorned by many keepers of the East End's rambling stretches of unbroken green lawn, are looked down upon as weeds — but at what cost?

Apr 24, 2021
Gimme for the Garden and Home: Ins and Outs

The Star's Hunter-Gatherer has gone shopping for things that can be useful inside and outside. They'll bring the spirit of outside inside, and the comfort of inside outside — yes, you can have it both ways.

Apr 24, 2021