As a theme, “spring” seems to be a big deal.
There’s spring cleaning, spring ahead, spring break — the list goes on. Our April issue, as you might have guessed, is about spring. This season is the perfect time to get started on that home project you’ve been thinking about: perhaps it’s getting your garden ready for the warmer months, fixing up your backyard, or finally putting together that display of awesome tchotchkes you’ve been collecting.
So our “Spring Home” issue is as varied as the colors that begin to bloom and blossom around the North Fork in April. I’ve never been a very good plant dad, which is a shame because I’d really like to fill my home with beautiful flowers. I finally decided to do something about it and visited Clarke’s Garden and Home in Greenport, where I met owner Peter Clarke and his partner, Anthony Gigante. Their inspiring story — both personal and professional — inspired me to start my own container gardening projects. Read all about Clarke’s Garden and Home, celebrating 15 years of business.
While I was not born with a green thumb, plenty of Northforker’s staff and contributers have a knack for all things natural and beautiful. Our creative and intrepid Victoria Caruso, who always seems to find off-the-beaten-path ideas and projects, met with Kirsten Kesicki, co-founder of Yard Crop, to talk about how to build a tea and tisane garden. Victoria got the tea (pun very intended) on what goes into growing tisane plants and took some beautiful photos of a local tea garden.
Spring is the perfect time to clean your backyard and get it ready for pool and entertaining season. Lana Bortolot spoke with local landscape architects and lighting design firms about taking your property to the next level with stunning lights. There’s more to it than just installing some pre-made, store-bought lights — check out what Lana learned.
As a kid, I collected so many different things. I was fully entrenched in the Beanie Baby craze of the ’90s — though not as intensely as the, er, enthusiasts in that recent HBO documentary — but I also liked collecting things that weren’t part of a fad or trend, like figurines and old toys. For many, the love of collecting goes far beyond childhood. Lauren Parker found several North Fork residents who have made their personal collections the showpiece of their homes, and they’re quite wonderful. From old bottles to vintage cameras, see the treasures Lauren discovered.
Although this issue focuses on the home, you’re still entitled to get away for a bit! Doug Young found that some hotels and inns on the North Fork are so warm and lovely that they feel like a home away from home, with beautiful decor and design that are perfect for a relaxing vacation.
There are other lovely signs of spring throughout the issue, as well. Check out what’s happening on the North Fork in April. Renew your library card and get book recommendations from the staff of the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library. Take up a new hobby and get to know North Fork Fiber Arts owner Karen Calabria on. And if you’re headed to the city — or back to the North Fork —and want to stop in a picturesque village in bloom for spring, check out our guide to a day in Babylon.
Happy spring, readers. I hope that April showers you with all good things to come for the rest of the year!
Lee Meyer
Managing Editor
