Blooming In White @ W.N.E.U.Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry

Snow Fountain, Weeping Cherry

Bradford Pear

 The Weeping Cherry is a great specimen for the landscape that will make you property really pop when this ornamental is planted and cared for correctly. Some groundskeepers like to keep them natural and have them weep down to the ground. I like a trimmed look but you must do it correctly and I would seek the advice of a professional when attempting. Here this Snow Fountain or ( Snowfozam) will do well in hardiness zones 5-8. It will grow 8- 15 feet in height and have a 6-8 foot spread. They do however have a history of the main leader and bark cracking in the winter do to freezing. But if planted in a well protected area they can thrive for a long time. They can also brighten up a dark spot in the spring as long as it gets enough sun light. We have three or four that only catch a few hours of sun a day, but they really brighten the area with it's snowy cascading flowers.

The Bradford Pear is another terrific flowing tree that was supposed to be the next great street tree. They can tolerate any kind of conditions here in the Northeast, but have a long history of weak crotches. Here this tree planted next to a parking lot suffered limited damaged from the October snow storm event, while another just 30 yards away was crushed. Some of these were taken down and some if properly pruned back will recover. And in fact some one rejuvenated one that had been severely damaged at the world trade center. Now it is a healthy specimen again. 60 Minutes on C.B.S. had the story.

Opening Day 1978
  

 

 One of the best teams I played on was this Kiley Junior High School team of 1978. We went a perfect 6-0 that year and we were told it was the third time in the school history that it had been done. Mr. Keefe the coach was also a neighbor of ours growing up. He was the type that you either liked him or hated him as a coach. He was a very knowledgeable baseball man and put the best team on the field. It didn't matter if you were in 7th grade or 9th grade, if you were good enough you were on the field. And I guess that pissed off some players and parents alike.  He was also very truthful with every one, and from the first practice he would say " there are only 15 uniforms,so that's how many kids make the team." So if 20 kids tried out and a few did not have such a great work out, they kinda knew the writing was on the wall and then they would not show up at the next practice and save the embarrassment of not being cut. There was how ever a hell of a battle for the first base position between Gordie Weissman and Paul Gallant. Paul was a friend of mind and I very much wanted him to make the team, but Gordie was a little better all the way around and Mr. Keefe liked to use his first baseman as a pitcher also if needed. Paul did not pitch as I recall and thus he would be odd man out. But Mr. Keefe found something for him to do and made him the official scorekeeper. And he was the best one I ever remember having, and that was over 20 years of ball, and I can never remember a better communicator to the players as Paul was. If you look at the pitcher you will notice Dom Sarno was the catcher back then. And he helped me out of a huge fielding and mental error that could ever have happen. With runners on first and third Mr. Keefe wanted us to throw thru and try and get the runner if he tried to steal second. Well Mr. Keefe gave the sign, in which I was to cover 2nd base in the event of the steal we were going to throw thru. When the play happened I either missed the sign or chickened out and found myself watching the play, and then say to myself oh shit I am supposed to be there. Well I am four or five steps behind the play, when yes folks our Mayor saved the day. He made a perfect throw to the bag and wouldn't you know the ball hit off the base and bounced right back to the pitcher. If that had not have happen the ball goes into center field and a run scores, but the pitcher held the runner with the lucky bounce for me back to the pitcher. So even back then the Mayor was saving the day with his perfect throw to save a run. Mr. Keefe still let me have it for missing the sign and I wished for redemption during that season with another shot at that play but it never happen. They called Dominic Sarno and I spaghetti and meatballs for some reason, May be it was because we were Italian, or we had been seen eating the Italian dish. What ever they wanted to call us did not matter much, all we knew was we were having fun and winning baseball games.

P.S. It is very dry, if you have a automatic irrigation system you should have it on by now, if you don't then it is time to get the hoses out. Everything needs water. Thanks for reading and viewing.

You were Americas questioner for 60 minutes every week Mike Wallace.

Edward Pagliaro C.G.M.