La Gazzetta Italiana 14 | 15 | 16 Gardening | Página 2

From the Editor & Publisher LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA w w w. l a g a z ze t t a i t a l i a n a .co m Volume 22, Issue 3 (ISSN 1930-4358) is published (print) monthly for $20 per year or published (digital) monthly for $30 per year by PAS Publishing Company 12510 Mayfield Rd. • Cleveland, OH 44106 phone: [phone] • fax: [phone] POSTMASTER:  Send address changes to: LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA, 12510 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, OH 44106 Periodicals postage at Hudson, OH and additional mailing offices. PAUL SCIRIA, Managing Editor For advertising inquiries and article suggestions about local events and news: 6723 Larchmont Dr. • Mayfield Heights, OH 44124 phone: [phone] • fax: [phone] • email: [email protected] ANGIE SPITALIERI, Publisher For inquiries about subscriptions, advertising and general operations: phone: [phone] • fax: [phone] • email: [email protected] INSIDE | MARCH 2014 The Editor Speaks: Note From the Publisher: News from the Consulate: News from Italy: Brunella Barbati Reale Minischetti Pamela Dorazio Dean Ben Lariccia Michael Milano Andrea Fox Michele Alonzo Peter D'Attoma Aliza Giammatteo Tony Marotta Margie Longano Miklas Serena Scaiola Stephen N. Fliegel Lee Laurino Angela Yuko Calendar of Events (4) Current News from Italy (4) The Best Gardening Apps to Download This Spring (5) Web Review: Talking Heirloom Tomatoes with Herb Thyme (7) Evolving Gardening into Outdoor Living (10) The Cleveland Botanical Garden (10) The Italian Garden Project 2014 (11) The Boboli Gardens in Florence (11) Garden Tours in Italy (12) L'orto Italiano in Ohio (12) Italy's Flower (12) PM GRAPHICS, Printer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS A Message From the Publisher (3) A Lifetime Experience (5) St. Rocco's Centennial Year (6) Italian Genealogy Seminar (6) Local News: DOMINIC SPITALIERI, Designer email: [email protected] Thank you to the fantastic ALTA HOUSE VOLUNTEERS for labeling the paper each month. From the Desk of Paul Sciria (3) From the Desk of Paul Sciria Feature: Events in Italy: Current Events from Italy (8) Lingua Italiana: Notizie Dall'Italia (13) Il Giardino di Boboli a Firenze (14) CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EXHIBIT Marcello Mellino People: A 19th Century Abruzzi Artist (15) "Snow White" of Bridgeport, Connecticut (15) Major James Melfi of Girard, Ohio (16) All advertisements must be in accordance with the rules and requirements as determined by editorial policy. Paid political advertisements are not to be interpreted as an endorsement by LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA. The newspaper reserves the right to reject ads based on the paper’s editorial policy. Travel: Paul Sciria Managing Editor By no means am I a great gardener, but over the years, by trial and error, I’ve learned a few things. This is thanks to many of my Italian friends who have acted as ‘consiglieri’ to me. I discovered that my garden needed sunlight and shade throughout the day during the growing months of the season. You don’t have to make the dean’s list to know that the sun affects the plants, and the shade is like a breath of relief from the heat and the sun’s burning rays. Very basic to a thriving garden is knowing your soil. The rototiller and shovel come in handy to create deep, fertile A Message From the Publisher soil with lots of organic matter like peat moss. All this effort though, is for naught if the soil is not drained well. I bat zero in soil testing, but again you don’t need to be Phi Beta Kappa to know it’s time to work organic matter and fertilizer deeply into the soil when the soil is dry and crumbly. The most fertile soil is one that balances between holding water and draining water. In some cases, I’ve raised the garden with railroad ties to give my plant roots air and water. Once raised, I’ve applied sand and organic matter to the soil. That said, it’s time to plant, and every year I raise the same vegetable varieties, which are my favorites. We Italians raise tomatoes. I plant from 50 to 75 Roma, San Marzano and Better Boy varieties. Homegrown tomatoes beat the cardboard taste of Hot House. I’ll admit most plants I beg, borrow and (almost) steal from seasoned growers Dante DiFiore and Billy Fioritto of Chesterland, and my son, Scott. My other favorites are Swiss chard, broccoli, green beans, cucumber, zucchini and dandelion. Whatever the outcome of my garden, my back-up harvesting plan is to raid the plush plots of fellow Paisans, DiFiore in Highland Heights and Joe Mulea and Joe DiLiberto in Mayfield Heights. Harvesting to me is like pick-and-choose at Sanson’s Northern Ohio Food Terminal. Gardening for me is a win-win scenario thanks to my supporting cast of Paisans. Angela Spitalieri Publisher March is here, and hopefully that will mean a warm-up so our garden experts can get started for spring. March is always a great month. There is Lent, a time to make personal sacrifices and reflect on how to live more like Christ, as well as the preparation for the Resurrection of Christ. March is a time to prepare for the beauty that will blossom all around us. This month we have some great articles all dedicated to spring. The International Film Festival in downtown, Cleveland, March 19-30, features many wonderful international films including a movie we will be sponsoring; and the Orchid exhibit runs through March 9 at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. We also have some helpful