Aug 23

When you buy flowers, how long do you hope they’ll last?

A few days? Maybe a week if you’re lucky?

Well the Dottie Hottie sits here at her perch in Dot, beholding the flower bouquet she purchased at Cedar Grove Gardens, with the kind assistance of floral genius Janet, and this bouquet is still verdant and quite lovely a whole THREE WEEKS LATER!!!

Alert Michael Pollan.
Tell Martha.
And Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, does she know about these plucky blooms that grow?

LOVE these spider mums!

IMG_4547

Thanks, CGG!

/photo06/85/9d/a8fea4506879.jpeg

Apr 18

The Dottie Hotties have had good fortune in teaming up with The Food Project over the last two years.  By teaming up, I simply mean that The Food Project built us a box garden, tossed some soil and seeds our way, and made the process of growing delicious vegetables so dang easy (with frequent tutorials available in our ‘hood) that we’d be jokers to say we were real gardeners.  We just added sun and water…and voila!

Just like the Public Garden!

Now, this coming summer, when our family’s child population is going to double GASP and our sleep quotient will concurrently divide by…what?  Sixteen to the eighth power?  We’re just not sure we want to commit to the cultivation of the box garden again.  We might forget to mark the places where we put seeds or we might forget to water it for a few weeks or we might forget where we live and just take up permanent residence at the Ice Creamsmith.

Either way, though, these little Container Gardens that Cedar Grove Gardens is pimping seem pretty stinking adorable and relatively manageable, no?

Would anyone like to weigh in on the functionality of the container garden?  When should one start one and what kinds should you not start if, say, you’re going to have a newborn around and you might forget that plants don’t need breastmilk?

Feb 10

If you love living in Dorchester, then you have at least one valentine to share the day with on Sunday (2/14). The following are just a few Dorchester deals that have come across the Dottie Hottie’s desk. Show the love to your sweetie, or, if nothing else, show the love to your ‘hood.


Dot 2 Dot Cafe’s Jazz Brunch (live music from 12 - 2 p.m.)

***

Cedar Grove Gardens is offering the “Great Value Deal“:
- a dozen great NON-RED but premium 30-40cm roses
- delivered in a clear vase
- $35.00 +tax to local addresses
- Deal good thru Friday the 12th

***
dbar - 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu all weekend long

***
Franklin Park Zoo. Love is in the air (along with the smell of the gorillas wafting through…)
Bring a Valentine to the Zoo or make one there for your favorite animal. The animal who receives the most will be crowned “Zoo Sweetheart 2010.” One lucky winner will be chosen among his or her “valentines” to receive a Behind-the-Scenes tour of the Zoo for the whole family.

Jun 16

The Dottie Hottie received the following correspondence late this evening. Please, let’s keep a neighborhood watch out for this alleged thief, and see that these heavenly flowers are returned to their terra firma!

Hi, Dottie -

My name is Michael, and I live on the corner of Milton & Milwood Sts., in the Cedar Grove area. Maybe you’ve driven by & seen me working in the big yard, trying to make it into something that passersby might enjoy.

Last year, I put my favorite flowering trees in the front yard, right on the corner. They’re Plumeria, from Hawaii, and bloom with a small flower that smells like Heaven. This year, I had done the same, because many neighborhood walkers had told me how much they liked the scent.

This evening, June 16th, as I was sitting in my living room, a person in a dirty grey Chevy pickup stopped next to my house and quickly stole the 3 Plumeria trees from the yard. I got out of the house as quickly as I could, and tried to chase the scum down the street (in my stocking feet), but didn’t manage to get a liscene plate number. He took a left onto Adams St., toward the Village, and took over 20 years of memories with him.

You see, my Mother gave me the oldest of the plants that long ago, and it’s gone through 2 cross country moves with me. I’m so distraught, I don’t know what to do, and was hoping you could get the word out. Maybe some kind person will decide to do the right thing & help me get my trees back.
Thank you for any help you can give.

Michael

Feb 01

The month is now February, and consider yourself given fair notice: The holiday that commercializes love into the form of waxy chocolates and floral bouquets is but two weeks in the distance. So take heed, fellow Dotties. If you’re going to be a sucker (as surely will be the Dottie Hottie), why not be a sucker en locale? Cedar Grove Gardens, which is already looking festive for cupid’s day, has a great array of offerings for your sweet baboo.

They even have a fantastic blog which the Dottie Hottie will be adding to the ol’ iGoogle RSS feed in order to chase away these winter blahs with images of fresh floral arrangements. It’s as good as a trip to San Juan, without the expensive plane fare and all the people hustling for tax-free perfume.

Here’s an image of a Christmassy Cedar Groves that the Dottie Hottie couldn’t help but stop to snap:
cedar grove