Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Feb. 14

Dates, flowers, meetings and more on Valentine's Day in Lexington.

We all know it's Valentine's Day, so let's not waste one on that. 1. Date Night for Science-Lovers: Lexington High's annual Science Fair is open to the public from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight in the field house at Lexington High School. 2. Last-Minute Flowers at Minuteman: In the market for a floral arrangement? Swing by the Flower Shop at Minuteman High School, open from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today. 3. Dealing with Debt: Your Rights and the Law: At 9:30 a.m. this morning at the Senior Center, the Council on Aging will present "Dealing with Debt: Your Rights and the Law," a free presentation in which Phil Taylor, a Stoneham lawyer with extensive experience in debt collection and in providing advice to individuals will speak. 4. Goals, …

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Flower Shop at Minuteman High Opens for Valentine's Day

Offering a stunning array of blooms that make wonderful Valentine’s Day gifts.

Looking for last-minute flowers this Valentine's Day? A fragrant floral arrangement could be closer than you think -- and in an unexpected locale. The Flower Shop at Minuteman High School, located at 758 Marrett Road in Lexington, will be open Feb. 13 and 14 (Valentine's Day) from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cut flowers, vase arrangements, tropical plants, dish gardens and more will be available in the the Flower Shop, which is situated to the left of the main entrance to the school, attached to the greenhouse. As Minuteman continues to celebrate Career and Technical Education Month in February, the Flower Shop will serve as a great opportunity for students to showcase their artistry in the Horticulture/Landscape Technology program, school …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know on Labor Day

Some holiday history, closed things and maybe a little rain today in Lexington.

1. It's Labor Day, a more than 100-year-old holiday that, according to the US Department of Labor, is "a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." 2. Due to the holiday, goverment offices (and a host of other stuff) are closed today, but the Department of Public Works will begin its additional yardwaste pickup tomorrow, in an attempt to help residents clear Irene-related damage from their property. 3. The first celebration of Labor Day in the United States was was Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, but Oregon was the first to declare it a state holiday, according to a Huffington Post piece, which offers nine other interesting facts about the holiday. 4. …

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Lexington Landscapes

Lexington Landscapes: Your Neighborhood Greenhouse

Gardening helps Wild Acre Inn's clients "get grounded."

It was raining steadily the morning I visited Wild Acre Inn, and the entrance didn't look too promising. From Highland Avenue, all I saw was the sign for 50-52 Percy Road, a wooden fence, and a small sign reading “Plant Sale Today 10am-2pm.” But not every morning is sunny, and not every entrance can be grand, so I went on in.  Once I parked my car, I saw a jumble of nasturtiums and tables full of flowers: brilliant red begonias, floppy frilly petunias, blooming coleus, snapdragons, brown-eyed Susans. Nearby was the garden with orderly rows of triumphant-looking lettuce, and the greenhouse. It's the latest in a series of greenhouses tended by Steve Tracy, Wild Acre Inn's director of Rehabilitation and Vocational Services, and the clients he…

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Lexington Landscapes

Lexington Landscapes: Island Oasises

Members of the Lexington Field and Garden Club maintain the town's traffic islands in grand fashion.

First, here's the bad news: the Lexington Field and Garden Club's (LFGC) bienniel garden tour was last Saturday, June 4, and if you missed it, you'll have to wait another two years to see the wonders Lexingtonians have wrought from seeds and soil at their homes. The good news is that you can view plenty of other gardens the Club's members are maintaining in grand style any day of the year. If you drive through Lexington Center, you probably see them every day (bicyclists might have to go a bit out of their way to get a good look). But do you even notice them? When was the last time you took a good look at Lexington's traffic islands? Granted, they aren't all equally lovely all the time. In early May, hundreds of tulips—all planted by LFGC …

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