The Crossroads Journal

By Jennifer Klingonsmith

Dead or Alive?

As the weather warms, one of the first questions I am asked is, “Is this plant (or tree or shrub) alive?” As gardeners, we are anxious to see the fruits of our labors from the previous season come to life in spring. But this can be slow in coming, particularly for plant material planted last year.

But there are some tried and true clues to look for in determining a plant’s survival of winter’s cold.

First is the scratch test. This test is for small trees and shrubs. With your thumbnail, gently scratch away a small area of the first layer of bark on a branch close to the trunk of a tree or at the base of a shrub. Beneath the bark should be bright green. If it is brown or dry, the plant has most likely died. Some shrubs however, will still send up new basal growth from its base to replace lost limbs.

Another clue will be swollen buds. Most shrubs and trees will have small bumps along their branches, indicating where new leaves will soon emerge.

Perennial flowers (those that come back year after year) will also be re-emerging. New growth can be seen once last year’s old, dead foliage is cut back and removed. Some perennial flowers die after just a year or two, but drop seeds in the fall so that brand new plants will take their place nearby. These include coreopsis, coneflower, Jupiter’s beard, and gaillardia.

Don’t be tempted to start watering plants, hoping to speed things along. When the weather is cool (below 75 degrees), plant material doesn’t need water more than once a week (and Mother Nature usually takes care of this in the spring). Over-watering your plants carries more danger of killing them than helping them grow.

Some other things to keep in mind: plants that receive large amounts of shade may not show signs of life until May (so be patient). Plant material planted last year will take longer to start growing; I usually give these plants until mid-May to know for certain their survival.

If a tree or shrub is under warranty, and the warranty is about to expire, wait as long as possible for signs of life before digging it up and returning it.

Jennifer Klingonsmith is a yard consultant and coach in the Saratoga Springs/Eagle Mountain area. She specializes in landscape plans and teaching gardening success. Find more information on her blog: saratogablooms.blogspot.com.

By Kim Zebley

I love going to places that spare no expense on their attention to detail—places that when you walk in you know you’re somewhere like no other, where every little idea has been painstakingly cared for. They are few and far between, which makes them even more sought after.

There’s a restaurant in Provo called Communal and it’s definitely one of a kind. The design is creative and clean with a sort of sterile comfort made by well-worn wood contrasted by stark white plates, platters and tablecloths. Champagne bottles hand cut and made into glasses are a nice accent as well. The walls are complimented with local artwork and stained glass all around. It’s a nice combination.

With all of their attention to detail I was confident that I would have an amazing eating experience. This is the type of restaurant that you just assume creates everything with perfection.

We were seated at the “communal” table. This is a long table that spans almost the entire length of the restaurant. When we sat down there weren’t a lot of guests, but when it’s busy, you may be sitting next to total strangers. I guess that explains the restaurant’s name. It really does have a friendly feel with a very relaxed and open atmosphere where one can make new friends or even visit with and observe the chef create his works of art.

Communal’s menu is created, in part, using fresh, local, sustainable foods… yet another reason for the name. Because of that, the menu changes from time to time.

We ordered a communal burger, a side of fries, a tarragon and caper egg salad sandwich and a cup of butternut squash soup. Since meals are made fresh, one at a time, it took a while to get our food, but it was fun to watch the chef create each work of art. He really seemed to put his all into every dish. That’s impressive.

The egg salad on sourdough was an interesting mix of flavors that were only mildly noticeable. You had to really pay attention to detail, which I guess may be a good thing. Communal really isn’t somewhere you want to go to just stuff your mouth full of food because you’re hungry. It should be more like a trip to le Louvre, where one should go and slowly observe and appreciate the subtle details of each work of art. One detail I loved about the sandwich was the homemade pickles and pickled onions on the side. These, when added, were what made the egg salad, come to life, as if a work of Rembrandt had some Picasso added to it.

The hamburger looked good with a grilled crispy brown exterior, but with one bite there was no more brown. It was all pink. Maybe I’m uneducated about great burgers, but I couldn’t manage to take a single bite. My husband said it was pretty good and the overabundance of pink didn’t seem to bother him too much. I just wondered if it was supposed to be that way. I don’t think so.

The fries were good when dipped into their homemade dipping sauce and the soup was soothing and delicious with a drizzle of fruity olive oil on top to blend in. I’m thinking this place has to be awesome, I just think on this day a few details were missed, like cooking the burger a little more or adding just a tad bit more depth of flavor to the egg salad itself.

I will definitely give Communal another try. After all, there are some things you just need to try more than once. I remember the first time my family ate at Café Rio. We all thought it was disgusting. Things were burnt and greasy and really bad. However, after we heard so many of our friends say how good it was we decided to give it another try and we’re all so glad we did. Sometimes things are just a little off.

Communal is quite pricey- our lunch for two came to about $30. They have lunch and dinner menus and serve brunch on Saturdays, but be sure and make reservations as I hear that is pretty popular.
Located at 102 N. University Ave., Provo. Opened 11:30 – 2:30; 5-10, Tuesday- Friday, Saturday 9-2 for brunch, 5-10 for dinner. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

By Nancy Kramer

Staff Writer

Can you believe that the Saratoga Springs library has been open for an entire year?  A week of celebration commenced on March 25 and ended with a spectacular donation from the Bank of American Fork on March 30.

Many authors came to discuss their books and sign autographed copies, starting on Monday with Karen Hoover and Heather Moore, who attended a delightful tea party.

Hoover’s genre is young adult fantasy and her first book in the wolf child saga is The Sapphire Flute. So here is a recommendation if you have finished The Hunger Games trilogy. The other author, Heather Moore, writes LDS books and is involved with a series entitled The Newport Ladies Book Club. There are four different writers each writing a separate novel in the series.

On Tuesday, Bree Despain and Brodi Ashton were featured authors at a “Meet and Greet” event. Despain is the writer of The Dark Divine trilogy, novels for young adults. Brodi Ashton’s first book in her Everneath trilogy got great reviews and is in the young adult category. Her books explore the supernatural and have some mythology intertwined.

Wednesday was another tea party; this time it featured writers Annette Lyon and Jenni James. James talked about her Jane Austen Diaries, a series that takes Jane Austen type characters and puts them in a modern setting. She is also working on a new series, Fairie Tale Collection, coming out this summer. Lyon has written a number of books, including Band of Sisters and a cookbook, Chocolate Never Faileth.

It was all about the kids on Thursday when Magic Mike entertained by performing magic tricks and creating balloon animals. There was a bounce house where the children bounced to their hearts’ delight.

The culmination of the week’s events ended with J. Scott Savage, who is the author of the Far World series. His genre is science fiction and fantasy. These are also delightful books for young people.

The Bank of American Fork, which has been a big supporter of the library from the start, presented a check for $22,000 to the Saratoga Springs library. This money will go a long way to building up the library and is greatly appreciated. Attending the event were many employees from the bank as well as Donna Morris, director of the Utah State Library System, and Juan Lee and Matt McLain, also from Utah State Library.