If you are thinking of planting roses in your garden, your best bet for success is planting bare root roses.   Here is a list of reliable rose suppliers that members of the Long Island Rose Society of which I was a past president have used successfully over the years. Ask the Consulting Rosarians nearest your area to help you choose what roses to plant. You can refer to the American Rose Society Handbook for Selecting Roses which is one of the benefits of ARS membership. To join the ARS, please contact me at 516-628-2470 or email at info@rosalindamorgan.com. You may also visit the ARS website at www.ars.org.Arena Rose Co.                                                                                                                                      P.O. Box 3096 Paso Robles, CA 9344... 04/02/2008

I just came back from vacation this afternoon and was able to put an hour or so working in the garden.  Spring has sprung!  The blooming of that yellow-flowered shrub called Forsythia is the harbinger of spring for us rosarians and so our season begins. Some rosarians start early which is not such a bad idea especially if you have plenty of roses to prune and I happen to have around 200 rose bushes to attend to.  You can always cut more later but you have a head start. Pruning our roses is a rite of spring for us. We prune our roses for several reasons - to keep our roses healthy, to control its excessive growth and to shape your bush for a better display. Before we rush out there in the garden, make sure you have all the right equipments. There are two kinds of pruner. A bypass pruner ... 04/02/2008

   This week has been a musical marathon for members of a choir like myself.  We sang last week on Palm Sunday, then on Wednesday we did Tenebrae, then we sang at the Holy Thursday Mass, then sang again on Good Friday Mass and last night we sang at the Easter Vigil.   Tenebrae was a special service of prayers and songs.  We used to do "Service of the Shadows" for Tenebrae but our new Choir Director decided to do something differently last year and this year.  We had been doing the Shadows for the last 30 plus years.  This year's Tenebrae was the best!  We did a very special hymn called "Miserere" in Latin by Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652).  This music piece was originally sung at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican by the monks almost four hundred years ago and the music piece never left th... 03/23/2008

       Here is the story of a man's quest for that pot of gold and he found it by selling real estate.  Persistence, hard work, quality of service are traits he empowered himself and it worked then and still working today.In 1956, a young man named Thomas Laffey arrived in New York from Ireland looking for his pot of gold.  He settled in Long Island and decided to sell real estate.  Through hard work, he was able to open his First Residential Real Estate Office in Long Island in 1974.  Over the next decade, Tom's sons joined the company and successfully opened 10 branch offices across Nassau and Queen Counties.In 1997, Laffey Associates made a big move and joined the Cendant Organization through Century 21's Fine Homes and Estate division. Today, Laffey Associates, now run by Tom's sons... 03/17/2008

   St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is believed to have driven the snakes away from Ireland.His name was not Patrick nor was he Irish.  He was born Maewyn Succat, a Brit who was kidnapped by Celtic raiders at age 16.St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17 unless it falls during the Holy Week when occasionally the church authorities moved the date.  In 1940, it was moved to April 3 so as not to coincide with Palm Sunday.  St. Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland.  It is celebrated here in the United States but not officially a public holiday.  The first St Patrick's Day parade was in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737, although New York can boast of the largest St. Patricks' Day parade.  The first New York's St. Patrick's Day parade was held on March 17, 1762 by Ir... 03/13/2008

 For customers who are looking in the Brookville area on the North Shore of Long Island, there are plenty of choices around.  There are numerous styles of homes ranging from one floor Ranch to multi-floor huge estates.  Price also ranges between $1,299,000 to $11,900,000.   There are plenty of golf courses in the area if one needs to belong.  It's convenient to major highways and only minutes to New York City and Kennedy airport and La Guardia airport.  If you do not want to travel to these two airports, there is the Islip MacArthur airport also that is nearby.  Brookville is served by two school districts - Jericho School District and Locust Valley School District.   COLONIAL: Fruitledge Rd. - 5 BR, 3.5 BA - $1,649,000Ivy Ct. - 5 BR, 3.5 BA - $1,695,000Country Rd - 5 BR, 4.5 BA - $2,29... 03/13/2008

With the inventory so large, it is imperative for sellers to put some efforts to make their home salable.  Your house should outshine the rest of houses in the market.  If other factors like location and prices are RIGHT, then the possibilities of your home being in a tip top condition will make the difference.  OUTDOORS:· Keep lawn neat and moved.  Replace dead plants and keep the shrubs pruned.  Place some flowering plants near the door.· Keep driveway and steps clear of debris.  Fix all the cracks.· Apply fresh paint as needed, and replace damaged bricks or wood siding.· Repair any cracked or broken windows, and be sure the faucets or sprinkler systems are in good working order.· If you have a pool, be sure it sparkles.  Keep the patio area neat and yard furniture in good repair.GARA... 03/10/2008

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday and reverts back to Standard Time on November 2.  Remember to set your clocks one hour ahead on March 9.  Spring forward although it is not officially Spring yet.  It is a saving daylight time and its main purpose is to make better use of daylight.  Spring does not officially start till March 20.  Can you imagine changing 8000 clocks?  TOURNEAU does.  It is a 3 days task and of course they do it twice a year.  It's also a good time to change batteries of your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  It was Benjamin Franklin who conceived the idea in 1784 and it was not implemented till 1916.   Only two states in the U.S. are not observing it.  Hawaii because it is near the equator and it has almost equal daylight and night time.  The other ... 03/08/2008

Just to give you a glimpse of what's the market looks like in the Oyster Bay area, below are the current statistics for Brookville, Muttontown, Oyster Bay, East Norwich, Oyster Bay Cove, Old Brookville, & Upper Brookville, as of March 1, 2008.  For buyers, NOW is the best time to buy.  We have a smorgasbord of listings ranging from small cape to huge estate.    COUNT AVERAGE MEDIAN LOW HIGH Listing Price 253    2,928,078.00    2,125,000.00    319,000.00    20,000,000.00 Original Price 253    2,973,104.00    2,199,000.00    470,000.00    20,000,000.00   Taxes 22608 18207 3200 102492   Bedrooms 5.1 5 2 11 Baths 4.3 4.5 1 10.55   TOWNS: Brookville 24 Centre Island 11 East Norwich 12 Muttontown 37 Old Brookville 50 Oyster Bay 67 Oyster Bay Cove 36 Upper Brookville 16 253      ZIP CODES: ZI... 03/01/2008

  Spring is almost here and it means Hicks Flower Show is underway.  Hicks 18th Annual Flower & Garden Show is slated for Feb. 29 - March 9 with free parking and admission.  There will be spectacular gardens on display and lectures galore.  There will be booths for horticultural groups and manned by experts in their field to answer all questions and concerns about gardening.  It's open from 8 AM till 6 PM except Friday when it closes at 8 PM.  Hicks is located at 100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury, NY 11590. Founded in 1853, Hicks Nurseries is the oldest nursery and garden center on Long Island. They have a wide selection of indoor and outdoor plants, flowers, and accessories to beautify your garden and home. For those gardening nuts and those who suffer the winter blahs, come out and delig... 02/28/2008

This might not involve real estate but it's an event in my area and I will be performing with them.  Every so often, we have to take a break to maintain balance in our life.  Real estate business is so stressful that we need to turn the other way sometimes just to recharge.  I'm taking a break from real estate for one afternoon and be a part of this Great Performances.  Who knows?  I might get a lead there. The Diocesan Choir will sing at St. Paul Apostle Church in Brookville this coming Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 4 PM.  St. Paul the Apostle Church is located at 2534 Cedar Swamp Rd. (Route 107), Brookville, NY.  Direction: From the Long Island Expressway (495), exit at 41North, when the road forks, take the left fork (107) after the overpass;  After Jericho High School on the right is St.... 02/26/2008

  In a lot of instances, it does.  Curb Appeal makes dramatic first impression.  It's the first thing a customer see when we are showing houses.  First impression is very important especially on high end properties.  Customers for luxury home properties expect a lot for their money.  If a house is nicely landscaped, it's more inviting for buyers to come inside.  The house seems to be talking to the buyers and saying "Welcome, do come in".  There are times when customers will not even want to see the house if the outside looks awful.  To them, it is a prelude to the coming attraction and if the outside is awful, chances are the inside is awful as well.  I have taken customers out and when they saw the appearance of the front yard refused to come in.  They will tell you the house is not f... 02/07/2008

  I went on an expired listing presentation and the seller said he wanted to do a short sale this time.  I have not done a short sale in my 8 years in business as a realtor.  He said a sales agent told him he can get some money even if he sells his home lower than his mortgage.  His mortgage is $340,000 and will list his home for $316,000 which he said is the value of his home per his tax assessment and hope to sell at $289,000.  Getting some money seems doubtful to me and I told him so.  If that is the case, shouldn't everybody jump in the bandwagon?  I promised to call him the next day after I checked it out.   When I called him, he said his brother who is a co-owner of the property listed last night with the other agent.   I need some opinions about how short sale really works and th... 02/01/2008

Brookville is a wealthy village in Nassau County.  It lies between Jericho to the south and Oyster Bay to the north.  Homes in Brookville range from just over a million dollar and up.  In the early 1900's wealthy millionaires built immense estates in and around Brookville with sweeping vistas and a whole cadre of servants to maintain the high standard of living.  Today, the same luxurious living is still the stamp of Brookville living albeit on a much smaller scale.  At the time of this article, there are 23 luxury homes on the market ranging from $1,469,000 for a 4 BRs ranch to $11,900,000 for a 6 BRs estate.   Brookville for all its glory does not have its own post office but shares with Glen Head.  According to the 2000 census, the demographics are majority Italians with a sprinkling... 01/30/2008