In May, my garden was so boggy I thought I’d never have to water again. In June, my garden was hard as a rock. In July, we had that hot, dry spell. During the past week, we finally got some rain, but there wasn’t much. You should have been watering, too. If you can’t keep up with the erratic watering needs of your garden, you may want to consider an underground sprinkler system that operates automatically. There are several advantages…...
Category: Garden tips
Garden tips for the Buffalo area.
Black Rock and Riverside shine during nighttime garden walk
“I love the lights,” said Rosie Dubravac of 74 Simon St., Buffalo. That’s why she opened her yards for the Starry Night Garden Tour, the evening portion of the Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens on Saturday, Aug. 6. It was the last garden walk of the season in Western New York. Dubravac welcomed many visitors, who enjoyed the well-lit front and back yards. The tall lighted ornament you see in the front yard above left is a sunflower…....
Blooming in Buffalo area gardens now, gladiolus is flower for August
The gladiolus, which is blooming in many Buffalo-area gardens now, is the birthday flower for August. I’m told you’re supposed to plant gladiolus bulbs in spring. That explains why they didn’t come up the first time I planted them– I planted them in the fall. After that fiasco, I again planted gladioluses (the plural is gladioluses, gladioli or sometimes gladiolas). The only reason I tried them again was because I got bulbs as a gift. (Technically, gladioluses have corms, not…...
Lush Buffalo garden with full-grown trees was planted on top of asphalt
A 20-foot blue spruce, along with a birch, crab apple, dogwood and Japanese maple, are part of what is essentially a giant container garden built on top of a narrow asphalt driveway in Buffalo. Ellie Dorritie of 415 Summer St. shared her gardens during Garden Walk Buffalo on July 30 and 31. More than 350 gardens were on display during the event, which is the largest garden tour in the nation. Dorritie’s back garden includes brick pathways, which you can…
Not your grandma’s garden plants: Trend is toward new varieties
Gardeners in the Buffalo and Western New York area have more plants to choose from than they did just a decade or two ago. The plants are genetically better, too. This is one of the big trends Ron Heimiller has seen in his career as president and head grower at Heimiller Greenhouses in Newfane. The business is celebrating its 30 anniversary. Breeders searched the world for plants that might do well in the United States and bred them for color,…...
Planting season isn’t over! Check garden centers for new arrivals
Many gardeners feel they must get their garden planted by Memorial Day weekend or they’ve missed some sort of deadline. They think that if they go to a garden center now, they’ll see nothing but shriveled-up specimens on a discount table. Surprise! It’s still planting season in Buffalo and Western New York, and garden centers are full of fresh, new perennials and trees that you can plant right now. Plus, you get instant color and instant flowers because these fully…...
Ken-Ton gardeners share tips for nighttime lighting
“We sit out here every night with a glass of wine,” said Kathi Schwab, as she surveyed her backyard. Soft lighting showcased tall flowers and reflected off the calm water of their inground pool. “Oh, it’s heaven,” Kathi said. The Schwabs shared their yard during Ken-Ton’s first “Saturday Night Lights” garden walk held July 23. Eighteen gardens participated in the evening walk. The nighttime event was part of the Ken-Ton Garden Tour, which held a daytime walk on both Saturday…...
Niagara Falls gardener shares tips on starting tomatoes from seed
First you notice the color, then you notice the fragrance when you visit the gardens surrounding the home of Barbara and Howard Sperry on Ashland Ave. in Niagara Falls. Sometimes Barbara likes to shake the lavender and other plants to better enjoy the aroma. The Sperrys shared their garden, along with many gardening tips, during the Historic Niagara Falls Garden Walk on Saturday, July 16. The event was presented by the Main Street Business and Professionals Association. Arts in the…...
Painted lawn is eye-catching on Lancaster Garden Walk
The flowers in the garden beds are beautiful, but it’s the flowers painted on the lawn that get noticed first at the home of Karen and Bernie Farrell of 78 Brunswick, Lancaster. The flowers were painted by Karen, who has started her own business called Lawntastic, where she does custom painting on lawns. Their front yard was on display during the eighth annual Lancaster Garden Walk on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17. Karen got the idea for her…...
South Buffalo neighbors share backyard flower garden
Whoever happens to be out does the weeding in the garden shared by Kevin and Phyllis Baer of 132 Whitfield Ave. and their next-door neighbors, Paul and Maureen Rybczynski of 128 Whitfield Ave. in South Buffalo. The garden was on view during the 11th annual South Buffalo Alive Garden Walk on Sunday, July 17. The view above is looking into the Rybczynski yard, and below right is looking into the Baer yard. The garden continues down the length of the…...