Category: Uncategorized

self-heal flowers and leaves

Flowering lawns: easy, pretty, helpful

by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s nice to add these flowers you can walk on,” said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market. “These flowers are great for us; they’re not just for pollinators.” Urban Roots now carries flower seeds that you can add to your lawn: creeping thyme, self-heal, Dutch white clover and white yarrow. You can use them to create a “flawn” or flowering lawn. This is one way to add biodiversity to our landscapes; that is,…...

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May 14, 2024
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mulch in volcano shape around tree and in donut shape

Protect your trees from volcanoes in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko We don’t have the kind of volcanoes that spew hot rocks out of a mountain, but we do have volcanoes in Western New York that can damage your trees: volcanoes made of mulch. Mulch volcanoes are those cone-shaped piles of mulch at the base of trees. Many gardeners like how the mulch volcanoes look, but they are actually bad for the trees. Check out our previous article on mulch volcanoes to find out why you shouldn’t use mulch volcanoes…...

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May 14, 2024
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bear in Batavia backyard

Bear sighted in Batavia; what to do if you see one

by Connie Oswald Stofko A bear was spotted walking through a resident’s yard in Batavia last week. You can see the resident’s video here. This isn’t the first sighting of bears in populated areas of Western New York. I wrote about bears that were seen in Cheektowaga and Lancaster (suburbs of Buffalo) in 2020. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said then that they had begun to see a rise in reported sightings of black bears in…...

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May 14, 2024
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tomatoes and peppers

Can you plant tomatoes on Mother’s Day? Memorial Day? Be patient

by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Let me tell you a story,” said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. “Last year my husband and I planted tomato seeds in the house with grow lights. The plants were getting bigger, so we moved them into gallon buckets. The weather got warmer and we moved the plants in and out of the garage (to protect them from cool nights). “Then we got…...

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May 7, 2024
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cannabis

Cannabis: Legal to grow June 29 in NYS

by Connie Oswald Stofko On June 29, it will be legal for adults, age 21 and older, to grow cannabis at home in New York State. Right now, only medical cannabis can be grown by private individuals in New York State. The patient must get authorization from a certified health care provider to grow cannabis. The rules that are in place now for growing medical cannabis will be the rules for home cultivation of cannabis starting June 29. A person…...

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May 7, 2024
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front garden in Kenmore New York

Ken-Ton, Lewiston garden walks seek gardeners to share their landscapes

The Lewiston GardenFest and the Ken-Ton Garden Tour are accepting applications from gardeners to share their landscapes. The Lewiston GardenFest is also seeking vendors. Lewiston GardenFest Lewiston GardenFest is accepting applications from residents interested in sharing their own gardens. Get the application form here. The deadline is May 15, but getting your application in sooner is better. The event is also looking for businesses and vendors who sell items related to gardening, horticulture and the outdoors, including nurseries, landscapers, garden…...

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May 7, 2024
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yellow flowers, petunia and chives in Amherst NY

Plant sales galore set by nonprofits in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko Many non-profit groups are holding plant sales and plant exchanges in Western New York. See a lengthy list below. More plant sales or plant exchanges might be added in coming days. You can keep up to date on our Events page. Great Plant Sale by Botanical Gardens UPDATE: The Great Plant Sale has been extended through May 8. Shop online through Sunday, May 4 for the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Garden’s Great Plant Sale. (There will be…...

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Apr 30, 2024
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thyme in pot

Thyme, soil & more in ‘Optimistic Gardener’

In the newest edition of the Optimistic Gardener, topics include: The publication is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Find the newsletter on the gardening page of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus (on the righthand side)…....

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Apr 30, 2024
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covers of maps for Garden Walk Buffalo and East Side Garden Walk

Get maps for Garden Walk Buffalo & East Side GW, plus beautify Buffalo!

With literally hundreds of gardens to see in just two days, wouldn’t it be nice to get the map for Garden Walk Buffalo map ahead of time so you can plan your route? Make a donation by June 15 and the Garden Walk Buffalo map will be mailed to you. Bonus: The East Side Garden Walk map will be mailed to you as well! And there’s more! Your donation supports not only these tours, but also supports the Lunenfeld Beautification…...

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Apr 30, 2024
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Trachelium 'Lake Michigan Blue'

Plants for cut flowers & more at Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are three brand-new, exciting plants for Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale: Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will hold their yearly 69-cent Perennial Sale at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The plants are sold only in packs of four plants at $2.76 per pack. Get a flat for $33.12 (12 packs per flat). See the list of plants here. The sale will take place from Friday, April 26 to Saturday, May 4, while supplies last. Sale hours are 8 a.m…....

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Apr 23, 2024
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