by Connie Oswald Stofko Rosemary Lyons has an ingenious way to squeeze plants into the flagstone patio that takes up all of her tiny yard. One place where there aren’t any pavers is where the wrought iron fence is set into the ground. Lyons set some bricks on each side of the fence, then filled the area around the fence with fresh soil and lots of compost. There was enough room to plant purple pole beans, and the fence was…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Downy mildew on impatiens has been found in Lockport, and if you find it on your impatiens plants, too, a Cornell researcher wants your help. Margery Daughtrey, senior extension associate with the Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology at Cornell University, has been providing us with information on this disease that will kill impatiens since my first article on impatiens in 2012. Daughtrey works in the the Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center, directed…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you like to talk to people and have an interest in gardening and plants, consider becoming a docent at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. And if you’re available on weekends, “that’s a big plus, said Kristy Schmitt, director of education. “We really need docents on weekends.” To cater to those who are available on weekends, this round of docent training will be held on Saturdays. Sessions will be held from 9 a.m. to…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I just received an email letting me know that Master Gardeners and volunteers in horticulture here in Western New York can sign up for the annual conference and expo of GWA: The Association of Garden Communicators at the member rate. That’s a $150 discount! To get the member rate, register using the discount code GWA2017-JoinGWA. There are 31 educational sessions on a variety of topics focusing on horticulture, writing, technology, business, publishing and more. You’ll have…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Everybody got some rain this past week, and some folks got a lot! Kathy Guest Shadrack lives with her husband Mike on a hilly property in Hamburg. She edits the newsletters of the Western New Hosta Society and the Buffalo Area Daylily Society and included this in a recent hosta message: “We had a waterfall down our terraces and we have new mini-streams etched under our deck. Furthermore, our road was flooded—wait for it— at the…...
Two upcoming bus tours will show a different side of gardening. The Buffalo Beyond Flowers: Sustainability in Action bus tour on Aug. 5 will show what Buffalo is doing to be “green.” The East Side Momentum Tour on Aug. 12 will show you some of Buffalo’s distinct and evolving neighborhoods. These are public places that you could visit on your own, but what’s great about these tours is that you get to speak to people involved in the projects so…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Your front yard doesn’t have to be the fanciest one on the block to be recognized by Buffalo in Bloom. “If it’s weeded and tended and makes the city look good” it can be recognized, said Linda Garwol, a volunteer with Buffalo in Bloom. Even front porches with potted plants can be recognized. See the criteria here. If you are recognized, you’ll receive a discount card to many of the area’s best nurseries as well as…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Did you change your email address recently and forget to resubscribe to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com? I want to make sure you don’t miss a single issue! Please take a minute to go to our Subscribe page and sign up with your new email address. And please spread the word to members of your garden club, people on your garden walk and all your gardening friends. If they changed their address, they may not see this post. A lot…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We’re making people fall in love with their own city again,” said Jim Bragg, one of the organizers of the Black Squirrel Garden Walk in the Memorial Park neighborhood of Niagara Falls. “Every yard has a story.” The 1970s and ’80s hit the neighborhood hard, Bragg said. “There’s a perception that all of this should be bulldozed,” Bragg said, but the neighborhood is not as bad as people think. “It’s on its way up.” Efforts by neighborhood…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Wander through the gardens with a glass of local wine or craft beer. Or perhaps you prefer an herbaceous drink, such as basil and cucumber in sparkling water. Then sit down among the tropical exhibits for small plates of appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Be among the first to experience this new dining experience called Tasting Tuesdays being held from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 22 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens,…...