‘Hot picks’ available during Botanical Gardens plant sale Alstromeria ‘Inca Ice’, seen above, is one of the “hot picks” offered this year as part of the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Only a limited number of specimens of each hot pick will be available. The hot picks must be ordered online. The deadline to order is April 5. Plants will be available for pick-up at the Botanical Gardens during the Great Plant Sale on…...
Tag: Environment
Wild weather– Should we worry about our Buffalo gardens?
Last week the temperatures were in the single digits. This week it may be in the 50s or even 60s. Should we Western New York gardeners be worried? “I’m probably more concerned that folks don’t have much snow cover,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Snow is a good insulator and can protect plants against damage that can come from these wild fluctuations in temperature. This is the second year in a row that…...
Check on your amaryllis and other items too good to miss
I walked into my basement this weekend and was surprised to see that my amaryllis bulbs were leafing out. I shouldn’t have been surprised; this is precisely what they were supposed to do. I am forcing them to bloom indoors so I can enjoy gorgeous flowers in the middle of winter. But out of sight, out of mind. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice their activity until the leaves were quite long and I had a flower bud. If…...
Is your garden soil contaminated? What you should know
by Connie Oswald Stofko Is the soil in your garden contaminated? If so, is it okay for you or your kids to be working in the soil? Will the vegetables you grow there be safe to eat? The answers to these questions are complicated, and we don’t have all the information we would like. That’s according to Hannah Shayler, extension associate at the Cornell Waste Management Institute. She is working on Healthy Soils, Healthy Communities, a research and education partnership…...
Is there a purpose to fall leaf color? Plus read more tips too good to miss
Is there a purpose to fall leaf color? The crimson color of autumn leaves is astonishingly beautiful, but it may serve a purpose for the tree, too, according to Leaflets, an online newsletter produced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The red and violet colors in leaves come from a group of pigments called anthocyanins, which are created by the leaf to act as a sunblock. As the levels of chlorophyll are depleted, the leaf cannot use all…...
Free landscape design classes & more items too good to miss
Free landscape classes set at Arbordale You can create outdoor living spaces, increase your property value and love your yard with help during free classes at Arbodale Nurseries and Landscaping, 480 Dodge Road, Getzville, NY. The 45-minute classes will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 8 and 29. The experts on Arbodale’s staff experts will help you decide where plants go and how they are spaced. Listen to witty reasons to dig out those overgrown junipers. Bring photos and…...
Raffle, survey, gala & more items too good to miss
Hurry to buy tickets for Garden Walk Super Big Raffle You could win more than $2,800 in plants, gift certificates, merchandise, a Kodak printer, and tickets to see Bill Cosby, the Indigo Girls and Three Dog Night in the Garden Walk Super Big Raffle. Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com was pleased to donate note cards featuring images by Donna Brok, whose garden photography you can enjoy on her blog, Garden Walk, Garden Talk. There are dozens of items; see the entire list here. Tickets…...
Family has Certified Wildlife Habitat in their Lancaster yard
by Connie Oswald Stofko Feeding wildlife started with feeding her own family, explained Molly Goldthwait of 78 Woodlawn, Lancaster. She and her husband Leon used to buy organic produce, but that got too expensive to do when they had their children, Beatrice, 10, and Henry, 7. By creating organic gardens for their own food, they created a supportive environment for wildlife. The Goldthwait Family shared their yard during the Lancaster Garden Walk on July 21 and 22. To qualify for…...
Native Plants Day, tips for aphids & more stuff too good to miss
Native Plants Day set at Lockwood’s Native Plants Day, part of the National Garden Festival, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 7 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. Topics include the significance of native plants, revitalizing neighborhoods by creating beautiful livable growing places, and the impact of individual decision-making on the quality of life in Western New York. Speakers include: Sally Cunningham, author, consultant and director of the National Garden Festival sees an opportunity…...
Use your garden to help the Buffalo-area watershed
by Connie Oswald Stofko In the early 1900s, Margaret Wooster’s family farmed land in the Genesee Valley, south of Rochester. When salt deposits were discovered underground, the family sold their land to a mining company. A mine shaft was sunk and family members went to work as salt miners for the company. Eventually the mine was sold to what became Azko Nobel and the mine became the largest salt mine in North America. Unfortunately, disaster struck in 1994. Residents of…...