by Connie Oswald Stofko Poinsettias are wonderful for all the winter holidays, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. You can use them to decorate your home or give them as gifts. The colorful part of the poinsettia that looks like a flower petal is actually a bract, a kind of leaf. Poinsettias come in many different colors. Here are just three from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville: ‘Autumn Leaves’, which has bracts in autumny orange tones ‘Princettia’, the whitest poinsettia…
Don’t desert your garden yet! Tasks for early winter weather in WNY
by Connie Oswald Stofko I wasn’t sure whether to use “early winter” or “late autumn” in the headline. Technically, winter doesn’t start until Dec. 21. Yet we have already gotten snow and more is in the forecast, so I went with winter. Then again, the snow keeps melting, and many of us still have leaves on the trees. Maybe we should call this season “wintumn.” Whatever you call it, there are still tasks you can do in your garden. Harvest…
I’m thankful for WNY gardens and for the people who tend them
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here in Western New York, we have great gardens. But more important, our gardening community has great people. We have neighbors who share their experience. They’ll tell you what grows well in the sunny front yard and give you tips for your shady backyard. There are people who rejuvenate their neighborhoods through gardening. I’ve talked to people in the City of Buffalo—and suburbs, too—who found that when they spruced up their front yards, other neighbors did,…
Want a great autumn garden in WNY? Get inspiration here
by Connie Oswald Stofko You can have a lovely garden in all seasons of the year. To find out how it’s done, I visited Tom and Darcie Homme in Pendleton. I showed you their gardens in winter, in spring, in summer and now in autumn. Of course, what you see in these articles are just moments in the life of the gardens. The plants change continuously throughout the seasons. That seemed especially true in this season. In September I posted…