completed container garden using Hollywood pop and drop technique

Container gardens: ‘Hollywood pop & drop’ and 3 more tips

by Connie Oswald Stofko Container gardens are great for decks, porches, patios, or anywhere that you need a touch of color. Mark Van Buren, owner of  Zehr’s on the Lake. offers four tips for keeping your containers looking beautiful all season long. Tip #1: The “Hollywood pop and drop” For quick color, try the technique Van Buren calls the “Hollywood pop and drop.” Buy a large hanging basket and a large container. Instead of filling the container with soil, just…

QueenMoonstone rose in Western New York

June’s birthday flower is the rose, called the world’s favorite flower

by Connie Oswald Stofko Feel fortunate if your birthday is in June. Your birthday flower is the rose, which is called the world’s favorite flower, according to an exhibit last summer at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Roses were in such high demand during the 17th century that royalty used roses and rose water as legal tender to purchase other items or to pay debts. Luckily, today even we common folk can buy roses as cut flowers or…

pitcher plant from Kenny Coogan

Fans of carnivorous plants are forming club in Buffalo area

Plants that turn the tables on the animal kingdom and get their nutrients from insects are fascinating. If you are a fan, or if you would just like to learn more, check out the Western New York Carnivorous Plant Club that is being formed. The new organization is for amateurs as well as professionals. Kenny Coogan, one of the founders, said the group’s mission is “to function as an educational organization interested in all phases of cultivating carnivorous plants and…