by Connie Oswald Stofko
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a professional makeover for your landscape? Imagine it: a new design with paths and trees, a waterfall, maybe an outdoor cooking area– whatever you want.
At Plantasia, Western New York’s premier garden and landscape show, you can get lots of ideas for your dream landscape, and you could win a $16,000 backyard makeover.
It’s free to enter!
When you’re at Plantasia, go the area where they have the contest bank vault. If you can guess the six-digit secret code to unlock the vault, you will win the $16,000 backyard makeover.
The $16,000 prize may be used toward any available service or product that is provided by one or more of the participating Plantasia Garden & Landscape Show 2016 exhibitors who are members of PLANT WNY. See the entire list of exhibitors here.
Plantasia kicks off with a preview night 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 at the Fairgrounds Event Center, 5820 South Park Ave., Hamburg. It will continue from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 31- April 2 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 3.
You can get inspiration for your landscape by looking at the spectacular gardens that are installed inside the building just for the show. Looking at the water features, seating areas and spring flowers will give you ideas for what you might want to do with your yard this year.
You can talk to the vendors to find out what products and services they have that might help you. There will be more than 170 vendors offering plants, grills, outdoor furniture, lighting, garden décor and more.
Children will enjoy the activities and special events found in the Children’s Garden hosted by the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.
There’s a great lineup of speakers, and the presentations are included in admission. See the list of presentations below.
I’ll be giving two talks. At 3 p.m. Thursday, March 31, I’ll present “How to Find Gardening Help in Western New York.” I think Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com provides a lot of great information, but there are lots of other resources available to you as well. I’ll give you an overview of what’s out there. At 4 p.m. Friday, April 1, I will present “Trends in Gardening.” I’ll walk you through photos of some of the trends I’ve noticed as I’ve visited local gardens.
I’ll also have a booth at Plantasia, so stop by and say hello!
Tickets for Plantasia will be available at the door. Tickets are $9 for adults (save $1 with the coupon), $7 for senior citizens ages 60 and over (no other discounts apply) and free for children 12 and under. You can also buy Plantasia tickets online.
For more information and group rates, call (716) 741-8047.
Presentations at Plantasia
Thursday, March 31
11 a.m. Swing with Spring Flower Designs – Dorothy Julius, Along Gardens Path
Noon Simply Roses: A Dozen “P’s” = Perfection in Bloom – Joe Manual, Master Gardener
1 p.m. Sustainable Garden Practices – Sharon Webber, CNLP; Horticulture Instructor, Niagara County
Community College; Earthlines
2 p.m. (small seminar room) Make a Terrarium – Botanical Gardens Education Department
2 p.m. Native Plants for the Landscape – Ken Parker, CNLP, Project Manager, Native Plant Consultant, Seneca Nation of Indians.
3 p.m. How to Find Gardening Help in Western New York – Connie Oswald Stofko, Publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com
4 p.m. The Right Plant for the Right Place – Dan Robillard – Horticulture Instructor, McKinley High School
Friday, April 1
11 a.m. Heirloom Vegetable Gardening – Remy Orlowski, Sample Seed Shop
Noon Plug a Log Demo – Grow Your Own Mushrooms – Jason Bednarz, MoTown Mushrooms
1 p.m. Landscape Lighting & the Top 10 Techniques – Phil Colarusso, Luminated Landscapes
2 p.m. Mild Winter, Mixed up Plants – Sally Cunningham, CNLP, Author; Lockwood’s Greenhouse
3 p.m. Pruning Trees & Shrubs – Tom Draves, Draves Tree Service
4 p.m. Trends in Gardening – Connie Oswald Stofko, Publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com
5 p.m. Attracting Birds and Wildlife to your Landscape – Russ Lis, Aquatic Ecology Instructor, McKinley High School
Saturday, April 2
11 a.m. Selecting the Best Landscape Contractor for You – Roger Restorff, CNLP, Restorff’s Landscape Service
Noon War on Weeds – Learn to Identify the Most Common Weeds – Lyn Chimera, Lessons from Nature
1 p.m. Inspiration & Lessons from Garden Trips – Sally Cunningham, CNLP, Author; Lockwood’s Greenhouses
2 p.m. Container Gardening – Vegetables and Flowers – Tom Mitchell, Horticulture Instructor, Niagara County Community College; Mitchell Landscaping
3 p.m. (small seminar room) Growing & Using Native Medicinals – Petra Page-Mann, Fruition Seeds
3 p.m. History and Development of the Darwin Martin House Landscape – Nellie Gardner, Horticulturist
4 p.m. (small seminar room) Succulents – Julie Hughes, Horticulture Instructor, McKinley High School
4 p.m. Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks – Dawn Hummel, BeeDazzled Media
5 p.m. (small seminar room) Horticulture Projects for the Younger Green Thumbs – Ron Callea, Horticulture Instructor, McKinley High School
5 p.m. Vegetable Gardening – Ken Brown, Field of Dreams
Sunday April 3
11 a.m. Soil is the Key – Understanding Soil –Lyn Chimera, Lessons from Nature
Noon Easy Houseplants for Folks without a Green Thumb – Kathy O’Donnell, Botanicus Interior Landscaping
1 p.m. Eco-Friendly Landscapes and Gardens: Making Better Choices – Sally Cunningham, CNLP, Author; Lockwood’s Greenhouses
2 p.m. Hostas and Hydrangeas – David Clark, Instructor, Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens
3 p.m. Landscape Design Tips and Trends – Carolyn Stanko, CNLP, Horticulture Instructor, Niagara County Community College
The letters CNLP after a speaker’s name indicate that he or she is a Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional
Hi Charles, this event was held in 2016.
Hello we just moved to Locust Grove GA. We have this massive backyard and a limited budget. I think it would be awesome to get a backyard make over. We entertain grandkids and great grandkids. And their parents. It would be a big blessing to have that happen. Thank you. Charles Lee.