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, too. The area felt more pleasant and, in some cases, became safer as well.

Then there are the folks who pull people together to make gardening better for all of us: people with community gardens, people in garden clubs and plant societies, gardeners who share their landscapes on garden walks and Open Gardens, folks who started those events and keep them going, visitors to those events, staff at various agencies who provide us with expert advice, local growers and staff of garden centers, and volunteers of every sort. Western New York would be very different without these efforts.

Of course, I appreciate my readers. I like when you post comments and when you tell your friends to subscribe. I thank everyone who has chosen to become a Super Reader.

I hope you are able to find many things in your life to be thankful for this year. Being a gardener in Western New York—that’s one thing right there to be thankful for.