Sunny and warm– even hot!– day after day. We’ve enjoyed splendid gardening weather this October in the Buffalo area. But this spate of summery weather isn’t all that unusual for October, according to Aaron Mentkowski, meteorologist at WKBW Channel 7. This warm weather will end soon, as it does every fall. While our current weather isn’t setting any records, July’s weather did. Current weather similar to that preceding October Storm of 2006 Mentkowski noted that it was warm in the…
by Connie Oswald Stofko One garden in front of Cherie St. Pierre’s home at 3881 Bailey Ave., Eggertsville, is positioned near a large tree and used to be in deep shade. “I couldn’t grow a thing in this area,” she said. “The good thing about that terrible storm is that it took out a branch.” Without her saying anything more, those of us who experienced that storm know immediately that she is referring the October Storm of 2006. Thursday, Oct….
by Connie Oswald Stofko First, let me say that I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are safe. Since this is a gardening magazine, we’ll talk about what the Snowvember storm means for your garden, but I do want to let you know that I understand how serious this storm was. It was dangerous. People were injured and people died. There was property damage, too. Even if you got through it unscathed, it was scary. My thoughts and prayers…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Landscapes are constantly changing. What you did last year may not be what will work for you this year. Trees and shrubs get bigger, making your landscape shadier. Or trees and large shrubs are damaged or destroyed during storms such as this year’s November storm or the Snowvember Storm of 2014. The effects may last for years. I had an arborvitae that was damaged during the 2006 October Storm when a maple tree fell into our…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The City of Buffalo used to have stately elms lining block after block– until Dutch elm disease wiped them out. Many of the elms were replaced by ash trees, but now the Emerald Ash Borer has taken its toll on the ash tree. The good news is that 64 of the ash trees on a section of Delaware Avenue were recently replaced through a Leaf a Legacy project, and the groups involved made sure that the…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Awhile back, I got this question from a reader. I apologize to whomever sent this in– I lost your email, but I did keep your question on my list and I am finally getting around to addressing it! The question is: How do you overwinter coleus? I asked David Clark, nationally known garden educator, who teaches the series of horticulture classes at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The basic idea for overwintering coleus is…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Until this week, it felt more like summer than autumn in Western New York. Last week I was wearing shorts, then yesterday I snuggled into a winter jacket. There was scattered frost overnight last night in Western New York. But as they say, if you don’t like the weather in Buffalo, wait 10 minutes. Tomorrow, Wednesday, it should be back into the 70s. All of this is normal for Western New York, said Judy Levan, Warning…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “Going into my garden is like going into another world,” said Lyne Richmond. “It’s very peaceful. “So much of what’s in my garden is from my neighbors, and that gives it more meaning.” Lyne and her husband Ken live at 81 Larchmont Rd., Buffalo. You can see their garden during the Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk in the University area of Buffalo and Amherst from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12. Maps will be…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Jeff Wilson, who has a Christmas cactus that is probably more than 85 years old, shares some tips with us on how to care for these wonderful indoor plants. We met Wilson and Luis Martinez on Garden Walk Buffalo where they shared their ideas for shade gardening. Wilson’s oldest Christmas cactus is a plant they call “Grandma” because it came from Wilson’s maternal grandmother. However, it had originally been owned by her mother, Wilson’s great-grandmother. Grandma…
Forest Lawn & Re-Tree WNY seek volunteers to plant trees from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2 at Forest Lawn, 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. No experience is necessary; a brief training session will take place each day. Children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. During this event, about 300 bare root deciduous hardwood trees will be planted throughout Forest Lawn as part of Forest Lawn’s ongoing efforts to “return the forest…
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