Garden tips Archives - Page 49 of 98 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

two bees facing each other on flower by Stofko

Join the challenge to attract pollinators– bee one in a million!

by Connie Oswald Stofko No matter what size garden you have– even if it’s only a few containers on your balcony– we invite you to join the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge. One of the significant threats to the health of pollinators is the scarcity and degradation of plants that they use for forage. The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge wants to increase the number of landscapes of every size– including pots on a balcony– that have plants that provide the nectar…...

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Apr 18, 2017

Don’t prune oak trees now

While you can prune many kinds of trees in spring and early summer, don’t prune oak trees now. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recommends holding off on pruning oak trees until winter to protect them from oak wilt, a deadly tree disease. Oak wilt can kill trees in as little as four to six weeks and is one of the most destructive tree diseases. The video, ‘Winter Pruning For Oak Wilt Prevention’ (two minutes long) highlights why…...

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Apr 18, 2017

Patio chandelier on a pulley, plus more lighting tips

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you want to use candles in your yard, they don’t have to stand on a table and they don’t need real flames. Those were a couple tips I got in August when I visited the yard of Sue Tronolone during the Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens. It was daytime when I visited her, but she shared her gardens on the evening Starry Night Garden Tour as well. While the lighting adds ambiance to the…...

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Apr 4, 2017

‘Candy Corn’ has different looks on one shrub; orders for Great Plant Sale due April 7

by Connie Oswald Stofko A shrub that has different looks from spring through summer is just one of the exciting plants that is being offered through the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Hurry and order– The deadline to pre-order is Friday, April 7, and some of the popular plants get sold out. See the entire pre-order list and place orders online. No orders will be shipped; you will pick up your plants at…...

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Mar 28, 2017

Plantasia preview: Plants that look good & taste good, too

by Connie Oswald Stofko We buy plants with our eyes, said Ken Parker, CNLP, native plant expert and consultant. But when we choose plants that are edible as well as beautiful, we make our garden functional. “Plants are not just for aesthetics,” Parker said. And the edible plants that he recommends also attract pollinators, “so it’s win, win, win.” In this article, he shares some recommendations for trees and plants that that not only look attractive in our landscape, they…...

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Mar 21, 2017

Start seeds inside: Wait till April for tomatoes & peppers, but go ahead with cool-weather vegetables

by Connie Oswald Stofko Readers have been asking me whether they can start seeds inside now. It’s still too early to start seeds for tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. More details are below. But if you want to plant seeds indoors now, try cool-weather vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and lettuces. Again, we’ll give you more details. Why starting your seeds too early…...

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Mar 14, 2017

Bulb plants might be hurt by low temps & wind, but snow helps

by Connie Oswald Stofko Last week, the daffodils along my driveway were progressing so quickly I thought the blooms might be finished before Easter. Today, they’re covered in snow. That may be a good thing. In February, we had springlike temperatures in the 60s and even 70s, but now we have gotten down into the teens. People are worried about their bulb plants such as daffodils and tulips, and it’s possible that those frigid temperatures, combined with winds, could damage…...

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Mar 14, 2017

Trellises, arbors & pergolas add support & pizzazz to your garden

by Connie Oswald Stofko Trellises, arbors & pergolas can be practical— they provide support for a plant— but they can do so much more. They can become focal points and gateways, and they can give you something pleasing to look at when the plants they hold have gone dormant. So what is the difference among these three garden structures? A trellis is often a latticework. An arbor creates a tunnel-like passageway or a shady area– another meaning of arbor is…...

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Feb 28, 2017

What does this warm weather mean for your WNY garden?

by Connie Oswald Stofko We’ve been enjoying weather in the 50s, and it might go up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the next few days. What does this mean for our gardens in Western New York? Spring bulbs First, if the snow in your yard has melted, you’re probably seeing spring bulbs such as daffodils and hyacinths sprouting. That’s usual for this time of year, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. If you didn’t…...

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Feb 21, 2017

title for video Two Remarkably Different Looks Using Succulents

Two remarkably different looks using only succulents; how to keep them small

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can create remarkably different looks using nothing but succulents. In this video, you’ll see how to create two container gardens. One is an elegant, low-growing garden in cool blues. The other is a larger, wilder look in hot Southwestern colors. Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville, tells us about containers, describes why the succulents he has chosen work well together, shows us exactly how to plant the containers…...

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Feb 14, 2017