Garden tips Archives - Page 50 of 98 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

moon gate at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

Water features create sense of calm in new Asian exhibits at Botanical Gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko The photos here give you a glimpse of the new Asian exhibits at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, but it’s something you really should experience in person. The first thing you notice on entering the space is a new water feature, which creates a rhythmic pattern as it swirls the water. In the distance you can see the tall waterfall that has been transformed to look like a mountainous outcropping. To the left is…...

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Jan 17, 2017

Prune oak trees now to protect against spreading disease called oak wilt

Pruning oak trees in winter can help protect the oaks from becoming infected with oak wilt, a fungal disease that can be deadly for oaks, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The disease was discovered in six new locations in New York State last year and can be spread by beetles that are attracted to freshly cut or injured trees. Benefits of winter pruning: Diseases are rarely spread during this time, since insects and fungi are inactive. A tree’s…...

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Jan 17, 2017

What to do about mealy bugs on houseplants

Mealybugs can be a problem for your houseplants during winter. Find out what to do about this pest in the newest edition of WNY Gardening Matters, published by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. Mealybugs are tiny, but they’re a problem because they suck fluid from plant, weakening the plant and making the plant susceptible to diseases. Save Save Save Save Save…...

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Dec 13, 2016

Another idea for using autumn leaves: make a path

by Connie Oswald Stofko I was very fortunate to be able to go outside yesterday afternoon and work with my leaves– and I have lots of them. My wonderful neighbor raked her leaves into my driveway so that I could crunch them up with my lawnmower. Another friend cleaned up her mother’s yard and said I could have the leaves– which she delivered to my house! And if that wasn’t enough, there are still leaves on the trees in my…...

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Nov 29, 2016

patio with walkway from A Growing Business

6 tips for working with landscapers– #1: Get on list quick for spring work

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Don’t wait until April to call a landscaper if you’re hoping to have your landscape done in May,” said said Claire Brown, CNLP, president and designer at A Growing Business, 11554 Wyandale Rd., Springville. That’s her first tip on what a gardener should do when working with a landscaper. The earlier you call, the better. “It would be awesome if people called in fall before the snow gets deep,” Brown said. That way, she explained, the…...

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Nov 22, 2016

soap slivers to keep deer and rabbits out of your garden

Simple and cheap tips for preventing deer & rabbits from eating your plants

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can never have too many tips for keeping deer and rabbits away from our plants. Even if we find something that works, the animals often get used to that technique and we have to try something else. Here are a bunch of tips. One is from me, but the rest are ones that local gardeners have shared with me. (These tips are often shared in quick conversations, so I often don’t have the name of…...

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Nov 15, 2016

Reclaim your patio, plus other garden tasks for autumn

by Connie Oswald Stofko This would have been a great weekend for raking leaves. The sun was shining, the weather was mild, and I wanted to do something outside in the yard. Unfortunately, most of the leaves in my neighborhood are still firmly adhered to the trees. This happens to me at this time every year. I have to look around for things to do in my garden and yard. Here’s one task: reclaim your patio or sidewalk from your…...

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Nov 8, 2016

Take steps now to have great soil next year

by Connie Oswald Stofko A couple of simple tests can tell you what steps you have to take to improve your soil– or let you know that you are already on the right track. There are three kinds of tests you might do, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. The first is a pH test to find out how acidic or alkaline your soil is. Farfaglia recommends that every gardener do this test at…...

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Oct 25, 2016

spinach growing in March in Western New York

Plant spinach seeds now, get sprouts in March– Trick is milk jugs

by Connie Oswald Stofko Maggie Koste Patz of West Seneca planted spinach last fall and by mid-March, the spinach was doing well. “ I recall feasting on that patch around May 25,” Patz said. If you want to harvest some food before you’ve even planted your tomatoes, use Patz’s trick: old milk jugs. Patz planted the spinach seeds in a raised bed. She cut the bottoms off of old milk jugs and set them as cloches on top of the…...

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Oct 18, 2016

Autumn weather has been beautiful in WNY– Will we pay for it?

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…...

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Oct 11, 2016