Garden tips for the Buffalo area.
by Connie Oswald Stofko Last week the calendar said it was autumn, but it still felt like summer. Mums thought it was still summer, too, and they were late in blooming this year, said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. Usually Labor Day is the beginning of the mum season, but the mums weren’t flowering yet due to what is called heat delay, he said. Because of the hot weather, mums are 10…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko For Halloween and other autumn holidays, it’s fun to decorate with pumpkins, and you can do more than carve a jack-o’-lantern. Here are a couple other ideas for decorating with pumpkins, along with a tip for cooking pumpkin seeds. Make an outdoor display Instead of just setting a single pumpkin on a patio table, make a still life. This idea is from Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Drive Extension, Niagara Falls. You could start with a…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a way to enjoy waves of spring color in a single spot in a garden bed– or even in a container. This information came to me from Joanie Long, chair of the horticulture committee with the East Aurora Garden Club, who gave a presentation to her club on the topic last year. She calls this method of planting bulbs layering or lasagna gardening. Instead of planting crocuses here and tulips over there, all of the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Last month, we talked about a project most home gardeners can do, building a garden wall, and we discussed the advantages of using natural stone instead of concrete. A reader asked if we would do something about building flat areas. To recap: In the previous article, we talked about building a garden wall that’s 6 to 12 inches high. It’s a little easier using natural stone than concrete because you can skip some of the preparation…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We want people to come back downtown,” said Ruth Cooper of 12th St., Niagara Falls. “It’s safe here.” That was the message of the Black Squirrel Garden Walk, held July 23 as part of Garden Walk of Niagara Falls, USA. (The Black Squirrel Garden Walk is named that for the black squirrels that you can see in Niagara Falls but aren’t common elsewhere in other parts of Western New York.) The event included a garden walk…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You may have seen succulents displayed vertically on a wall– we showed you a framed arrangement with a mirror that the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens used in its succulents show a few years ago. This year the folks at the Botanical Gardens thought it would be cool to create arrangements that look like abstract art, said Kristin Pochopin, director of horticulture at the Botanical Gardens. John Santomieri, horticulturist, suggested they take some of the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You could see– and hear– the nearby convenience store from the backyard. But not anymore. Bernie Grosser and Jim Jankowski now have a private backyard paradise at their home on Tudor Place in West Seneca. I visited them during the fifth annual West Seneca Tour of Gardens held July 23 and 24. In addition to having a noisy store nearby, another challenge of this yard is that it is situated at the top of a…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Natural stone not only adds charm to your landscape, it can be easier to work with than concrete, said Ethan Waterman, manager of Waterman’s Greenhouse, 12317 Vaughn St. (Route 240), East Concord (Springville). The first reason that it’s easier using natural stone for a garden wall is that a piece of natural stone is smaller and much lighter than a concrete block, he said. You don’t have to be a weight lifter to work with natural…...
If you see an oak tree suddenly lose leaves during August, report it to the New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The tree could have oak wilt, a very serious tree disease in the eastern United States, killing thousands of oaks each year in forests, woodlots and home landscapes. Report suspected cases of oak wilt to the Forest Health Information Line toll-free at 1-866-640-0652 or email foresthealth@dec.ny.gov. The DEC and Department of Agriculture and Markets announced that oak…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Three-quarters of the space in Sue Tronolone’s small backyard is taken up by the garage, driveway and above-ground pool, but you should see what she does with the space she has left. Tronolone shared her landscape on the Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens during both the daytime tour and the Starry Night Garden Tour. Both events were held on Aug. 6. It was the last garden walk of the season. The focal point of…...
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