Garden tips Archives - Page 61 of 98 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Database helps you find trees, shrubs that work for your garden in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko When we’re planning our gardens, so many of us forget about what should make up the backbone of our gardens: trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs are larger than most other plants in your garden, so you want to plan around them. Once you plant them, they should stay put–It’s harder to relocate a tree placed in the wrong spot than it is to move a 12-inch flower. Trees can be expensive, too, so you…...

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Jan 27, 2015

Call 811 before you dig new garden to prevent damage to utility lines, injury

Before you dig up an area for a new garden or plant a tree or dig holes for a fence, you should call 811 or use the online Single Address Ticket. When you call or make your request online, your local utilities come out– for free– and flag where their lines are so you don’t accidentally hit them with your shovel or rototiller. You’d be pretty embarrassed if the whole neighborhood lost its cable because you cut the line. And…...

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Jan 27, 2015

Rotate vegetable plants to prevent disease, discourage pests & keep soil healthy

by Connie Oswald Stofko “People will tell me, ‘I’ve been growing tomatoes in this same spot for 15 years and I’ve never had a problem with disease,” said Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardener, garden writer and teacher. “I tell them, ‘You’ve been lucky.’” Harlos suggests that you rotate your plants in your vegetable garden about every three years to discourage pests and prevent disease. Rotating vegetables means placing them in a different spot in your garden. An important thing to…...

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Jan 13, 2015

Gaultheria procumbens wintergreen at Lockwood's in Hamburg NY

Lockwood’s last-minute gift ideas for a gardening friend– or yourself!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are some great last-minute gift ideas for gardeners from Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. They’re all plants that gardeners can enjoy in the house now for their flowers or berries, then plant outside in the spring and enjoy as perennials for years to come. Of course, you can buy them for yourself, too. The first choice is a wintergreen called Gaultheria procumbens. As she showed it to me, Teresa Buchanan, garden center manager, crushed…

Dec 16, 2014

potted perennials in winter at Mischler's in Williamsville NY

Clever perennial planter from spring still looking good into winter at Mischler’s

We’ve had snow and cold, yet this perennial container that was planted up in the spring is still going strong. Mark Yadon of Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville, designed this creation called “Winter Green.” He planted it up as a demonstration at the Lewiston GardenFest in the third week of June this year. As we told you in September, there are two tricks to this planter. First, Yadon chose perennial plants that keep their color after…...

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Dec 16, 2014

daffodil at Buffalo Botanical Gardens by Connie Oswald Stofko

Do you need to refrigerate daffodil, tulip bulbs before forcing them indoors?

I got this question from reader Trudy Stern: “I have a daffodil question: Should I keep them in the deep freeze for awhile before I force them indoors in January or February? Tulips? Any special tips? I am looking forward to having some bulb beauty in my house throughout the winter.” I thought this was a question many readers might be interested in, so I contacted Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Each…...

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Dec 16, 2014

sparkling punch & ice punch poinsettias at Mischler's in Williamsville NY

Enjoy your poinsettias for weeks or months with proper care; see new varieties at Mischler’s

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can enjoy your poinsettia plant for weeks or even months if you care for it properly. “The main thing is don’t overwater them,” said Mark Yadon, vice president of Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. “They don’t need to be watered nearly as much as people water them.” If the plant is in foil, take the foil off, water the plant at the sink, let the excess water drain out of the…...

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Dec 9, 2014

Native-Plant-Guide from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper

Illustrated guide to native plants for WNY available for free from Riverkeeper

UPDATE APRIL 13, 2023 To see the guide on native plants, go here: https://bnwaterkeeper.org/nativeplantguide/ by Connie Oswald Stofko There are lots of reasons to use native plants in your garden. I like them because they’re low maintenance. Because they have adapted to our climate, they can survive hot, dry summers without me having to get out the hose. They can take cold, snowy winters without any fuss, too. Native plants attract birds and insects, which can help pollinate our plants…....

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Dec 2, 2014

dandelion late November 2014 in Amherst NY

For the record, it’s not winter yet in Western New York; let’s make the best of our weather

by Connie Oswald Stofko It sure felt wintry in Western New York before Thanksgiving. When people ask me how much snow I got, I say: “Just 10 inches.” I emphasize the word “just.” In other years, 10 inches of snow before Thanksgiving might feel like a lot, but compared to the seven feet that other people got, it’s hardly worth mentioning. Yet after Thanksgiving, the weather got so warm it felt like the calendar was going backwards. It seemed as…...

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Dec 2, 2014

watering garden in late autumn in Buffalo NY

Last-minute autumn tasks for gardens in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko Everybody in Western New York is supposed to get some snow today, and some of us may get a lot of snow. The temperatures are bitter. Is your garden ready for winter? John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County, shares some last-minute autumn tasks for your garden. Drain your hoses and bring them inside. It wasn’t until I started typing this that I realized I hadn’t done that. I could picture the…...

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Nov 18, 2014