Garden tips Archives - Page 62 of 98 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

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…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

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…....

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

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…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

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…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Nov 18, 2014

boxwood by Karan A Rawlins U of Georgia bugwood.org

What do you need to do to get boxwood through the winter in Western New York?

by Connie Oswald Stofko I got a question from a reader that I thought might interest a lot of people: “I planted three baby boxwood shrubs in my front flower bed this spring (in West Seneca/South Buffalo). They are still very small, but have started sprouting new growth and I’m concerned about the cold and snow affecting them. “I was thinking of putting milk crates over them and covering them with the frost blanket that I have. That area of…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Nov 18, 2014

Suburban sprawl isn’t taking habitat from deer; it’s creating havens for them

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re a gardener who has complained about deer eating your plants, you’ve probably had someone respond with “Well, the deer were here first.” But gardeners who have been in their house for a few decades insist they were there before the deer. They’re right. While many people think that we are encroaching on the deer’s long-established habitat when we build new developments, suburban sprawl is actually creating refuges for deer, said Paul D. Curtis, associate…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Nov 11, 2014

Control sunchokes by planting them in pots; I’ll share sunchokes with you

What’s not to like about sunchokes? They grow dramatically in one season, reaching heights of 10 feet. In September, when other plants are losing steam, sunchokes are just starting to flower. They add a lot of interest to your garden. Plus you can eat them! Find out more about sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes) here. I have to admit there is one drawback with sunchokes– The roots do spread a lot. The root is the part you eat, and even…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Nov 4, 2014

tar spot on maple leaves in Western New York 2014

Tar spot affects maple leaves in WNY; is there anything you can do about it?

by Connie Oswald Stofko You may have noticed black circles on the maple leaves in your neighborhood. That’s called tar spot because it looks like drops of tar were dripped onto the leaves. Tar spot is caused by a fungus and attacks mostly sugar maples, but can affect other maples as well, said Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardener coordinator for the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension. There isn’t a lot you can do about tar spot, but the disease isn’t as…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Oct 28, 2014

5 tips to make the most of autumn leaves in your garden

by Connie Oswald Stofko Do you know that there are people who essentially throw their leaves away? They rake them out to the curb and wait for someone to haul them away. I find that amazing because those autumn leaves are a valuable commodity for your garden– yet they’re free! Here are five tips on making the most of autumn leaves. Tip #1: Use leaves as mulch around your perennials to help them survive the winter. If we have a…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Oct 21, 2014

Kate Johnson at Dairy Ag Festival Springville NY

Got clay? Don’t want to dig? Want a new bed over lawn? Try lasagna gardening in autumn

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s autumn, and here’s an outside project you can do today: create a lasagna garden. Lasagna gardening is a method where you apply material to your garden bed in layers, like in a lasagna. Lasagna gardening has several advantages: You don’t have to till or dig your garden bed. The technique works with clay or other poor soil. You can create a new bed over lawn. It’s not labor intensive. It’s organic. You don’t have to…...

Monthly Subscription Membership Required

You must be a Monthly Subscription member to access this content.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in here

Oct 14, 2014