Category: Garden tips

Garden tips for the Buffalo area.

stone patio in Buffalo NY

Newcomers to Buffalo like how garden evolves with help from neighbors

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Going into my garden is like going into another world,”  said Lyne Richmond.  “It’s very peaceful. “So much of what’s in my garden is from my neighbors, and that gives it more meaning.” Lyne and her husband Ken live at 81 Larchmont Rd., Buffalo. You can see their garden during the Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk in the University area of Buffalo and Amherst from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12. Maps will be…...

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Jul 8, 2014
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container planting from Mischler's in Williamsville NY

Show off your talent in container design contest at Mischler’s & you could win great prizes

Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, which has won awards for its own container designs, gives you a chance to show off your talent and possibly win a great prize in its new Container Design Competition to be held Saturday, Aug. 2 at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. It’s free to enter. The first, second and third place awards are gift certificates from Mischler’s for $100, $50 and $25, respectively. The first place winner gets an additional honor: the opportunity to…...

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Jul 1, 2014
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Asian garden in Williamsville NY

Upcycled items add interest to 7-year-old garden; see it on Williamsville Garden Walk

By Connie Oswald Stofko Linda and Jaime Klubek of 48 Cadman Dr., Williamsville, have so many gardens they have named them. There’s the Asian garden featuring decorations influenced by that part of the world; the art garden, which features original glass creations made by Linda as well as statues and recycled items; the frog garden, home to many playful statues of frogs; the shoe garden, which contains a collection of shoe-shaped planters, and the grotto, a quiet and secluded spot for…...

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Jul 1, 2014
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seating area near escarpment in Lockport NY

Niagara Escarpment makes unique backdrop for Lockport gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko The backyard of Barbara and Anthony DiMino of Lockport  has one feature I’ve never seen in any other garden landscape. Because they’re situated on the Niagara Escarpment, their property ends at the top of a steep incline that shoots up three or four stories high at the back of the yard. You can see this unique landscape during the 10th Annual Lockport in Bloom Garden Tour  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Saturday, July 12 and…...

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Jul 1, 2014
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path in backyard near trellis in Parkside area Buffalo NY

Make it look like a garden & not just a collection of plants, plus how to avoid digging new beds

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Before, it just looked like a collection of plants,” said Elaine Clutterbuck of 728 Crescent Ave., Buffalo. “Now it looks like a garden.” What did the trick? Pathways. “I think the pathways are what made the garden,” she said, looking around her attractive backyard. “Before, it didn’t look like it had any unity.” I visited the gardens of Elaine and her husband Don during the Parkside Garden Tour on June 29 and learned so much. You…...

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Jul 1, 2014
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gate looking into garden and house in Buffalo NY

Reach new heights with inspiration from this Buffalo yard on Open Gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko The most interesting thing about the landscape of Gordon Ballard and Brian Olinski– and trust me, there are many interesting things packed into this space– is that you can’t see straight through from the front to the back. When you step inside the gate, you follow a path lined with tall plants. There are are bushes, tall perennials and ornamental grasses; vining plants climbing up trellis and arbors, and flowers of all kinds displayed in large…...

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Jun 24, 2014
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terrace made with broken sidewalk in Hamburg NY

Garden walk preview: See how these Hamburg gardeners reuse scrap materials

by Connie Oswald Stofko “We never throw anything out,” said Ken Haberman of 39 West Ave., Hamburg. He and his wife Shirley have found ways to use scrap material in their gardens. When a driveway was put in, the extra topsoil became raised beds at the front of the house. Broken concrete was used to hold the soil in place and create a lovely terraced effect. When a chimney had to be torn down, they used the flues as tall…...

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Jun 24, 2014
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Beat the heat with this ingenious cooling neckwear from Lockwood’s Greenhouses

Summer is here and so is the hot weather. Even though this is what we’ve been waiting for all winter, sometimes we need a break from the heat. Teresa Buchanan, garden center manager at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg, recommends the Neckbandoo. It’s made by Blubandoo and contains non-toxic polymer crystals that quickly expand to a gel when immersed in water. According to the company, Blubandoo products quickly dry to the touch, but stay hydrated, keeping the wearer cool…...

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Jun 24, 2014
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Mushroom decoration for your garden– Get more craft ideas at Lewiston GardenFest

by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m excited to be part of a new feature this year at the ninth annual Lewiston GardenFest: Garden Talk demonstrations. The Lewiston GardenFest is held by the Lewiston Garden Club and kicks off the garden walks of the National Garden Festival. I’ll be giving a new presentation, “Get Crafty in Your Garden,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21 in the Community Tent located in the center of the festival on Center Street in Lewiston. (Part of…...

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Jun 17, 2014
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garlic scapes in Western New York

It’s time to harvest garlic scapes in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko When you grow garlic plants in Western New York, you don’t harvest the bulbs until late summer, but you can harvest the scapes right now. Your hard neck garlic plants have probably developed curlicue stems called scapes, which are the flower stalks. While they look great in your garden, if you leave them in place they will divert the plant’s energy from the underground bulb. If you want a nice large head of garlic, cut off…...

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Jun 17, 2014
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