Category: Garden tips

Garden tips for the Buffalo area.

tilted pots in Buffalo NY

Make this leaning tower of pots– It’s easy when you know the secret

Awhile back, I got a flurry of comments on the photo at left. People wanted to know how to make this leaning tower of pots that I photographed in Cherie St. Pierre’s yard in Eggertsville. It turns out that St. Pierre didn’t make hers; she bought the inner workings at a garden show. What she got was a long bar with a large fork at the end to be placed in the ground. The fork prongs give the rod more…...

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Apr 24, 2012
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overall view of front garden 81 Johnson Parkway in Buffalo NY

Clay-filled yard is nurtured into a colorful Buffalo garden

“I took a plot where even grass wasn’t growing because there was too much clay and turned it into this,” said Marilyn Rodgers of 81 Johnson Park, Buffalo. She shared her colorful garden during Garden Walk Buffalo last year. This year the event will be held July 28 and 29. Rodgers’ garden is another example of grassless front yards that are so charming. They seem to be turning into a symbol of Buffalo-style gardening. Her front yard was mostly clay,…...

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Apr 17, 2012
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Jerusalem artichole or sunchoke flowers in Amherst NY

Celebrate Earth Day in your garden

Gardeners treasure the chance to get outdoors and work with plants. They feel the rhythms of the seasons. They’re in tune with nature and want to make their corner of the world a better place. Earth Day is coming up this Sunday, April 22, so this seems like a good time to review ways we gardeners can be more effective in helping the environment. Many of the tips on our list today are things we’ve talked about in previous articles,…...

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Apr 17, 2012
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vertical gardens in Buffalo NY area

Vertical gardens add color to a fence or wall; great for small spaces

Vertical gardens are a great way to add color to a fence or wall. They’re terrific if you don’t have much space for gardening. With vertical gardening, you could install an herb garden right outside your kitchen door, and vertical gardens can be used inside, too. The trick to the vertical garden is the container. It’s basically a shallow box divided into smaller cells. Each cell has a slanted bottom that keeps the soil and plant in place.You can buy…...

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Apr 10, 2012
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plum tomatoes in Buffalo NY area

6 tips for growing your own tomatoes in Buffalo area

There’s nothing like a freshly picked tomato, and tomatoes are easy to grow everywhere in the Buffalo area. You don’t even need a garden– a very simple container will do. Thomas Mitchell, a horticulture teacher at Niagara County Community College, shared tips on growing vegetables during a presentation at Plantasia, Western New York’s premier garden and landscape show held in March. Mitchell’s number one point was that you have to have good soil. I demoted that tip to number two…...

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Apr 3, 2012
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plum tree in Buffalo NY area

Bizarre weather in Buffalo area– What should gardeners do?

We’ve had record-setting high temperatures in the Buffalo area. There have been long strings of warm–even hot–days. All of our spring plants are two to four weeks ahead of schedule. It felt as if summer weather was here to stay. But it’s still only March, and we knew the warm weather wouldn’t continue. In an article last week, we warned you that we would still get frost, and that happened last night. It probably won’t be our last frost this…...

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Mar 27, 2012
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leaves for garden compost in Buffalo NY

Speed up your compost pile by balancing key ingredients

In an earlier article, we told you why you should save autumn leaves and we gave you some basic information on composting. In another article, we gave you more details on what to put in your compost pile. Today we’re going to give you more advanced information on composting. If you’re willing to put in a little bit of work, there are ways to speed up your compost pile. David Clark, horticulturist, shared tips on composting at a recent seminar…...

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Mar 27, 2012
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cold wave pansy from Mischler's in Williamsville NY

Spring has arrived in Buffalo! Six things to do in your garden today

I spotted my first robin last week. My crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths are blooming. The weather has been amazingly mild– bordering on hot! And the calendar says that today is the vernal equinox. Any way you look at it, spring has arrived in Buffalo, and we gardeners are raring to go. Here are six great gardening tips you can use right now: Spring gardening tip #1 Try new Cool Wave pansies, a frost tolerant plant that trails and spreads. It…...

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Mar 20, 2012
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'Phantom' petunia sold in Buffalo NY area

Black petunias & annuals that grow in dry or shady areas in Buffalo

We promised to tell you more about annuals that will work well in your Buffalo area garden. Today we’re going to talk about a black annual, a drought-tolerant annual and a shade annual with colorful leaves. Bonus: If you love impatiens for shade, try a new variety that you can plant in sun. These tips are shared by the staff at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY 14075. Lockwoods will exhibit at Plantasia, which will be held at the…...

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Mar 20, 2012
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closeup in fairy garden in Buffalo NY area

Fairy gardens are fun new trend for Buffalo– great for small spaces, too

Fairy gardens have such a wide appeal, it’s easy to see why they’ve become such a hot new trend in the Buffalo area. Fairy gardens are great for people with limited space, for people who want to share gardening with a child, or for people who just like being creative. “Basically, a fairy garden is a miniature garden planted in a container or in the landscape,” explained Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd.,…...

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Mar 13, 2012
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