David Clark propagate rose from wedding bouquet

Grow rose bush from wedding bouquet– or use any roses you get from the florist

by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader came across the story we did awhile back on starting plants from cuttings and left a question in the comments section. “How do I root roses from the florist?” asked Tina Strength. “How do I start them rooting and growing?” This question intrigued me. It never even occurred to me that you might be able to grow a plant from a rose you get in a bouquet from the florist. I turned to David…...

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roller coaster effect in garden bed from Chet Okonczak Cheektowaga

Add interest to your WNY garden with a roller coaster effect

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a tip for designing a new perennial bed. You can use this tip now– Fall is a great time to plant  perennials and start a new garden in Western New York. There’s still plenty of time for the plants to set roots. We all know one general design rule is to place taller plants in back and shorter plants in front. But Chet Okonczak of Cheektowaga, whose garden we saw in the spring, has interesting…...

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Watch local cooking challenge & learn to cook with native plants

Sumac, a native plant, is pretty this time of year with its large red, cone-shaped flowers. You can see these small trees in parks or in the wild, and they make a great landscape plant. But did you know sumac is edible? There are quite a few native plants you might want to start growing for food– If you know how to cook with them. In this article we’ll tell you about two events where you can get ideas on…...

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Learn how to get better blooms on hydrangeas at Lockwood’s fall fair

If you’ve had trouble getting your hydrangeas to bloom, you’re not alone. So many people had this problem that Tim Boebel wrote a book on the topic called Hydrangeas in the North. You can get tips directly from the author when he speaks at Lockwood’s Fall Garden Fair at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. This year the fair will be held for two days, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8. Hours will…...

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Four spectacular ways to use succulents in your garden or home

by Connie Oswald Stofko The wonderful shows at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens can give you lots of great ideas that you can use in your own garden or home. Here are four spectacular looks from last year’s succulent show that you could adapt for your own home. Get more ideas at this year’s succulent show to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Saturday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Botanical Gardens,…...

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front garden on Chilton in Niagara Falls NY

Flower pots– 44 of them– accent gardens in Niagara Falls

Sandy Barlow of 702 Chilton, Niagara Falls, has a two-pronged approach to her landscape: perennials in the beds and annuals in pots. Pots line the wide front steps leading up to the porch. They’re set on the porch railing, on tables and on the ground. In the front and backyards, she has 44 pots of annuals in all. “I counted them this year and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my Lord!’” Barlow said. “It comes to a bit of an expense. The…...

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Patriotic grouping features red, white & blue clematis

A patriotic grouping of red, white and blue clematis displays just a few of the many varieties of clematis that you’ll find in the huge gardens of Barb Rudnicki, 395 Reserve Rd., West Seneca. She will share her garden on the second annual West Seneca Garden Walk, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20. You can pick up maps at the Charles E. Burchfield Nature & Art Center, corner of Union Road & Clinton…...

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Want something unique? Try daylilies–Easy to grow, too!

If you’re looking for a flower that’s easy to grow and different from what your neighbors have in their gardens, try one of the 1,100 varieties of daylilies available at Lasting Dreams Daylilies, 6425 South Abbott Rd., Orchard Park. If you need more variety, hang in there. Carol and Anthony Haj, owners of Lasting Dreams Daylilies, are working on hybridizing their own brand new varieties, too. There are so many reasons to love daylilies. Topping the list is daylilies’ beauty…...

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seating on deck in Cheektowaga NY

Cheektowaga gardener stays organized with careful notes

Chet Okonczak can tell you the name of every plant in his garden, and if he’s not sure of a name, he can easily look it up. Organized in a three-ring photo album are hand-drawn maps of each plant in the six beds in his backyard at 38 Brentwood, Cheektowaga. On the same page are photos of that bed at various times of the year. In the pocket on the back of the page he keeps the plant tags so…...

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Questions on another voodoo plant and lettuce woes

Can you help readers with these two gardening questions? Gardening question #1: What’s the name of this stinky plant? I saw your post about the stinky plant. I think I have one, but it does not look like a lily. I was told mine is a voodoo plant. Last year, it gave me a beautiful umbrella effect. This year, it is odd and has a red flower in the middle. Today I found a ton of flies on it, and…...

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