Perennials Archives - Page 23 of 34 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Impatiens are dying; choose alternative shade plants instead

by Connie Oswald Stofko For decades, impatiens has been the go-to flower for the shade. But now that a blight is wiping out these wonderful flowers, you’ll have to rethink your plant choices for shady gardens. Some garden centers won’t sell impatiens at all this year, while others will grow a limited supply but will sell them without guarantees. Don’t expect to find impatiens at all next year. What should you plant instead? A couple of local events can help…...

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Apr 9, 2013

Front Yard Contest evolves into LEAF a Legacy; trees planted now

Snow covered the ground, temperatures were in the 20’s and there was a biting wind in South Buffalo on Thursday, but it was actually a good day to plant trees, said Ed Dore, vice president of Western New York State Nursery and Landscape Association (WNYSNLA). (2017 UPDATE: WNYSNLA is now PLANT WNY.) Volunteers planted about 115 trees for LEAF a Legacy, part of the National Garden Festival and organized by WNYSNLA. Above, Neil Stern of Gernatt Gravel and Bob Smith of…...

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Mar 19, 2013

Free tree seedlings available to schools; DEC also holding sale

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering free tree seedlings to schools, and it is selling tree and shrub seedlings for conservation plantings on private and public lands. The DEC operates the State Tree Nursery in Saratoga Springs. Seedlings for schools Free tree seedlings are available to any school: public, private or parochial; nursery, elementary, secondary, vocational, college or university. Any school-sponsored organization is also eligible. Spruce and pine are available. Only one species may be…...

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Feb 26, 2013

Luxuriant gardens in Clarence were built slowly, filled with perennials

Grassless front yards aren’t seen only in the City of Buffalo. A profusion of flowers fills most of Catherine Klein’s front yard in a semi-rural area of Clarence. “You don’t need grass,” she said. “Grass is green. Flowers are colorful.” As you’re planning your garden for this summer, take inspiration and some tips from Catherine. Catherine and I are related. Her father-in-law and my late father were cousins, which makes me and Catherine second cousins by marriage (or something). I…...

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Feb 19, 2013

Order now to get ‘hot picks’ at Botanical Gardens sale, & more news

‘Hot picks’ available during Botanical Gardens plant sale Alstromeria ‘Inca Ice’, seen above, is one of the “hot picks” offered this year as part of the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Only a limited number of specimens of each hot pick will be available. The hot picks must be ordered online. The deadline to order is April 5. Plants will be available for pick-up at the Botanical Gardens during the Great Plant Sale on…...

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Feb 19, 2013

Hamburg gardener enjoys the unusual– but stinky– voodoo lily

by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s quite interesting; it’s not beautiful,” Fran Evans of Hamburg said about his voodoo lily, an unusual plant from Cambodia. Last year Evans showed us his many gardens that were filled with early spring flowers. At the same time, his six-year-old voodoo lily (Amorphophallus konjac), a potted specimen, bloomed for the first time. The blossom has a cool pitcher shape, decorated in regal colors of maroon and gold. I’d say the voodoo lily was pretty– if it weren’t…...

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Feb 12, 2013

Carnation is the birthday flower for January, but it gets no respect

The birthday flower for January is the carnation, which is one of my favorite flowers. It has everything you could want in a flower– a beautiful shape, a wide variety of colors and a delightful fragrance. But some people look down on the magnificent carnation. “The carnation got a bad reputation,” said Maggie Wittmer, floral designer at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville. “There’s no reason to hate the carnation. That’s a bum rap.” In addition to being beautiful, the…...

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Jan 19, 2013

Use a nature theme to bridge from fall to winter decorating

When it comes to decorating, gardeners like to bring the outdoors inside, and using a nature theme actually makes it easier to transition from fall holidays to winter holidays. Pine cones are great transitional elements, said Mary Gurtler, designer at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. The wine glasses in the photo above are a great example of that. If I describe them as being painted in fall shades of yellow, brown and green, you can picture them on a…...

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Nov 13, 2012

How to keep your canna lilies over the winter & 2 more tips

“I haven’t bought canna lilies in years because they multiply,” said Kristen Suto of Busti Avenue, Buffalo. We visited her lush front yard, which has a view of the Niagara River, during Garden Walk Buffalo in July. Suto has canna lilies in pots and in beds throughout her gardens. The yellow flower in the photo below is another canna lily. If you haven’t already brought in your canna lily bulbs for the winter, do it now. When Suto brings her…...

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Nov 13, 2012

Northeast native flowers from National Garden Bureau

Perennial for 2013 is ‘wildflower,’ says National Garden Bureau

2013 has been named the Year of the Wildflower by the National Garden Bureau, the non-profit organization promoting gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry. Each year, the National Garden Bureau showcases a plant in each of three categories: vegetable/edible, annual and perennial. The showcased plants are supposed to be popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse and versatile. The wildflower (though it’s more of a category than a plant) certainly meets those criteria. We talked to representatives of Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484…...

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Oct 30, 2012