garden replaces front lawn in Eggertsville

Grassless yards make Eggertsville property a mow-free zone

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can visit all of Cherie St. Pierre’s gardens in Eggertsville as part of the Open Gardens program of the National Garden Festival, but one is so different than the others that we had to give it an article of its own. While St. Pierre’s home and an adjoining property have traditional yards, her rental property across the street at 3887 Bailey has no grass in its front or backyard! She loves gardening, but the retired…...

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Aftermath of October Storm 2006 in Eggertsville

Eggertsville gardener still dealing with aftereffects of October Storm

by Connie Oswald Stofko One garden in front of Cherie St. Pierre’s home at 3881 Bailey Ave., Eggertsville, is positioned near a large tree and used to be in deep shade. “I couldn’t grow a thing in this area,” she said. “The good thing about that terrible storm is that it took out a branch.” Without her saying anything more, those of us who experienced that storm know immediately that she is referring the October Storm of 2006. Thursday, Oct…....

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trellis Parkside Garden Tour Buffalo

Victorian gardens accent Buffalo house from 1896

“Busy” is the word Patricia Lang uses to describe the Victorian style of gardening. “They overdid everything back then,” she explained. That elaborate decorating style is displayed in Lang’s gardens at 145 Crescent, which were part of the 13th annual Parkside Garden Tour held Sunday, June 27 in Buffalo. She started out preferring simpler designs, but “bloom where you are planted,” she said with a shrug. Her 1896 home is ornate, so she created her gardens to match. The Victorian…...

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waterfall Williamsville Garden Walk

Foliage garden displayed at Williamsville Garden Walk

There are many elements to the landscaping at the Williamsville home of Susan Holt: a long stone wall, a winding gravel path leading to a secluded shade garden, a waterfall as the focal point of a lush back yard. The vegetation is full, abundant, interesting and colorful. What you won’t see is many flowers.  Some of the few blooms are on the flowering dogwood, the white flowers on the bush in the first photo. “I intentionally have a foliage garden,”…...

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visitors at 2010 Lewiston GardenFest

Container plantings accent large front porch in Lewiston

by Connie Oswald Stofko Clouds and drizzle couldn’t dampen the spirits of visitors in the opening hours of the 2010 Lewiston GardenFest, which was held Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27. BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com visited the garden of Dominic and Susan Hofert at 400 Plain St. The new homeowners are working toward a formal garden that’s still friendly and has lots of curb appeal. The gardens that wrap around the large front porch are beautiful and well planned, with shrubs and…...

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‘Perennial diva’ offers tips for summer gardens in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Not everything is hardy. The definition of a perennial is something that lives three or more years– if you don’t kill it.” Stephanie Cohen, known as the “perennial diva,” gave tips on summer gardening in the sometimes irreverent and often funny keynote address of the National Garden Festival in Buffalo (now Gardens Buffalo Niagara). The event was held Saturday, June 19 in the Nichols School in Buffalo. After the talk, Cohen signed copies of her books,…...

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