Category: Uncategorized

garden courtesy Kerry Ann Mendez

A garden where you can have it all: Find out how at Erie County Master Gardener event

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you do it right, you can have pretty flowers while helping the environment–  and save time and money, too! Kerry Ann Mendez, garden designer, writer, speaker and consultant, will show you how to do that in two talks during the Education Day to be held by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County Master Gardener Program. She shared some of her tips with me in a phone interview. Details on Education Day For the first…...

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Feb 16, 2016
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maple seeds on tree in Western New York

Tree, shrub seedlings available through DEC

During this year’s Spring Seedling Sale, you can buy tree and shrub seedlings through various counties or through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis as stock is limited, so place your order early. The seedlings will be shipped to a central location in your county where you can pick up your order on a certain date. Ordering deadlines and pickup dates vary by county. If you…...

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Feb 16, 2016
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tropical drink

Get tickets now for Taste of Paradise; price goes up March 10

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will hold its popular fundraiser Taste of Paradise from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 18 at the Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Tickets are on sale now. They’re $30 for Botanical Gardens members and $35 for non-members, but after March 9 they go up to $40. Buy tickets online or call 827-1584, ext. 220 to purchase over the phone. Just when winter might be getting you down, you can enjoy…...

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Feb 16, 2016
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nepeta from Proven Winners

‘Solution gardening’ encompasses several gardening trends

by Connie Oswald Stofko Gardeners aren’t looking for plants, they’re looking for solutions, Dr. Allan Armitage told the audience of professionals and Master Gardeners at PLANT WNY’s Education Day on Feb. 5 in Depew. Armitage, a perennial guru, wrote the books Herbaceous Perennial Plants, Armitage’s Garden Perennials and Armitage’s Native Plants for North American Gardens. He also has a new app for Android and Apple devices called Armitage’s Greatest Perennials & Annuals. The advantages of the app over a book…...

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Feb 9, 2016
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Audubon nature center offers annual scholarship

The Audubon Nature Center is now accepting applications for its Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship. The $500 scholarship is for area college-bound high school seniors or Jamestown Community College students who intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree in an environmental or related field. Applications and more information may be found here and can also be obtained by calling (716) 569-2345 or emailing shatfield@jamestownaudubon.org. Applications must be received by March 15 at the Audubon Nature Center, 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown, NY 14701. In 2009 this scholarship award…...

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Feb 9, 2016
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ladybug larva

5 gardening lessons to learn from this ladybug story

by Connie Oswald Stofko Awhile back, some gardeners went to Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg, looking for advice. Every branch of their spirea had been coated with aphids. And if that wasn’t enough, now they had these new insects, ugly things. They brought some specimens in a small plastic bag and showed Teresa Buchanan, general manager at Lockwood’s. The gardeners wanted to know what to do. Should they spray the insects with some kind of a soapy solution or…...

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Feb 2, 2016
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Title for video "Men Like Flowers, Too!"

A thought for Valentine’s Day: Men like flowers, too!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Have you ever sent flowers to a man? Why not? As we gardeners know, men like flowers. They plant flowers in their yards and go on garden walks and participate in garden clubs. And men like to receive flowers as a gift, just as women do, says Frank Mischler, president of Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. For men, choose bold, masculine colors, such as you see in the video below. Another thought…...

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Feb 2, 2016
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horticultural student photo illustration in Amherst NY

Erie County Master Gardeners offer college scholarship

The Erie County Master Gardeners are offering graduating seniors from Erie County high schools a chance to apply for a 2016 scholarship. In order to be eligible, students must be planning to study horticulture, botany or another related field at an accredited New York State college or university. The amount of scholarship(s) will be up to $300. Applications and information may be obtained here. All applications must be received by March 1 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County office,…...

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Feb 2, 2016
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'Star of Holland' amaryllis at Buffalo Botanical Gardens by Stofko

What you probably don’t know about potting an amaryllis, but wish you did

by Connie Oswald Stofko I have a bunch of amaryllis bulbs in two large pots, and I would like to separate them and move some into another pot. I asked David Clark, nationally and internationally known gardening educator, for some tips. His first suggestion: Don’t do it. “Amaryllis likes to be root-bound,” Clark said. He told me that if I separate the bulbs, they may not flower this year. While I hear his warning, those bulbs have been crammed into…...

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Jan 26, 2016
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looking at mint plant in Amherst NY

Master Gardener training set in Albion; register by Feb. 16

Master Gardener training will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in March and April at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 12690 State Route 31, Albion. The deadline to register is Tuesday, Feb. 16. For more information, call (585) 798-4265.  …...

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Jan 26, 2016
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