11 excuses to get outside and enjoy this warm, sunny fall weather in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko What a forecast! For the next few days, it’s supposed to be unseasonably warm in Western New York, with highs in the high 60s– even 70s– Fahrenheit. That’s too good to miss. Need an excuse to get outside and enjoy this great November weather? Here are 11. Prepare for spring by taking photos of your garden now There probably aren’t many flowers in your garden right now, but that’s why this is a good time to snap…...

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bee and milkweed flower in Buffalo

Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity to be topic of noted speaker

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ph.D., a member of the Potawatomi nation and a professor of environmental science, will speak on her culture and biodiversity at the meeting of the Niagara Frontier Botanical Society at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. Dr. Kimmerer will present “The Honorable Harvest: Indigenous Knowledge for Biodiversity Conversation.” Dr. Kimmerer is a distinguished teaching professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. She…...

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Applications for Garden Walk Buffalo grants now available; deadline is Feb. 17

Applications for the Garden Walk Buffalo Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grants, named for Garden Walk Buffalo’s founder, are now available. Completed applications are due Feb. 17. Applications and eligibility requirements can be found here, or you can call (716) 247-5004 and they will mail you an application. The application process is easy and they will offer assistance if there are any questions. Garden Walk Buffalo is a major event in the City of Buffalo, showcasing gardens and drawing tourists to the…...

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"Happy Trails" Lancaster Garden Club ECF winner

Show off your garden by sharing your photos on our Your Photos page

Do you have a garden you would like to show off? We have a page, the Your Photos page, dedicated to sharing photos from local gardeners of Western New York. Email us your photos and let other gardeners know what you have been doing. Some photos you can see are birds building their home, a butterfly relaxing on a flower, quirky finds in the garden and activities of garden clubs. Gardener or not, you are more than welcome to send us your…...

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street trees in autumn in Western New York by Stofko

Make the most of these wonderful autumn leaves in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko This has been a gorgeous autumn with a wonderful display of autumn leaves. Now that those leaves are falling, let’s put them to use. Crunch them for compost or mulch If you have a lawn mower with a bag on it, it’s easy for you to crunch up and collect your fallen leaves. If you don’t have a bag, rake your leaves onto a concrete or asphalt driveway, then go over them with the lawnmower. That…...

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floral clock photo illustration by Connie Oswald Stofko

Hear 45 Gardening Tips in South Buffalo

by Connie Oswald Stofko I will present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes” at  7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4 upstairs at Dog Ears Bookstore & Cafe, 688 Abbott Rd., South Buffalo. Call 823-book (2665) to reserve your seat. The cafe will be serving until 8 p.m. The talk is sponsored by South Buffalo CREW (Concerned Residents Engaged in Work). In my presentation, I’ll share some of the best tips I discovered as I have interviewed home gardeners and gardening experts…...

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Learn about braiding, drying white corn at husking bee

by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader once asked me if only Native Americans were allowed to grow white corn. “It’s our traditional food, but anybody can grow it,” said Layfayette Williams, project assistant with the Food is Medicine Project of the Seneca Nation, which aims to improve people’s health through native plants and cultural initiatives. You can learn more about growing white corn and braiding it for drying during a corn husking bee to be held from 1 to 7…...

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ribbon cutting courtesy Opportunities Unlimited

Opportunities Unlimited opens new greenhouse; hands-on seminar set

A new, larger greenhouse at Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara will not only benefit the horticulture therapy and vocational programs there, but will provide more space for hands-on workshops and other special events for the public. A ribbon cutting for the new Covanta Energy Greenhouse was held on Oct. 12 by Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara, 2510 Niagara Falls Blvd., Wheatfield. “Through this new facility, working spaces have been created for people of all abilities to learn through hands-on experience about many different…...

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flowers on sunchoke in Amherst NY 2013

Get free sunchokes & plant them now; tell us how they grew for you

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s the time of year to harvest sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, and for me to share them with local gardeners. I’ll give you some for free, but there’s one catch. You have to pick them up or get someone you know to pick them up. I don’t want to have to mail them. I’m in the Eggertsville area of Amherst. If you don’t get out this way, you probably have a neighbor or cousin…...

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trowel in garden compost with bushel basket of autumn leaves in Western New York

Free talk at Lockwood’s this Saturday: How to prepare your garden for winter

What should you do now to prepare your yard for the winter? Find out in a free talk at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Gardening expert Sally Cunningham will present “Gardening 2015, the Final Chapter.” A question-and-answer session will follow. Please register by calling Lockwood’s at 649-4684 by Friday so they can estimate seating. It’s time to close up the garden (mostly) and prepare the yard for winter, Cunningham said. She will review…...

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