Category: Uncategorized

monarch on milkweed

Is a plant from South America better than a cultivar in WNY?

by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader contacted me regarding a previous article on zinnias. The reader wanted native zinnias, and the zinnias described in the article were all cultivars, not native plants. No one around here sells native zinnias because zinnias aren’t native to Western New York. In the United States, zinnias are native only to the Southwest. Their range stretches all the way to South America. My reader replied: “I understand this, but they are at least native to…...

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May 28, 2024
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trees with white pine needle disease

Look now for tree disease & tree stress

Spring is a good time to check your trees for any signs of stress or disease, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you have questions about your trees, email photos and location information to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or you may contact the Forest Health Diagnostic Lab at 1-866-640-0652. Tree diseases Oak wilt  Don’t prune oak trees in spring! This is the time when insects that spread the oak wilt fungus are on the move. Because of recent oak…...

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May 28, 2024
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bonsai from Buffalo Bonsai Society

Learn at Bonsai Show on June 1, 2

Speak with members of the Buffalo Bonsai Society and watch special demonstrations at the annual Bonsai Show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Learn about bonsai as the members display bonsai specimens from their personal collections. Watch trimming and shaping demonstrations on live trees throughout the show. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase sculpted bonsai trees and plants, starter plants…...

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May 28, 2024
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Zinnia 'Uproar Rose'

What you didn’t know about zinnias; get them at Henry’s Gardens in Eden

“When a customer asks to purchase zinnias, my first question is, ‘Which one?’” said Barbara Henry, who founded Henry’s Gardens with her husband Martin. Not only can you find a wide range of colors in zinnias, there is a wide range of heights as well. Enjoy these annuals ranging in size from 12 inches to 50 inches. You can buy zinnias to plant in your own garden or buy cut zinnias for a flower arrangement. Both are available at Henry’s…...

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May 21, 2024
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Siberian iris 'Colonel Mustard'

Iris & Perennial Show set June 1; you can enter, too

The Western New York Iris Society will hold its annual Iris and Perennial Show from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 1 at the Julia B. Reinstein Library, 1030 Losson Rd., Cheektowaga. Not only can you attend to view the irises and perennials, but you can submit an entry as well. Members will assist you. The entries will be judged by accredited judges. All blue winners will be acknowledged and receive ribbons and medals accordingly.  There are two categories: For more…...

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May 21, 2024
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self-heal flowers and leaves

Flowering lawns: easy, pretty, helpful

by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s nice to add these flowers you can walk on,” said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market. “These flowers are great for us; they’re not just for pollinators.” Urban Roots now carries flower seeds that you can add to your lawn: creeping thyme, self-heal, Dutch white clover and white yarrow. You can use them to create a “flawn” or flowering lawn. This is one way to add biodiversity to our landscapes; that is,…...

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May 14, 2024
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mulch in volcano shape around tree and in donut shape

Protect your trees from volcanoes in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko We don’t have the kind of volcanoes that spew hot rocks out of a mountain, but we do have volcanoes in Western New York that can damage your trees: volcanoes made of mulch. Mulch volcanoes are those cone-shaped piles of mulch at the base of trees. Many gardeners like how the mulch volcanoes look, but they are actually bad for the trees. Check out our previous article on mulch volcanoes to find out why you shouldn’t use mulch volcanoes…...

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May 14, 2024
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bear in Batavia backyard

Bear sighted in Batavia; what to do if you see one

by Connie Oswald Stofko A bear was spotted walking through a resident’s yard in Batavia last week. You can see the resident’s video here. This isn’t the first sighting of bears in populated areas of Western New York. I wrote about bears that were seen in Cheektowaga and Lancaster (suburbs of Buffalo) in 2020. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said then that they had begun to see a rise in reported sightings of black bears in…...

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May 14, 2024
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tomatoes and peppers

Can you plant tomatoes on Mother’s Day? Memorial Day? Be patient

by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Let me tell you a story,” said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. “Last year my husband and I planted tomato seeds in the house with grow lights. The plants were getting bigger, so we moved them into gallon buckets. The weather got warmer and we moved the plants in and out of the garage (to protect them from cool nights). “Then we got…...

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May 7, 2024
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cannabis

Cannabis: Legal to grow June 29 in NYS

by Connie Oswald Stofko On June 29, it will be legal for adults, age 21 and older, to grow cannabis at home in New York State. Right now, only medical cannabis can be grown by private individuals in New York State. The patient must get authorization from a certified health care provider to grow cannabis. The rules that are in place now for growing medical cannabis will be the rules for home cultivation of cannabis starting June 29. A person…...

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May 7, 2024
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