Western New York gardeners are a dedicated bunch, and with the Gardens Buffalo Niagara’s (GBN) season officially underway, every day counts….
Elevate your outdoors: The Garden Art Sale is back!
By Elizabeth Foy Ready to transform your yard from ordinary to extraordinary? Gardens Buffalo Niagara’s 15th annual Garden Art Sale, in partnership with the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, is your opportunity to discover truly unique, handcrafted treasures that will make your outdoor spaces sing. Explore an incredible lineup of more than 70 vendors (including 22 new ones!) showcasing one-of-a-kind creations. Whether you are hunting for a bold, dramatic sculpture, stunning ceramics, rustic woodwork, or just a touch of…
Dragons, waterfalls & more: Open Gardens start July 11
by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s funny that many people think we have a double lot,” said Beth Kreutzer. I thought the same thing when I visited her and her husband Brian, but she said their Cheektowaga lot is the usual suburban size: about 50 feet wide and 100 feet long. Their backyard probably feels so much larger because of how much there is to see. There’s a large koi pond, streams, waterfalls, grass paths, a boardwalk, and lots of shrubs…...
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Hamburg gardener lost 50 ash trees; see how she coped
by Connie Oswald Stofko When Carol and Rick Stumpf bought an empty lot for their home 30 years ago, ash trees were already established. A house and gardens followed and the Stumpfs enjoyed their landscape. “It was all shaded back here,” Carol said. “I had all my beds how I wanted them.” She gazed longingly around her huge backyard, remembering how it used to be before her mature ash trees–and many others across Western New York– were killed by emerald…...
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Bowling balls, cute creatures & more in flower-filled Buffalo garden
by Connie Oswald Stofko Are you ready to see colorful flowers, unique garden art and an overall beautiful landscape? In this video, Jay Jinge Hu, who shares his own landscape on Open Gardens, takes us on a tour of the gardens of Mitch Flynn and Ellen Goldstein, who will again this year share their landscape on Open Gardens and Garden Walk Buffalo. Whatever you enjoy about a garden, you can probably find in these gardens. There’s the sculpture Flynn made…...
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Gardeners ditched the barbecue & created an oasis in Buffalo
by Connie Oswald Stofko When Kevin Lickers bought his West Side home in 2007, the small backyard had absolutely no gardens. “There was nothing here. I’m not kidding you. No flower beds,” he said while gazing at the colorful expanse of perennials that fill the yard now. What the yard did have was a big grill. “It was distracting, Lickers said, “and we don’t barbecue much.” He and his partner Ricardo Arce got rid of the large barbecue (they use…...
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Broken fence became wall for charming outdoor room
by Connie Oswald Stofko A wooden fence used to separate this backyard from a parking lot. Unfortunately, plows clearing the lot shoved snow against the fence, and the snow won. Matt and Tashia Tribo of Kenmore replaced the collapsed fence with a cinder block wall and coated it with a veneer of stucco. The wall, which is as beautiful as it is functional, is part of a charming outdoor room. The Tribos’ garage and their neighbors’ garage act as the…...
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See gardens, vendors & more in Lewiston GardenFest
by Connie Oswald Stofko “You pull into Lewiston and see all the flowers,” said Doreen Albee, second vice president of the Lewiston Garden Club. “It happens because of a dedicated group of 45 people.” The club’s big projects, such as the plantings at town buildings, are supported by the vendor portion of the Lewiston GardenFest. The Lewiston GardenFest will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20 on Center Street from 4th to…...
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Make your landscape more interesting with 360-degree views
by Connie Oswald Stofko One of the things I noticed in the North Tonawanda yard of Nancy and Charles Bachman was that at every turn, the view was different. It was difficult to take just a single photo of an area because there were so many interesting angles. I visited the Bachmans’ yard on the North Tonawanda Garden Walk in 2020. The Bachmans have a large yard, but you can use ideas from their landscape even if your yard…...
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Huge water feature & plenty of perennials highlight Open Garden
by Connie Oswald Stofko Everywhere you turn, there’s a great view in the backyard of Jerry and Karen Dwigun in Elma. And Karen Dwigun has lots of tips to help you make the most of your landscape. The Dwiguns shared their landscape during Open Gardens in July. Find the right spot for a perennial Plants that are marked “shade” still need some sun, Dwigun said. If you put a plant in a spot and it’s not doing well, move it…....
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