Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

giant hogweed from NYS DEC with man in protective clothing

If you see giant hogweed, don’t touch this dangerous plant!

by Connie Oswald Stofko The good news is that Western New York has fewer giant hogweed plants than it once did, but there are still occasional sightings of this dangerous plant in our area, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Its sap, in combination with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and blindness. This is a seriously dangerous plant. I saw giant hogweed in Niagara County several…

Jul 10, 2018

Heat wave: take care of your garden– and yourself!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Western New York is feeling the heat wave that is moving across the country. “If there was a time to water, this is it,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Pay special attention to trees and shrubs that have been planted in the last couple years, Farfaglia said. Those are the plants that will suffer the most if they’re not watered. Make sure you water deeply. Hanging baskets can…...

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Jul 3, 2018

Late & early blights: dealing with these diseases of tomatoes, potatoes

by Steven Jakobi, Allegany County Master Gardener Volunteer Gardeners love growing tomatoes, and losing them to disease can be disappointing. There are two blights to watch out for: late blight and early blight. These can affect potatoes as well. Causes of late blight and early blight There are two very different blight diseases that affect tomatoes and potatoes (and some of their relatives in the plant family Solanaceae). Late blight, caused by the fungus-like water mold, Phytophthora infestans, is a…...

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Jul 3, 2018

Now is time to check for Japanese beetles in WNY gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko Adult Japanese beetles are out and active, so now is the time to check to see if you have them in your garden, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. He has spotted them in his own garden. Japanese beetles occurrences can be very local, so you may not have them in your own garden. If you have them, you’ll know. It’s easy to see the beetles and to see the damage…...

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Jul 3, 2018

Open Gardens start this week; four garden walks this weekend

by Connie Oswald Stofko In addition to the many garden walks we have in Western New York, we are fortunate to have Open Gardens. The Open Gardens are like garden walks, but they take place on Thursdays and Fridays instead of on weekends, and they happen only during July. And unlike most of the garden walks, which allow any garden in the area of that walk to be listed, Open Gardens include just select gardens. There will be 75…...

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Jul 3, 2018

We’re proud to sponsor new exhibit: Nature’s Kaleidoscope

by Connie Oswald Stofko Nature’s Kaleidoscope is a new exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens that aims to give you a new way to look at nature– through shapes and patterns, said Kristin Pochopin, director of Horticulture at the Botanical Gardens. Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York, is proud to be the sponsor of this summer event. Start off your visit by looking through a giant kaleidoscope located in the main dome. Then look for…...

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Jun 26, 2018

New threat: jumping worms. Are they already in WNY?

by Connie Oswald Stofko UPDATE MAY 2021: Jumping worms have been identified in Erie County and may be in other parts of Western New York, too. See the article here. There’s a new threat to Western New York gardens: jumping worms. They’re bad for your garden, and they can really screw up the ecosystem of forests. Jumping worms (so named because they jump and thrash when handled) can change the consistency of soil, making it granular and grainy, like coffee grounds. That…...

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Jun 26, 2018

Fester corpse flower Buffalo Erie County Botanical Gardens

Fester update: It may be bigger than Morty ever was!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, the second stinky corpse flower to bloom at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, is already bigger than Morty was this year, and Fester may grow bigger than Morty was in 2014, said Erin Grajek, associate vice president of Marketing & Visitor Experience at the Botanical Gardens. Fester can grow two to eight inches per day and is now 63.5 inches or about 5 1/4 feet tall. Morty was about 4 1/2 feet tall this year, but was…...

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Jun 26, 2018

vases Garden Art Sale from Garden Walk Buffalo Niagara

Buffalo-style Garden Art Sale is this weekend

The Buffalo-style Garden Art Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1 on the lawn of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. This event showcases all kinds of art for the garden, from fountains and bird baths to craft items that add a pop of color to a bare spot. See the vendors & photos here. Plant societies will also be there to answer…...

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Jun 26, 2018

Fester corpse flower at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

Morty is drooping, but Fester is blooming!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, which started out as the smallest of the three corpse flower corms (bulbs) that the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens acquired in 2014, is ready to bloom and is on display now. This announcement comes a week after another of the corpse flowers, dubbed Morty, bloomed for the second time! Since these plants bloom only once every six to ten years, having two bloom within such a short amount of time is unusual. It’s…...

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Jun 19, 2018