Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Plant that smells like buttered popcorn offered at Great Plant Sale

by Connie Oswald Stofko “I’m pretty excited about this plant,” said Kristin Pochopin, director of Horticulture at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. She was referring to an annual called Cassia didmobotrya, whose unique feature is that when you rub the leaves, it smells like buttered popcorn. The scent is most noticeable in late summer and early fall. Popochin was familiar with this plant when she worked for a wholesale grower in Pennsylvania, but hasn’t seen it much in our area. It’s…...

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Feb 20, 2018

‘Snow shadows’ are oddities of winter

by Stephen Vermette Department of Geography & Planning, SUNY Buffalo State After a light morning snowfall covered the ground, my wife noticed an interesting pattern in our front yard. The trees appeared to cast white shadows! This is just one kind of phenomenon I call snow shadows. There are many different types of these winter oddities, and some stretch into another season. Linear snow shadows The linear snow shadows that my wife spotted were caused by ground temperature…....

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Feb 20, 2018

Horticulture scholarship available to student in Erie, Niagara County

The Amherst Garden Club offers a $1,500 scholarship to a student in Erie or Niagara County planning to study horticulture, urban design or related fields. The application deadline is May 1. For more information and an application form, please contact Sandra Witman at inventiongirl1@roadrunner.com…....

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Feb 19, 2018

Not sure where to create garden bed? Try it out with containers

by Connie Oswald Stofko Our front lawn is big and open, so it used to be the place to play catch or soccer. Now that the kids are grown, I thought I’d use some of that space for growing plants other than grass. Since the front yard is a bit sunnier than the back, I especially wanted to try vegetables, which need some sun. The problem was that I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted the new garden to be…....

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Feb 13, 2018

Place orders now for tree, shrub seedlings

You can place an order for tree and shrub seedlings in sales taking place now by counties and by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). In addition, tree seedlings are available to schools for free. When you think of pollinators, you might think of planting flowers, but trees and shrubs are important, too, according to the NYS DEC. Trees and shrubs provide important food sources for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects, which have declined over recent years…....

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Feb 13, 2018

vases Garden Art Sale from Garden Walk Buffalo Niagara

Call for vendors for Garden Art Sale

You can apply now to sell your artwork during the Garden Art Sale. The application deadline is Friday, March 30. This year you can apply online. The Garden Art Sale will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1 at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave, Buffalo. Items for sale must be garden-themed or nature-themed artwork, or they must be works that can be displayed in a garden setting,…...

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Feb 13, 2018

path to lovely vegetable garden in Lancaster

Gorgeous vegetable garden is focus of Lancaster landscape

by Connie Oswald Stofko In the past, people would hide their vegetable gardens in a back corner of the yard. That’s changing, and more and more people boldly display their veggies in garden beds among their ornamental plants. One problem is that vegetables often need even more protection from critters than ornamental plants do. Jane Bednarczyk protects her vegetable plants, and she does it in a way that’s not only attractive, it’s a focal point of the yard. Bednarczyk…...

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Feb 6, 2018

More tips on managing deer, rabbits & other pests

by Connie Oswald Stofko We have already accumulated so many tips on keeping gardens safe from rabbits, deer and other pests that it surprises me to find that gardeners have found even more clever ways to deal with critters. Here are more tips that local gardeners have shared with me. Deer and rabbits Previously, we told you that placing dryer sheets in your garden could keep deer and rabbits away, but when the smell goes out of the dryer sheets,…...

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Feb 6, 2018

How to find the WNY gardening events you’re looking for

by Connie Oswald Stofko One of the most popular features of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com is our Events page. Now that our website makeover is complete, it’s even more user-friendly than before. Take a look! (Note: I will post the dates for garden walks for 2018 as soon as I have them.) ____________________ ____________________ ____________________…...

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Feb 6, 2018

poster for Samuel Capen Garden Walk 2017

Artwork sought for Capen Garden Walk; deadline is Feb. 28

Artwork is being sought for a garden art competition that offers multiple opportunities for artists including publication in a book, feature on a garden walk poster, and an exhibition. The “Beauty in Our Backyard: 2018 Gardening Art Competition,” produced by the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), will offer three cash prizes plus an exhibition of the top 25 finalists’ work. The first-place winner’s art will be used to create the official poster for the Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk. The cash prizes are, first place, $100;…...

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Feb 5, 2018