Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

garden in front yard in Buffalo New York

Aug. 1 is deadline to nominate your garden for Buffalo in Bloom

by Connie Oswald Stofko Your front yard doesn’t have to be the fanciest one on the block to be recognized by Buffalo in Bloom. “If it’s weeded and tended and makes the city look good” it can be recognized, said Linda Garwol, a volunteer with Buffalo in Bloom. Even front porches with potted plants can be recognized. See the criteria here. If you are recognized, you’ll receive a discount card to many of the area’s best nurseries as well as…...

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Jul 18, 2017

Changed your email? I miss you! Tell me your new address!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Did you change your email address recently and forget to resubscribe to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com? I want to make sure you don’t miss a single issue! Please take a minute to go to our Subscribe page and sign up with your new email address. And please spread the word to members of your garden club, people on your garden walk and all your gardening friends. If they changed their address, they may not see this post. A lot…...

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Jul 18, 2017

front yard on Black Squirrel Garden Walk

Black Squirrel Garden Walk shows off a neighborhood on the upswing

by Connie Oswald Stofko “We’re making people fall in love with their own city again,” said Jim Bragg, one of the organizers of the Black Squirrel Garden Walk in the Memorial Park neighborhood of Niagara Falls. “Every yard has a story.” The 1970s and ’80s hit the neighborhood hard, Bragg said. “There’s a perception that all of this should be bulldozed,” Bragg said, but the neighborhood is not as bad as people think. “It’s on its way up.” Efforts by neighborhood…...

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Jul 11, 2017

dish at Tasting Tuesdays at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

Be among the first to experience intimate dining at Botanical Gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko Wander through the gardens with a glass of local wine or craft beer. Or perhaps you prefer an herbaceous drink, such as basil and cucumber in sparkling water. Then sit down among the tropical exhibits for small plates of appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Be among the first to experience this new dining experience called Tasting Tuesdays being held from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 22 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens,…...

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Jul 11, 2017

This magazine again honored by garden communicators group!

by Connie Oswald Stofko I didn’t know what information I could bring back for my readers when I visited Atlanta last year for the annual conference of GWA: The Association of Garden Communicators. I knew I would see lovely gardens, but since the climate is so different down south, what would interest gardeners in Western New York? Then I talked with Mike Dunn, a gardener desperate to keep deer from devouring his plants. In addition to fencing in his large…...

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Jul 11, 2017

row of hanging baskets in West Seneca New York

You may need to fertilize annual flowers more than you think– but not veggies!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Contrary to what many gardeners believe, fertilizing your annuals won’t cause them to “bloom out” or be done blooming before the summer is over, said Jen Weber, retail manager at Mike Weber Greenhouses, 42 French Rd., West Seneca. “It’s just the opposite,” Weber said. “Without the fertilizer, your plants won’t reach their potential. They’ll be smaller, thinner, weaker, leggier-looking plants.” In the case of petunias, verbena and calibrachoa (million bells), they will become leggy, won’t bloom…...

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Jul 4, 2017

Paint, draw or photograph flowers during Plein Air Day at Mischler’s— free

Artists can enjoy a free Plein Air Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. “En plein air” is a French expression that means “in the open air” and is used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Viewing a subject in natural sunlight is much different from working in a studio. You can draw, paint or take photographs. Use an easel if you like. Work for a…...

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Jul 3, 2017

peninsula garden on Parkside Garden Tour

House renovations can rip up gardens: 8 tips for preventing & dealing with damage

by Connie Oswald Stofko Looking at her yard when it was torn up during construction work, Pamela Rose was at first horrified. Then she stopped and thought, “What’s the opportunity here?” Turning a calamity into an opportunity is one of the tips she shared with gardeners on how to deal with household construction that damages your landscape during the Parkside Garden Tour on Sunday, June 25. You can also see the property on Open Gardens. She and her husband Joel…...

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Jun 27, 2017

garden in Pendleton with items from flea market

Pendleton Petal-Pushers have three gardens open Saturday, July 15

This year three gardens in Pendleton will be open to the public, and the organizers hope for a full-fledged garden walk next year. The event is dubbed the Pendleton Petal-Pushers Open Gardens and will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15. If your garden is in the Pendleton area and you’d like to participate in next year’s garden walk, contact Tom Homme Jr. at Tgardenjr@aol.com or 716-210-3091. The three gardens that will be shown this year…...

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Jun 27, 2017

What can you do to prevent birds from nesting in hanging baskets?

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a question from a reader: Have you heard of any way to deter pesky little birds from nesting in my hanging planters? Carol Thibault of Elma We love birds visiting our gardens, but I can see where it would be a nuisance if birds nest in hanging baskets. When you try to water your plants, you disturb the birds, and if you don’t water, your plants will die. Plus, the nest may mess up the…...

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Jun 27, 2017