by Connie Oswald Stofko Succulents can cascade over the side of a pot, grow upright or be sort of wild in shape. They can be green or purple or even multicolored. Some get pretty flowers! Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville, introduces us to several different kinds of succulents and shows us some creative containers you can use. It’s a great indoor project in the winter! In an upcoming video, he will show…...
You can buy tree and shrub seedlings through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation or through various counties. There are deadlines to order. Seedlings are also available to schools free from the State DEC. State DEC More than 50 species of trees and shrubs will be available from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Saratoga Tree Nursery. We often think of trees as being ornamental or providing food, but they can be used as wind…...
Arbor Day grants Applications are due Feb. 28 for grants for small communities to have an Arbor Day tree-planting event and to establish a community- based forestry program. Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to communities or nonprofits that work in partnership with communities to celebrate Arbor Day 2017 by both planting a tree (or trees) and forming a volunteer tree committee or tree board within the municipality. Get more details on the grants and an application. The…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Climate change is real We can see the effects of climate change in our area. Our gardening zones in Western New York were changed to reflect our warmer temperatures. The US Department of Agriculture website unveiled a new map of gardening zones in 2012 and noted: “The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States.” One of the effects of climate change in our area…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Do you like to keep the water in your fountains splashing on high? Bernie Grosser and Jim Jankowski of West Seneca do. The sound is soothing, especially since there is a noisy convenience store nearby. If some water splashes out of the fountain, it it helps to water the nearby plants. The problem that the West Seneca residents had was that the water level in the fountains would get low, and they had to keep refilling…...
Communities in Bloom seminars will be held by the Master Gardener program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County on Saturday, Feb. 18 and repeated on Feb. 25. The topics for each daylong seminar are: Soil, Soil pH and Composting Winter Sowing & Seed Starting Pruning For each topic, there will be a talk and a hands-on component. The same three topics will be presented on Feb. 18 and again on Feb. 25. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and classes…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A new group called Permaculture of Greater Buffalo will hold an introductory presentation on permaculture from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 in Ashker’s Juice Bar & Cafe, 1002 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. The same presentation will be given at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at Ashker’s. The room is small, so attendance is limited to 15 people at each meeting. Please RSVP online. At the group’s very first meeting, held earlier this month, an informal…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko There are hydrangea plants that have blue flowers only when planted in acidic soil. In neutral soil, the flowers are pink. That means that if you want blue flowers and your soil is neutral, you have to add a lot of acid to your soil to get the flower color you want. You may be making more work for yourself than you want. “Ornamental plants should only bring you joy,” said Andrew Keys, writer, plantsman and lifelong…...
Friends of Reinstein Woods is accepting orders for their native perennial plant sale through Saturday, Feb. 11. The sale will raise funds to support environmental education programs offered by Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. “Native plants are an excellent choice for homeowners and gardeners,” said Brittany Rowan, Friends of Reinstein educator. “They are lower maintenance and use less resources like water and fertilizer than exotic varieties. Native plants can be used in all kinds of landscape features, from hummingbird and butterfly gardens…...
Lumagination, the spectacular light show that starts tomorrow at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, will provide a new experience this year because of a collaboration with the University at Buffalo as well as the newly opened Asian exhibits that will provide a new backdrop. Visitors enjoyed getting photos of the Mayan-style waterfall under the colored lights, and now you can get views of the new waterfall and the Asian rainforest. In collaboration with the Botanical Gardens and Luminated…...