Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

docents in training at Buffalo Botanical Gardens

Become a docent at Botanical Gardens; training starts in September

by Jana Eisenberg Does this sound like you? You love gardening or plants, you enjoy learning, you like talking with the public and you want to be involved in a rewarding volunteer experience. If so, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens wants you. The Botanical Gardens is recruiting for its 2016 Docent Training Class, said Kristy Schmitt, the director of education at the renowned gardens-within-a-park. The only prerequisites are interest, enthusiasm, commitment and availability. With the training offered by…...

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Aug 8, 2016

You can take horticulture classes at discount price at NCCC

You can take college horticulture classes without being a full-time student or earning a degree, and the tuition is less. Niagara County Community College (NCCC) is opening a limited number of seats in horticulture classes through its community education department. “We were constantly getting requests from folks who want to be able to take our classes, but don’t want to earn a degree,” said Carolyn A. Stanko, an NCCC assistant professor who coordinates the college’s horticulture program. She is also a…...

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Aug 8, 2016

Groundcovers are important in grassless front & backyards

by Connie Oswald Stofko Valerie and Anthony Hotchkiss of 42 15th St., Buffalo, have shared their gardens on Garden Walk Buffalo for eight years, but if you haven’t seen them in awhile, it’s worth going back. The couple got help from a landscaper, and what you see is all new in the last three years. Garden Walk Buffalo, the largest garden walk in the country, took place July 30 and 31. It featured more than 400 gardens. It was the…...

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Aug 2, 2016

Is it a weed or a plant? Common mullein & more

by Connie Oswald Stofko John Jankowski of Batavia sent me a photo that he wanted me to identify, then asked, “Is it a weed or a plant?” Now, usually I’m no help when people want a plant identified. I’m not a gardening expert, so I almost always have to tell people to contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in their county. However, I happened to know this one because I have it in my yard. It’s mullein (pronounced mull-en). Is…...

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Aug 2, 2016

You’re reading the best gardening e-newsletter in the country!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com has been judged the best gardening e-newsletter by GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators. The online gardening magazine for Western New York, Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com received a Silver Medal of Achievement, the top award in the category of E-newsletter Overall, in GWA’s 2016 Media Awards. The award will be presented in September at the GWA 68th Annual Conference & Expo in Atlanta, GA. Recipients of the Silver Medal in the various categories will now compete for best…...

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Aug 2, 2016

Look for this invasive insect in your pool

It’s again time for pool owners to check their filters and skimmers for the Asian longhorned beetle. If you find one, please report it during the annual Citizen Pool Survey being held through Aug. 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you don’t have a pool, you can still help. DEC expanded its survey to include photo submissions from anyone who spots a suspect beetle, even if the beetle isn’t found in a pool. You…...

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Aug 2, 2016

Master Gardener training set in Genesee County

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County will offer Master Gardener training in the fall. This training is the first requirement to becoming a Genesee County Master Gardener. A Master Gardener volunteer should have a willingness to give back to the community and help put into practice what they learned at training. Enthusiasm for sharing their skills and knowledge is a must. If you want to become a Master Gardener in a different county, contact your home county first to see…...

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Aug 1, 2016

gardens and Irish flag at front of house in Tonawanda

‘Lazy gardener’ shares tips on how he created Irish pub in backyard

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s an Irish pub. It’s an outdoor living room. And it has gardens. That’s what you encounter when you visit Michael Ryan’s backyard on Englewood Ave., Tonawanda. It’s the party place for his family and friends. Visitors are amazed and assume he must spend lots of time maintaining his landscape, but he insists that he’s a lazy gardener who uses lots of short cuts. “It’s two weeks of work at the beginning of the season, then…...

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Jul 26, 2016

So what do you think of the new format for our emails?

by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m always trying to make Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com more useful to my readers. I know that many of you now use your phone or tablet to check your email, and I want to make sure it’s easy for you to get all the latest gardening news and tips from Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. If you are a subscriber, this week you’ll notice that the email I sent looks different. My aim was to make the email easier to read on those…...

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Jul 26, 2016

sweet corn from Goodman's Farm Market Niagara Falls

Sweet corn, tomatoes now in season; you can continue to plant, too

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s what so many of us wait for all year: homegrown sweet corn and tomatoes. They’re in season now and you can get them at Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Dr. Ext., Niagara Falls. Other homegrown produce includes blueberries, green beans, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, Swiss chard, zucchini, summer squash and beets. You can also buy gardening supplies and plants, including hanging baskets, annuals and perennials. A large selection of hibiscus plants is available and they’re blooming…....

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Jul 26, 2016