by Connie Oswald Stofko Sometimes when you’re shopping for hanging baskets or other containers of annuals, you wish you could swap out the plant combinations. The basket in front of you would be your favorite, if only it had that pretty grass that’s in the basket across the way. And this other basket is nice, but the flowers are orange and you really had your heart set on pink. At Waterman’s Greenhouse, you can get exactly what you want. Place…...
WNED-TV will premier its new gardening show titled Garden Wisdom at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 9. The same show will repeat at 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 19 and at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The show will be hosted by Susan Hunt and is geared toward the specific needs of gardeners in Western New York and Southern Ontario. The program will offer secrets to nurturing your own gardens and how to use practical solutions and shortcuts that will work for gardeners…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko For the first time, shrubs will be offered for pre-order in the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. In the past, some shrubs were available on the day of the sale, but this is the first time you can pre-order them. As always, wonderful perennials, annuals and grasses will be available, too. The deadline for pre-ordering is April 8. You’ll pick up the items at the Great Plant Sale. The days…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You can plant seeds indoors now for cool-weather vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage, said Julie Emerling, a grower at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Cool-weather crops are ones that you’re going to plant outside around mid-April, depending on the weather. (Tender crops such as tomatoes and peppers are planted outside after the danger of frost has passed, which is usually Memorial Day or the end of May. It’s too soon to…...
A daylong seminar called Communities in Bloom will be held twice by the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. The cost for the seminar is $20 for the public and $10 for active Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County volunteers. The topics are: Nuisance Wildlife Solutions Plant Propagation Landscape Design The same topics will be held on both days. The first option for attending will be from 8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at the Unitarian Universalist Church,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are some links to information that I mention in my talk “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes.” If you weren’t able to write fast enough, or if you want more information on a topic, you can find that information here. If you’d like to know more about something that isn’t listed here, use the search box at the top right of the page. (See image at left.) Or you can browse through our Popular Topics,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Last winter was bitterly cold, but there was a lot of snow cover to protect perennials. This winter has seen some swings in temperature, which can be bad for perennials. I thought our gardens might have liked last winter better than this winter. Not so, say my gardening experts. “Definitely this year is better, hands down,” said Teresa Buchanan, Teresa Buchanan, general manager at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Note that she’s in the South…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A gardener thought an animal had died in one of the greenhouses. That’s how the staff at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens discovered that a voodoo lily, a “cousin” of the well known Morty the corpse flower, was in bloom last week. Like Morty, the voodoo lily gives off the aroma of rotting meat. A second voodoo lily bloomed over the weekend, so you should be able to get a whiff of the aroma…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko During much of the Victorian era, botanical gardens or conservatories were something only rich people could enjoy. The gardens were private, and the privileged few showed them off to only to their friends, said Kristy Schmitt, director of education at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. What botanical gardens were like during the Victorian era and how we came to have public gardens will be explained on a guided tour called “Our Victorian Garden– Yesterday…...
The Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens committee is holding a contest for artwork to be used on the cover of this year’s 12-page color map guide, as well as on posters and other promotional materials, including T-shirts. The winning artist will receive a $200 cash prize. The application deadline is Friday, April 29. The contest is open to all individuals, all ages and all skill levels. Official rules and an application are available online or by calling Councilmember…...