Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Sign up now for Beyond Flowers bus tour this Saturday, Aug. 1

The bus tour called Beyond Flowers: Sustainability in Action will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. You’ll visit seven sites where you’ll learn about urban farming, community gardening, creating community through parks, soil phytoremediation/reclamation, rainwater retention, rooftop gardening and more. (Please note that the date in the Open Garden Book is incorrect. The correct date is Saturday, Aug. 1.) The pick-up site is the the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus parking lot, 589 Ellicott St. at…...

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Jul 27, 2015

begonia Whopper at Mischler's in Williamsville

You can still plant perennials & annuals– and there are sales!

by Connie Oswald Stofko A lot of gardeners seem to view Memorial Day weekend as a deadline. They think that all of their planting has to be done by then. Not true! “There is still lots of time to enjoy flowers,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. This is a great time to buy annuals for several reasons, Yadon said. The plants that you buy now are larger than the plants…...

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Jul 21, 2015

Lighting gives yards ambiance during Night Lights in Ken-Ton

by Connie Oswald Stofko Jim Aichinger and Tim Kuntz’s gardens are lovely during the day. “But when the lights come on, oh, it’s wonderful back here,” said Kuntz. They shared their Cornwall Avenue landscape during the Night Lights portion of the Ken-Ton Garden Tour on Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18. The daytime portion was held Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19. The front as well as the back is lit 365 days a year, Aichinger said, with…...

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Jul 21, 2015

Containers decorated by gardener add charm to Lockport yard

by Connie Oswald Stofko The gardens of Pat Arnold are filled with many flowers, including 30 rose bushes, but if you pause to look more closely, you’ll notice other elements that add to the gardens’ beauty. You might call it Buffalo-style garden art, or you might dub it upcycling. “It’s artwork I do from odds and ends I pick up,” she said. “I just look for things that people put out at the curb, or things at Salvation Army or…

Jul 21, 2015

Buy rain barrels, compost bins at reduced price; order by July 31 for pick-up in August

Rain barrels and compost are both great for your garden and can help the environment. Erie County, with other sponsors, is selling compost bins and rain barrels at a reduced price. You don’t have to live in Erie County to order. You must order the items by July 31 for pick-up in Tonawanda in August. If you live in Chautauqua County, you can arrange to pick up your order either in Tonawanda or at Sanfilippo Solutions, Inc., 19 E Main…...

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Jul 21, 2015

Blue Star Marker honoring armed forces to be dedicated in Chestnut Ridge garden

The South Towns Gardeners and the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry will hold a dedication of the Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 29 in the Honor Garden at Chestnut Ridge Park, 6121 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Orchard Park. The garden surrounds the flag pole near the casino. The marker will honor all members of the armed forces, past and present. The Honor Garden in which the marker will be set is a prairie…...

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Jul 21, 2015

Wet weather brings mildew, blight to Western New York gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko “The wetness we had early in the season has caused disease issues that will show up the rest of the season,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. These issues include mildew and blight. How you handle it depends on the particular plant that is affected as well as on your gardening preferences. Some plants that get a fungal disease don’t need to be treated at all. If a lilac bush…...

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Jul 14, 2015

Feel transported across the world in backyard tea garden in Lancaster

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Everyone comes to see the back,” said Rich Groblewski as he gave me a tour last week of his landscape at 14 Lombardy St., Lancaster. It seems like a nice suburban yard with a new arbor (the old one was crushed under seven feet of snow in the Snowvember storm), a fire pit, small pond and flowering plants. But walk a little farther back and you’ll see a path lined with bright red railings. Follow the…...

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Jul 14, 2015

Schoellkopf Park fountain courtesy Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center

Grand name reflects high goals for garden walk in Niagara Falls

by Connie Oswald Stofko “I hope this is the beginning of something to bring the city back to life,” said Pete Ames, co-chair of the Grand Gardens of the Niagara Portage. The event is a garden walk with a twist. Public gardens rather than private gardens will be the focus. You can take a trolley from site to site while listening to a guide discuss the history of the architecture you see along the way, and speakers will give presentations…...

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Jul 14, 2015

Gardening episode slated for Lori & Friends

by Connie Oswald Stofko I was delighted to be one of three guests on a special gardening episode of Lori & Friends, the popular show on Time Warner Channel 20. Usually host Lori Caso does cooking with her guests, but since cooking isn’t my strong suit, I was delighted when she said we could all talk about gardening. I showed how to make glass mushrooms that you can display in your garden. David Clark, internationally known horticulturist and speaker who…...

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Jul 14, 2015