Entrance beds at Botanical Gardens to be transformed with help from Proven Winners

by Connie Oswald Stofko In some months when you approached the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, the entrance beds were full of flowers. But in other months, they looked sad. “It would look like scorched earth,” said Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture. “It was just tilled ground.” You can expect wonderful beds there year-round now that the entrance gardens have been designated as one of six elite Proven Winners Signature Gardens in the country. The goal is to develop a showcase…...

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watering can planters in Lewiston 2

Please don’t steal my photos; how to use images on your blog without getting into trouble

by Connie Oswald Stofko Sometimes people steal my photos, and when I find out, it upsets me. When I tell the thieves that I have caught them and they must take my photo off their website, they’re often upset, too, because they didn’t know they were doing anything wrong. Many people think that they can take any photo they find on the Internet and use it on their own blog or website. It’s okay, they think, as long as they indicate where…...

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Stella Niagara from WNY Land Conservancy

Matching gifts needed to create Stella Niagara Preserve; other projects get grants

The Western New York Land Conservancy and the Friends of the Stella Niagara Preserve have received a $200,000 challenge gift by a local couple, Pamela and Joe Priest, to help create the Stella Niagara Preserve, a new nature preserve on the Niagara River in Lewiston. The Land Conservancy is asking residents, businesses, and foundations to donate and match this challenge gift by June 1 in order to complete the project on time and to open the preserve to the public later…...

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daisies and more flowers in Western New York

Call in your questions; Saturday radio show sponsored by PLANT WNY to air for six weeks

You can call in your gardening and landscape questions during a radio show called “Gardener’s Corner” sponsored by PLANT WNY’s foundation. “Gardener’s Corner” will be part of the Home Improvement Hour on WBEN 930 am and will air from 11:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays for six weeks starting May 2. Chris Zeisz, a lifetime CNLP (certified nursery and landscape professional) and owner of Snyder Ridge Landscaping & Garden Center, will be the host of the show. He will have guests…...

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garden retaining wall made of books in Hamburg NY

Creative garden retaining wall is made of books; see other examples of walls

by Connie Oswald Stofko Now is a good time to install hardscapes in your yard—things like paths, trellises and retaining walls for raised beds and slopes. Here’s a creative idea for a retaining wall that I saw at Plantasia in March. It’s made out of old books. While this wall was in place for only a few days and was displayed inside a building where it never got rained on, I think it could work in the real world. The books wouldn’t…...

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dog and cat with halo from Goodman's Farm Market in Niagara Falls

Animal lovers: Show your feelings with statues & markers for your garden

by Connie Oswald Stofko One marker says “Dog crossing” and another announces “I love my cat.” For gardeners who don’t want to take sides, there’s a marker that says “Bless all the creatures of the garden.” Express your feelings for whatever animal has stolen your heart with garden ornaments from Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Dr. Ext., Niagara Falls. Maybe your dog joins you in your garden, creating holes in places where you need them, or more likely, where you don’t need them. You can…...

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Digitalis Foxglove Dalmation Peach from Ivy Garth

Mischler’s 49-cent perennial sale starts Friday; make the most of it with these tips

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s the sale that gardeners wait all year for— Mischler’s 49-cent perennial sale. Since it comes around only once a year, you should do a little preparation so you can make the most of it. The sale will be held Friday, April 24 to Sunday, May 3 at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. (Please note that it starts this Friday; I had the starting date wrong last week.) Sale hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday…...

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trellis made from lattice in Lockwood's community garden in Hamburg NY

Sign up for parcel in community garden at Lockwood’s; meeting set for April 23

You can rent a plot in the community garden at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. You don’t have to live in Hamburg; anyone can rent a plot. Lockwood’s has set aside a portion of its farmland for the community garden. It has divided the garden into parcels 4 feet wide by 50 feet long; the square footage is the size of an average home vegetable garden. There are also smaller parcels available, which are 4 feet wide by 23 feet long…....

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looking into small yard in Buffalo NY

Share your garden on Garden Walk Buffalo; deadline is May 15

If you want to share your garden on Garden Walk Buffalo, apply soon– the deadline is May 15. You can apply online or download an application and mail it in. Garden Walk Buffalo takes place on the West Side of Buffalo. Your garden must be within the boundaries of the walk: the Niagara River to Main Street and Canalside to the Scajaquada Expressway. Anyone within those boundaries can show their garden. There is no judging of gardens; Garden Walk Buffalo isn’t a contest. Gardens range…...

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ScabiosaBabyBlue from Ivy Garth

Moonflower opens before your eyes; it’s a new offering at Mischler’s 49-cent perennial sale

by Connie Oswald Stofko The moonflower (Oenothera acaulis, also known as a mountain dandelion) is an amazing plant. The light yellow flowers open in the evening, and they open so fast you can watch it happen in real time. “They open before your very eyes like time-lapse photography,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses. “They spin open— they open that fast.” I don’t have a photo, but you can see a video here. Yadon said some people place bets…...

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