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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Apr 21, 2015
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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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Apr 21, 2015
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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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Apr 21, 2015
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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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Apr 21, 2015
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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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Apr 14, 2015
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cut dead perennials in spring in Buffalo NY

17 reminders for your early spring garden in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko As I sat outside yesterday in shorts and bare feet, it felt as if summer was here to stay. But that’s how it feels every spring in Western New York, and every year our spring weather takes us on a roller coaster ride. The high was in the 70s yesterday, yet you know we’re still going to get freezing temperatures before summer really arrives. Some years we’ve had flakes of snow flying around in the air in May. I know…...

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Apr 14, 2015
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kids fairy garden from Buffalo Erie County Botanical Gardens

Fairy & Gnome Festival set at Botanical Gardens; April 15 is deadline to enter contest

Two kids’ workshops on making a fairy garden as well as a display of kids’ fairy and gnome houses will be highlights of the Fairy and Gnome Festival to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. The festival is included with admission. Activities for children include a special scavenger hunt, story time and nature walks. If you wear a costume, you get $1 off admission. The price is $9…...

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Apr 14, 2015
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floral clock photo illustration by Connie Oswald Stofko

Hear 45 gardening tips at Mount Olivet; first in series of talks at the Kenmore cemetery

by Connie Oswald Stofko I  will present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23 in the main office at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore. This will be the first in a new series of talks at the cemetery called Live Your Legacy Workshops.  All programs are free and open to the public. I will share some of the best tips I discovered as I interviewed home gardeners and gardening experts. I have discovered…...

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Apr 14, 2015
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hellstrip with flowers in Buffalo NY view from sidewalk

Tips for planting an unused space: the ‘hellstrip’ between street & sidewalk

by Connie Oswald Stofko People call it the “hellstrip.” It’s that section between the sidewalk and street where people generally grow nothing but grass. It’s where the plows deposit the heavy, salty snow from the street. Garbage cans get tossed there. Dogs do their business there. What in the world could you grow there? Flowers and herbs. That’s what Elaine Clutterbuck of Buffalo grows in the three-season garden she has established in her hellstrip. This past summer her garden was…...

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Apr 7, 2015
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pruning photo from adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Learn about pruning & get your tools sharpened at Lockwood’s; birding seminar, too

Because the first one filled up so fast, Lockwood’s Greenhouses is holding another seminar on pruning at 1 p.m. this Saturday, April 11 at Lockwood’s, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. The session will be taught by gardening expert Sally Cunningham. It will focus on damage from the Snowvember Storm, but will also cover common problems in the landscape caused by severe cold and animals grazing on your garden plants. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period. You can even bring photos of particular shrubs…...

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Apr 7, 2015
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