Clematis_Serious_Black courtesy Buffalo Botanical Gardens

Three plant sales set at Botanical Gardens: orchids, bulbs & Great Plant Sale

by Connie Oswald Stofko Three different plant sales are set at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. First is the orchid sale, which will take place from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7 in the Administration Building. The sale will include all types of orchids from the the recent orchid exhibit as well as orchids from the Botanical Gardens’ collection. You may want to get there early; the sale will continue only…...

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savor the beauty poster copyright Stofko

Thought for the day: savor the beauty

by Connie Oswald Stofko Well, it’s official. This was the coldest February on record in Western New York. It’s been a tough winter. Some of us got seven feet of snow in November alone. Even areas of Western New York that don’t normally get much snow have two feet or more on the ground. People are tired of shoveling, of trying to walk on snowy sidewalks, of driving through snow. Then there’s the cold. Day after day of below zero…

floral clock photo illustration by Connie Oswald Stofko

Hear 45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes with Springville garden club

by Connie Oswald Stofko I’ll present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes” at the meeting of the Scene Garden Club at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 9 at Loves, Inc., 64 East Main St., Springville. In my presentation, I’ll share some of the best tips I discovered as I have interviewed home gardeners and gardening experts in the past several years for Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. I have to average one tip per minute, so it’s…

Goodman's prize Niagara Falls, NY

Subscribe for a chance to win one of three gardening prize packages!

Enter for the chance to win a prize package valued at more than $200 simply by subscribing to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. It’s free to subscribe! If you are already subscribed, you are already entered. Hey, I appreciate the support of my longtime readers! Three winners will be selected at random from our list of subscribers. Each will win a prize package worth more than $200! The deadline to enter is Tuesday, March 31, 2015…....

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ice sculpture with ribbons in Western New York

Make the most of these low temperatures by creating molded ice centerpieces

by Connie Oswald Stofko The winter I heard about making colored spheres out of ice, I thought it was a great idea. But I waited an entire year before I could try it outside because the previous winter had been too mild. Temperatures would repeatedly bounce up above freezing. The forecast never seemed to call for enough below-freezing days in a row to make the effort worthwhile. Then last winter it was finally cold enough to experiment. I was able…...

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Star Magnolia damaged in Hamburg NY

Storm damage: Free talk at Lockwood’s will explain what you can do

There was the Snowvember storm in 2014, which brought down trees and damaged mature shrubs. Even if you were lucky enough to have missed that, all of us in Western New York have experienced high winds, heavy snow and brutally cold temperatures this winter. And every year many gardeners contend with deer and rabbits, which can cause damage to our landscapes. Find out what you can do about damage to your landscape at a free talk by gardening expert Sally…...

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green seedling in hand

Genesee County Master Gardeners to hold lunchtime talks, evening dessert series

The Genesee County Master Gardeners will hold two discussion series: a new lunchtime garden series called Garden Talk  and a Coffee and Dessert Series in the evening. Both will be held in the Cooperative Extension office,  420 E. Main St., Batavia. More information and other Master Gardener events will be posted on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County website and on their Facebook page. Garden Talk at lunchtime A new series called Garden Talk will be held from 12:15…...

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Welcome to my new subscribers; our prize drawing is under way until March 31

by Connie Oswald Stofko I want to welcome all my new readers who signed up with me this past week at the WNY Home & Garden Expo. Thank you for subscribing! It was so busy at the Expo that we didn’t get a chance to mention to all of you that we are running a drawing for three prize packages, each worth more than $200. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. If you subscribed at…...

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steps in Whittemore garden in Hamburg NY

A natural slope adds interest to colorful shade garden in Hamburg; garden walks are coming!

by Connie Oswald Stofko A natural slope combined with raised beds add interest to the Hamburg yard of Barb and Dave Whittemore. “There are seven steps to the top deck,” Dave pointed out. “We really have vistas with this. The elevations make a world of difference. That’s one thing I really enjoy.” A screened-in seating area is perched at the top of the garden looking down on the main part of the yard. “You can sit up there and see…...

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Four workshops set for Gardens & Landscape Day on March 7 in Jamestown; register now

by Connie Oswald Stofko The 2015 Gardens & Landscapes Day will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7 in the Katharine Jackson Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College, 525 Falconer St., Jamestown. The event is geared to home gardeners at all interest levels, from the casual gardener to the advanced Master Gardener. It will include four main workshops in addition to mini workshops during lunch. I’m honored that I have been invited to give the keynote talk…....

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