by Connie Oswald Stofko This is actually an update of a tip from David Clark, the nationally known horticulture speaker who teaches at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Winter sowing is great because it gives us gardeners in Western New York something to do when it’s cold and snowy out. You plant hardy seeds in old milk jugs or other containers and set the containers outside now. The seeds will know when they should sprout in the spring…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko When we’re planning our gardens, so many of us forget about what should make up the backbone of our gardens: trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs are larger than most other plants in your garden, so you want to plan around them. Once you plant them, they should stay put–It’s harder to relocate a tree placed in the wrong spot than it is to move a 12-inch flower. Trees can be expensive, too, so you…...
Before you dig up an area for a new garden or plant a tree or dig holes for a fence, you should call 811 or use the online Single Address Ticket. When you call or make your request online, your local utilities come out– for free– and flag where their lines are so you don’t accidentally hit them with your shovel or rototiller. You’d be pretty embarrassed if the whole neighborhood lost its cable because you cut the line. And…...
Applications for the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship, a $500 scholarship to an area college-bound high school senior or Jamestown Community College student who intends to pursue a bachelor’s degree in an environmental or related field, are now available from the Jamestown Audubon Nature Center. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, March 15. For more information or applications, go online, call (716) 569-2345 or email shatfield@jamestownaudubon.org. In 2009 the award was named in honor of Ryan Paul Exline, a graduate student…...
You can enjoy flowers any time of the year when you make the “My Suzie” flower arrangement with these easy directions from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. This is a trendy design, but it’s simple enough that even a beginner will get good results. It uses hydrangeas, spray roses and lemon leaves (also called salal), which are available year round at Mischler’s. You can even get the container at Mischler’s. If you prefer, you can use…...
Lumagination, the new light show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, will have themed rooms. Here’s a view from last year’s Night Lights show. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko An all-new light show called Lumagination will be held at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. During this exhibit, the fun begins even before you get inside. A warm and cozy tent will welcome you as you stroll up the front walk. The…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko We’ve told you before that, although they look delicate, orchids are actually easy to grow. There is one tricky part, though: potting. “The hardest part is to get people to understand that you’re not putting them in dirt,” said Joseph A. DiDomenico Jr., president of the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. You can learn more about how to pot orchids– and even have members of the orchid society repot your orchid plant!– during a new, expanded Orchid…...
The adult education program at McKinley High School is offering two horticulture courses: one basic and one advanced. Both classes meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays for 13 weeks from Jan. 26 through May 4 in the greenhouse at the school, 1500 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. The cost for each class is $175. You don’t have to live in the City of Buffalo to take the class. You can register in person at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at the school…....
Western New York communities have received grants for urban forestry projects from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The organizations and projects are: Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, $24,000 for Erie County tree inventory project for Ellicott Creek and Elma Meadows Parks Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry, $18,240 for Erie County Parks tree management plan Town of Lancaster, $25,000 for Town of Lancaster 2014-2015 tree planting project Town of Newstead, $5,033 for…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “People will tell me, ‘I’ve been growing tomatoes in this same spot for 15 years and I’ve never had a problem with disease,” said Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardener, garden writer and teacher. “I tell them, ‘You’ve been lucky.’” Harlos suggests that you rotate your plants in your vegetable garden about every three years to discourage pests and prevent disease. Rotating vegetables means placing them in a different spot in your garden. An important thing to…...