deer eating at Tift Farm in Buffalo NY

Suburban sprawl isn’t taking habitat from deer; it’s creating havens for them

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re a gardener who has complained about deer eating your plants, you’ve probably had someone respond with “Well, the deer were here first.” But gardeners who have been in their house for a few decades insist they were there before the deer. They’re right. While many people think that we are encroaching on the deer’s long-established habitat when we build new developments, suburban sprawl is actually creating refuges for deer, said Paul D. Curtis, associate…...

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leaf from Rick Brightman

See great gardening photos & share your photos, too

by Connie Oswald Stofko Tourists as well as Western New York gardeners love to take photos at the various events of the National Garden Festival and at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Rick Brightman of Norwich, NY, was in our area for the Fourth of July weekend and took this photo at the Botanical Gardens. You can find “beauty from a mile away to millimeters away and everywhere in between, no matter where you look,” Brightman said. You…...

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Garden at an Italian villa

Travel to gardens & villas of Italy; learn more in online presentation Nov. 20

Learn about an upcoming trip to tour the gardens and villas of the Italian lakes in a webinar from 6:30 to 7 p.m.  Thursday, Nov. 20. The trip will take place July 18-27 and is sponsored by the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, Collette Vacations and the Royal Horticultural Society. Highlights include: Explore UNESCO World Heritage site Padua Botanic Garden, the first botanical garden in the world. Enjoy a gardening workshop at the historic Valsanzibio Gardens. Discover the Cicogna…...

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sunchokes in pot in Amherst NY

Control sunchokes by planting them in pots; I’ll share sunchokes with you

What’s not to like about sunchokes? They grow dramatically in one season, reaching heights of 10 feet. In September, when other plants are losing steam, sunchokes are just starting to flower. They add a lot of interest to your garden. Plus you can eat them! Find out more about sunchokes  (also called Jerusalem artichokes) here. I have to admit there is one drawback with sunchokes– The roots do spread a lot. The root is the part you eat, and even…...

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Open house from Lockwood's in Hamburg NY

Ease into the holidays with Christmas open house at Lockwood’s Nov. 15

Enjoy a festive atmosphere with Christmas music and free refreshments including homemade cookies, savory treats and hot spiced cider at the Christmas open house to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses,  4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Whether you’re looking for Christmas gifts or decorations for your own home, you’ll find a spectacular array of items at Lockwood’s. Look for seasonal favorites including decorated wreaths, boxwood trees and poinsettias. Check out the indoor flowering…...

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shredded paper for compost

Save yourself some cleanup: Line kitchen scrap container with shredded paper & add to compost

by Connie Oswald Stofko A lot us of keep a container in the kitchen so we can collect potato peels, orange rinds, tea bags and other scraps for our compost pile. I use an old plastic container that has a cracked lid. Your container might be as simple as a used coffee can. You don’t need anything fancy. Here’s my big confession: I don’t like to wash out the container. I mean, you’re basically using it to collect garbage. It’s…...

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tar spot on maple leaves in Western New York 2014

Tar spot affects maple leaves in WNY; is there anything you can do about it?

by Connie Oswald Stofko You may have noticed black circles on the maple leaves in your neighborhood. That’s called tar spot  because it looks like drops of tar were dripped onto the leaves. Tar spot is caused by a fungus and attacks mostly sugar maples, but can affect other maples as well, said Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardener coordinator for the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension. There isn’t a lot you can do about tar spot, but the disease isn’t as…...

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Be a citizen scientist in Western New York: Help track squirrels & birds, take a survey & more

You don’t have to have a college degree to help advance scientific learning in plant and nature topics. You can help scientists collect data on a number of local and national projects. Here are a few projects that might interest you. __________ Let scientists know where squirrels are & where they aren’t Take a look around your home, office, school or other location and, whether you see squirrels or not, enter your observations at the Project Squirrel website. Scientists want…...

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Name the next corpse flower at the Botanical Gardens & more updates

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can vote on your favorite name for the new corpse flower, which is currently is its leaf stage at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens received thousands of suggestions and whittled them down to five: Cinder-Smella, Ichabod, Gomez, Seymorgue and Morticia. (I won’t tell you which name I voted for.) I talked today to Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture at the Botanical Gardens, and he said the leaf is now about…...

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Make miniature garden with holiday theme for yourself or as a gift at Mischler’s

Make a miniature garden with a holiday theme during hands-on workshops at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. These tabletop gardens make great gifts. They can serve as a centerpiece at a holiday party, brighten up a desk or reception area in an office or add cheer to a nursing home. The workshops will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 at Mischler’s. Each workshop will last about two hours. The first half of…...

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