by Connie Oswald Stofko A lot of beautiful potted flowers were sold this past week for Easter by Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. But when the flower falls off, what do you do with the plant? “People don’t know what to do with flowers they get at Easter,” said Teresa Buchanan, garden center manager. “A lot of those flowers will come back.” Here are tips from Buchanan on how to handle those wonderful potted flowers so that you can…...
Get ready for the 49-cent perennial sale at Mischler’s to be held April 25-May 3
The yearly 49-cent perennial sale at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses is so popular, the folks at Mischler’s have created a short guide with tips on how to get the most out of this awesome event. The event will be held from Friday, April 25 to Saturday, May 3 at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Road, Williamsville. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The plants…...
First official Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival set for April 23-May 4
The first official Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival at the Japanese Garden in Buffalo will run from will run from April 23- May 4. It’s going to be a 12-day event that includes a tea ceremony, speakers, a book signing, a Cherry Blossom Ball, Japanese and Burmese dance performances, a celebrity chef food and sake tasting, an orienteering event, a cherry tree planting, a creative pink and white parade and, of course, cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms (or “sakura” in Japanese) are…...
Help a reader: What is this awful plant?
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader sent me this question: “I have what I assume is a weed every year in one garden bed. I cannot get rid of it no matter what I try. It is green leafed and grows on a stem that snakes under ground. The stem is reddish purple under ground and the leaves come up from that as it spreads all over. It can get very tall. It’s coming up already. It twists through my…...
It feels like summer, then winter– What you can do in your garden now
by Connie Oswald Stofko How do we know it’s spring in Western New York? One day it feels like summer and the next day it feels like winter. On Sunday I opened my doors and windows and it got up to 74 degrees Fahrenheit in the house. Today? Snow. Sigh. If I get nervous that winter is making a comeback, I remember that I have seen robins and crocuses in my neighborhood. I know spring is here to stay. But…...
Shakespeare garden planned for Karpeles Manuscript Library on Porter; fundraiser set
“At Christmas I no more desire a rose than wish snow in May’s new-fangled mirth.” Love’s Labour’s Lost by William Shakespeare by Connie Oswald Stofko Flowers, herbs and trees mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare will be featured in a new Buffalo Shakespeare Garden that is planned for the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, 453 Porter Avenue, Buffalo. The grand opening is planned for spring 2016 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. A fundraiser for the project…...
WNY communities honored by Tree City USA program
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We’re big about trees around here,” said Dan Stone, city arborist with the City of Jamestown Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. Jamestown is one of 16 Western New York communities that have been honored in the Tree City USA program for their attention to the “urban forest.” Tree City USA is a program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the state forestry agencies…....
It’s warmer out, but use restraint so you don’t compact your garden soil
by Connie Oswald Stofko We had a bit of warm sunshine this weekend and it was wonderful to do some outside chores. My husband raked the autumn leaves off the front lawn and I yanked a few early weeds from garden beds near a sidewalk. But there still isn’t a lot you can do in your garden yet, said Teresa Buchanan, general manager at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. “I would tell people to use care in their gardens…...
Trowel Talks set in Chautauqua County; helpline is open for season
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County Master Gardeners will hold Trowel Talks at libraries throughout the Chautauqua County. The April schedule is below. See a pdf that includes the May dates here. The Master Gardener Helpline in Chautauqua County has officially opened for the season. Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand from 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays at the Frank Bratt Agricultural Center, 3542 Turner Rd., Jamestown, to answer your gardening questions. There are three ways to contact the helpline: you…...
Congratulations to our lucky winners!
Three lucky subscribers to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com are the winners of gardening prize packages worth more than $150. The winners are: Fran Noonan of Williamsville Theresa Lorczak of Cheektowaga Barbara Harbison of East Aurora They were selected at random from all of our subscribers in our contest that ended April 1. Each of the winners receives: A lovely gift basket for the gardener, plus a $20 gift certificate from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. A signed copy of…...