by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m always delighted by the creativity on display at flower shows. Yes, there are flower arrangements, but there is so much more. Here’s a darling three-dimensional baby bed made of plant material. Wouldn’t something like this be cute for a baby shower? I saw this at the annual flower show organized by the Eighth District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State at Plantasia in March. Chris Wheaton made this prize-winning creation. The blanket is made…...
Morty the corpse flower bloomed
by Connie Oswald Stofko Morty, the corpse flower at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, finally bloomed! It opened in the wee hours of the morning Friday, Aug. 8. I went over around 10 a.m. and shot the video below. People were lined up Friday to see Morty and lines got longer on Saturday. The lines snaked through the various buildings at the Botanical Gardens, so there was plenty to look at along the way, plus volunteers were on…...
Create a no-bending, no-kneeling garden like this one in Buffalo
by Connie Oswald Stofko JoAnn Yager has a small garden along the fence in her backyard, but the plants there struggle. “They never grew,” she said, “and it was too hard bending and weeding.” This year she tried something new. Her reward is that she is surrounded by flowers and herbs and vegetables, plus she eliminated all that bending and kneeling. Her trick? She used containers on her back deck. Yager shared her tips during the Black Rock &…...
Kids bored? Take them to Botanical Gardens for outdoor garden, camps & more
by Connie Oswald Stofko In the outdoor children’s garden at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, kids are allowed– and encouraged– to touch the plants and experience the texture of fuzzy and glossy leaves. They can water the plants or just play with the hand pump. A big attraction is the sandbox, located comfortably in the shade of a tree. There’s a small pond where frogs and turtles have made an appearance. “There’s lots to explore,” said Kristy Blakely,…...
Trellis can support vines & shade lettuce; see 3 examples from Lockwood’s community garden
You can provide support for vining vegetables such as squash or cucumbers, while at the same time providing shade for lettuce, which likes cooler temperatures, with a simple trellis. I saw three different examples built by clever gardeners earlier this summer at the community garden at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Anyone can rent a parcel in the community garden, which is a wonderfully sunny area. Parcels are $85 for 4 feet by 50 feet (200 square feet) and…...
Corpse flower to bloom soon at Botanical Gardens; may happen only once a decade
UPDATE: Morty the corpse flower is blooming now. Today, Saturday, Aug. 9, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. The last admission ticket will be sold at 11 p.m. See a video of Morty in bloom here. by Connie Oswald Stofko In a rare event that might happen only once a decade, a corpse flower is likely to bloom within the next nine days at the Buffalo and Erie County…...
A lot of garden is packed into small Buffalo yard– ponds, falls, hot tub & many plants
by Connie Oswald Stofko The description of this yard on the Garden Walk Buffalo map summed it up perfectly: A lot of garden crammed into a tiny space. Bruce and Renée Adams of 533 Auburn, Buffalo, have a backyard that is about 36 feet wide but only 20 feet deep, yet they manage to squeeze in two ponds, a stream, a patio table and chairs, a hot tub and lots and lots of plants. I visited their home during the…...
Pool owners: Help save trees from the invasive Asian longhorned beetle
Pool owners can participate in the third annual Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) Swimming Pool Survey now through Aug. 29 to help detect these exotic, invasive beetles before they cause serious damage to our forests and street trees. The survey is held by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) at this time of year when ALBs are expected to become adults, emerge from the trees they are infesting and become active outside those trees. ALBs are originally from…...
Slow-growing shrubs create low-maintenance garden; backyard is full of perennials
by Connie Oswald Stofko Barb Ciesla and her husband Henry had a front yard with a line of yew bushes straight across the front. She wanted something more interesting and decided to redo the entire front. “I’m 60 years old and I don’t want to do it all again,” Ciesla said. “I don’t want to have to redo it in five years because things got too big. I wanted things that grow very slowly.” She spent the entire winter researching…...
Lighting adds ambiance to Moroccan-themed garden in Tonawanda
by Connie Oswald Stofko Great lighting set the mood for a Moroccan-themed garden during the nighttime garden walk of the Ken-Ton Garden Tour held this past weekend. The event also included a daytime garden walk. Richard Levy of 122 Pickford Ave., Tonawanda, chose a Morrocan theme because his father’s family is from that part of the world. His grandparents were born in Istanbul. At left, a gazebo was draped with rich-looking colorful fabrics. He looked at 100 or 200 photos…...