Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Dangerous plant: Do not touch giant hogweed! It can cause severe burns and blindness

by Connie Oswald Stofko I saw giant hogweed in Niagara County several years ago. It was about four feet tall and I thought it was an overgrown Queen Anne’s lace. Boy, am I glad I didn’t go near it! Its sap, in combination with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and blindness. This is a seriously dangerous plant. The plant has been identified in every county in Western New York. See a…...

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Jun 3, 2014

How to protect seedlings & sprouts when applying mulch

by Connie Oswald Stofko Usually I share tips that I hear from another gardener, but I’m proud to say I came up with this tip myself. My sister, Maxine Osiewicz of Clarence, was telling me about her big project for the weekend. She and her husband Bob were going to spread mulch on their garden beds. The problem, she said, was that there were some tiny lupine plants coming up and she didn’t want to cover them up with the…...

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Jun 3, 2014

I’ll be giving presentations in WNY this month; stop by and say hello!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Please stop by and say hello as I give presentations around Western New York in the coming weeks. I’m looking forward to it! Western New York Dairy/Agricultural Festival 1 p.m. Saturday, June 7 Town Hall, 86 Franklin St., Springville. “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes.” I’ll share some of the best tips I’ve come across over the years. I have to cover one tip per minute, so it will be exciting to see if I…...

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Jun 3, 2014

Go for the gardening talks & make a day of it at WNY Agricultural Festival in Springville

by Connie Oswald Stofko Get great information you can use in your garden during a new series of free talks to be held during the Western New York Dairy/Agricultural Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8 in Town Hall, 86 Franklin St., Springville. The festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, June 6 and takes over the downtown Springville area. Besides the talks, events include a parade, live entertainment, food, amusement rides, a kids’ tent with a petting…...

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May 27, 2014

uperbells Lemon Slice from Proven Winners

There’s still time to plant annuals; new varieties available for Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko There’s still plenty of time to plant annual flowers in your garden or in containers. As I’ve said many times before, gardening doesn’t start and stop on Memorial Day weekend. If you like, you can choose the same annuals you use every year (with the possible exception of impatiens— not many garden centers will be carrying them this year.) But some people want something different. They like odd flowers that you won’t see in other gardens,…...

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May 27, 2014

Walk among butterflies at Monarch Madness June 8 in Botanical Gardens

Walk through an enclosure filled with monarchs and other native butterflies during Monarch Madness from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. The exhibit will include native plants that the butterflies need to eat, to lay their eggs on and, in short, to survive. Folks from the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm in Clarence will be on hand to talk about the butterflies. There will also be…...

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May 27, 2014

Thanks for making Western New York’s online gardening magazine so successful!

by Connie Oswald Stofko Thanks to my loyal readers, Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com has once again received a Constant Contact All Star Award! “The standards for becoming an All Star this year were tougher than ever,” said the folks at Constant Contact, “and that you managed to do it for consecutive years is quite an accomplishment.” Constant Contact, a marketing and email company, works with more than half a million small organizations worldwide, so to be given this award is an honor for…...

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May 26, 2014

plants from garden center in Western New York

5 tips for shopping for plants this weekend in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko This weekend is probably the biggest shopping weekend for gardeners. Our gardens should be dry enough to dig in by now, and by the end of May, the danger of frost should have passed, so we’re all excited to buy tender plants and put them in our gardens now. To help you get the most out of your shopping excursion, take a look at these tips. Decide what you want to get out of your garden…...

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May 20, 2014

Get spectacular spring color without sacrificing summer splendor

by Connie Oswald Stofko So many of us are looking forward to the start of the 2014 gardening season, but Claudia Kolbe-Hawthorne of the Cleve-Hill section of Cheektowaga is already enjoying the third wave of color in her flower beds. First there were the hyacinths, which were followed by daffodils. When I visited her last week, there were masses of colorful tulips. But even after the tulips are gone, there won’t be a lack of color. The perennials, such as…...

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May 20, 2014

As you take photos, keep Western New York contests in mind

If you like gardening, you might like taking photos of gardens and nature. And if you’ve got some lovely shots, why not enter them into a photo contest? The deadline for the Jamestown Audubon contest is coming up quickly– June 30– but you have until Dec. 31 to get shots for the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens contest. Jamestown Audubon Society Anyone from beginners and professionals can enter their images in the fourth annual Nature Photography Contest held by…...

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May 20, 2014