by Connie Oswald Stofko I’ve enjoyed being able to bring you great gardening articles in 2018. We’ve shared gardening tips, learned about new pests, viewed wonderful photos and videos, discussed plant choices, and kept up to date on garden walks and other events. I’ll be taking a break, then will return Jan. 22 with more articles for you as you plan for the coming season. Until then, you can go our website to check out past articles. You can use…
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has awarded grants for tree and other projects in Western New York. Urban forestry grants Urban forestry grants are part of DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, which helps communities develop and implement comprehensive tree planting, management, maintenance, and education to create healthy forests while enhancing quality of life for residents. These programs promote clean air, clean water, energy savings and wildlife habitat creation. Find out more about the urban forestry…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Previously I showed you my experiment with a container garden on my front lawn. That container garden wasn’t as successful as I had hoped, but I learned a lot and tried it again. This time it was successful and my neighbors told me they loved it, too! It didn’t look like much in May or June, but in July the plants filled out and it was gorgeous. We had a mild autumn, and the container…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The bad news is that the number of monarch butterflies has been decreasing in the past 20 years. Monarchs may be given protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2019. The good news is that the number of monarchs in Western New York appears to be on the upswing. You can find out more in the very first issue of the POLLINATOR, a new publication produced by the Pollinator Conservation Association. To subscribe to the POLLINATOR for free,…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Find out how climate change is affecting your garden through a new online tool that provides county-level information on how the climate has changed since 1950 and what you can expect in the future. Called Climate Change in Your County, the tool was launched recently by the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions. It tracks average annual temperatures, high and low temperature trends, length of growing season and annual growing degree days. It also offers precipitation trends and…
Spider plants are popular for indoors because they look great with a waterfall of foliage and little “spiderlets” of leaves. They’re easy to care for, too, according the article in this month’s edition of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County. Read more about spider plants here. Also in this month’s edition, read: Fall fungi, which discusses mushrooms that pop up in your lawn Crazy about clematis This month in the garden,…
Scholarships for college students and high school seniors are available from the PLANT WNY Foundation scholarships for spring 2019. The deadline has been extended to this Friday, Dec. 7. Applicants will be considered for one of three scholarships when applying with one application: The Mary Schichtel Memorial Scholarship, The George O. Adams and Kenneth E. Isaac Memorial Scholarship and The Fred Howarth Memorial Scholarship. See a pdf application here and find a fillable Word application here. In addition, the Toby Martino…
by Connie Oswald Stofko We know that it’s easy to care for poinsettia plants. They can last through January and into spring without much effort, and many gardeners successfully nurture their poinsettias through summer. So why can’t we get poinsettias to rebloom the following year? And since poinsettias are so easy to care for, why do we buy the plants? Why don’t we start from scratch and grow poinsettia plants ourselves? “It’s difficult,” said Mark Yadon, vice president of Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses,…
Each year the public is invited to submit photography and/or artwork to be considered for the New York State Arbor Day Poster. It’s a longtime tradition and posters have become collector’s items for many. There will be 100,000 posters printed for distribution to 3,500 New York State schools, at the New York State Fair and at other venues. The winning artist will be honored at the annual state Arbor Day celebration. The deadline is Dec. 31. To submit your…
by Connie Oswald Stofko According to the calendar, we still have another month until the official start of winter, but I think gardeners will agree that winter has arrived in Western New York. Here are five tips for your early winter garden. Go outside and walk around in your garden While your garden probably doesn’t look as spectacular as is it did in July, you might find some lovely surprises, like the the red rose above that I spotted…
