by Connie Oswald Stofko A gardener thought an animal had died in one of the greenhouses. That’s how the staff at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens discovered that a voodoo lily, a “cousin” of the well known Morty the corpse flower, was in bloom last week. Like Morty, the voodoo lily gives off the aroma of rotting meat. A second voodoo lily bloomed over the weekend, so you should be able to get a whiff of the aroma…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, the second stinky corpse flower to bloom at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, is already bigger than Morty was this year, and Fester may grow bigger than Morty was in 2014, said Erin Grajek, associate vice president of Marketing & Visitor Experience at the Botanical Gardens. Fester can grow two to eight inches per day and is now 63.5 inches or about 5 1/4 feet tall. Morty was about 4 1/2 feet tall this year, but was…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, which started out as the smallest of the three corpse flower corms (bulbs) that the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens acquired in 2014, is ready to bloom and is on display now. This announcement comes a week after another of the corpse flowers, dubbed Morty, bloomed for the second time! Since these plants bloom only once every six to ten years, having two bloom within such a short amount of time is unusual. It’s…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Morty isn’t acting the way it did the last time it bloomed. The corpse flower or Amorphophallus titanum, which gives off the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators, revved up its smell, but didn’t unfurl the way it did in 2014. It’s shorter this time, too– about 4 1/2 feet tall, not the huge 7 1/2 feet he attained last time. Yet the fact that Morty bloomed again so soon is pretty exciting– These plants may…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Remember Morty, the huge, stinky corpse flower that made its appearance at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens in 2014? You can buy a smaller “cousin” of Morty to call your own at the Great Plant Sale. The voodoo lily, which smells like rotting meat, is one of the new offerings available this year at the Great Plant Sale to be held Thursday through Saturday, May 18-20 at the Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave.,…
by Connie Oswald Stofko This is my last issue for 2014, but I will return Jan. 13 with more gardening tips and hints on Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. In the meantime, I’ll continue updating the Events page, so you’re welcome to check back to find out about all the great gardening activities in Western New York. This past year had its ups and downs for Western New York gardeners. It started with a bitter winter, but at least all that snow we got…
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,…
Can you help readers with these two gardening questions? Gardening question #1: What’s the name of this stinky plant? I saw your post about the stinky plant. I think I have one, but it does not look like a lily. I was told mine is a voodoo plant. Last year, it gave me a beautiful umbrella effect. This year, it is odd and has a red flower in the middle. Today I found a ton of flies on it, and…
© 2016 Buffalo-Niagara Gardening. All rights reserved.