Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

burlap on rhododendron to keep deer from eating shrub in Cheektowaga NY

You think YOU have deer in your garden?

by Connie Oswald Stofko As a gardener, what would it be like if your house was surrounded by a nature preserve full of deer? Ruth Robson in Cheektowaga knows what it’s like firsthand. While she has houses to her right, to her left is the Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. Her backyard, and the backyards of all her neighbors, border on Reinstein Woods. The deer could stay in Reinstein Woods, but they don’t know know anything about property lines, so they…...

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Feb 4, 2025

vegetable garden with fencing to keep out rabbits in Cheektowaga NY

Random tip: keep rabbits out of veggies

by Connie Oswald Stofko We’re not ready to plant vegetables outside yet, but this is a good time to plan for spring. Here’s an idea for keeping rabbits out of your vegetable garden. I saw these raised beds in the yard of Beth and Brian Kreutzer in Cheektowaga. I think these garden beds are genius: simple, fairly easy to build and a solid defense against pesky rabbits. You can tell the fencing works by the healthy vegetables! The Kreutzers’ patch…...

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Jan 28, 2025

Tree & shrub sales are here; free seedlings for kids!

You can buy tree and shrub seedlings through the state as well as several counties in Western New York. Schools and youth education organizations can get some seedlings for free from New York State. Tree & shrub sales Tips Links to state and county sales NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Cattaraugus County Chautauqua County Erie County Genesee County Niagara County Orleans County Free seedlings for schools, youth organizations Apply online by March 28 to receive 25-50 free seedlings to plant with…...

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Jan 28, 2025

UPDATE: What you need to know about bird flu

Jan. 30, 2025: There’s a new web-based form for you to report suspected cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in wild birds. The new link for reporting observations can be found on DEC’s the Animal Diseases webpage of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Of particular interest are reports of suspected outbreaks in all species of waterfowl, raptors, crows, shorebirds, and other waterbirds such as gulls, loons and herons. These species are known HPAI vectors, particularly vulnerable to the disease. The…...

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Jan 28, 2025

Tropical Orchard to open at Botanical Gardens; get a sneak peek here!

by Connie Oswald Stofko A completely renovated greenhouse, the Tropical Orchard, will open this Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. I was given a sneak peek yesterday to share with you! The Tropical Orchard features a collection of edible plants from around the world. Some of the plants you’ll see are starfruits, bananas, Australian finger limes, pineapples, chocolate tree, ponderosa lemon, strawberry guava tree and coconut palm. More common plants include peanuts, a peach tree,…...

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Jan 21, 2025

How to keep poinsettias looking great for weeks

by Connie Oswald Stofko To keep at least some of your potted poinsettias looking pretty longer, try this tip from my sister, Sharon Moriarity of Cheektowaga. She was able to start out with many potted poinsettias. On Jan. 6, the end of the Christmas season, her church was taking down the poinsettias, but no one else wanted them. Moriarity was glad to take them home. After a while, some of the “flowers” weren’t doing well. (What we think of as…...

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Jan 21, 2025

Garden Art Sale by Gardens Buffalo Niagara

Artisans: Sign up for Garden Art Sale

Are you an artisan—or do you know one—who creates objects with a theme of gardens or nature? It’s time for artisans and vendors to sign up the 15th annual Garden Art Sale. The application deadline is Tuesday, March 25. “This is an exceptional opportunity for artists and creators to connect with our dedicated gardening community,” said Jim Charlier, Garden Art Sale event chair. “We’re calling upon artisans whose works can adorn gardens or evoke the spirit of nature to be a…...

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Jan 21, 2025

Are black-eyed Susans native plants?

UPDATE FEB. 3, 2025: Some readers wanted to hear more about this topic, but couldn’t attend the talk when it occurred. You can see a summary of the main points of Ken Parker’s presentation here. by Connie Oswald Stofko Are black-eyed Susans native plants? To North America, yes. But to Western New York, they’re not native, said Ken Parker, membership chair of Wild Ones Western New York. And it’s important for “native plants” to be native to where we live…....

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Jan 14, 2025

New seed library, classes in Orleans County

A new seed library called Orleans Community Seed Share is a new program of the Master Gardeners in Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. The seed share is more than just a collection of seeds—it’s a living library that cultivates community, sustainability and biodiversity, according to the Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners invite local gardeners to borrow seeds, nurture them in their home gardens and return seeds from their mature plants. This simple act creates a powerful cycle of sharing…...

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Jan 14, 2025

bees on flowers and two buck deer in Amherst NY

What worked well for your garden? What didn’t?

by Connie Oswald Stofko Now is the time to start making plans for next season. What worked well in your garden this year, and what didn’t? Here are some ideas that may help. Consider trees and shrubs Too often, when we think about “garden plants,” we think only about perennials and annuals, but shrubs and trees are important elements of your landscape. New York state and most counties in Western New York will have sales of tree and shrub seedlings…....

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Dec 17, 2024