Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Visitors’ Choice Awards announced by Inaugural Site in Buffalo

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site tallied your votes and announced the winners in its annual Victorian Christmas Visitors’ Choice voting. Each year, the stately Wilcox Mansion, 641 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, where Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office, is decorated for the holidays by members in the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Eighth District. Different areas of the mansion are decorated by different garden clubs, and visitors are invited to vote for their favorites. The winners were announced…

Apr 19, 2011

Fargo Estate Neighborhood Community Garden in Buffalo NY

Lend a hand– or some perennials– to Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo

by Connie Oswald Stofko Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo is looking for volunteers to help break ground on new community gardens and open established gardens for the season. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, April 17. While Grassroots Gardens now works with a total of 72 community gardens all over the City of Buffalo, just 11 gardens are on the list for extra help this weekend. “All of the gardens are completely different,” explained Linda…

Apr 12, 2011

Delorme and Jenkins at Botanical Gardens in Buffalo NY

Feel a blast of spring at Botanical Gardens’ annual show in Buffalo

New and fresh designs await visitors at the annual Spring Flower Show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. In the photo above, Shannon Delorme and her daughter, Brynn Jenkins, 11 months, enjoy the rustic fountain. Flowers take center stage in that panorama, but you can see swaths of long green grass behind Shannon and Brynn. That fresh grass makes you feel as if you have been transported to a tranquil meadow. What’s most…

Apr 12, 2011

Spicy scented sweet peas are the flower for April

by Ruth Syron The sweet pea is a charming cool weather flower that is the April birth flower. It has a wonderful spicy, sweet scent that is delicate, yet substantial enough not to be missed. The sweet pea symbolizes “thank you for a lovely time.” I think this meaning fits the scent of the sweet pea because experiencing the aroma is a fleeting pleasure, hard to describe, but you feel thankful that you have enjoyed it. The sweet pea also…

Apr 5, 2011

cutting roots on African violet in Buffalo NY

Is your African violet feeling blue? Time to repot!

By Ruth Syron Does your African violet look dull? Do its leaves droop? Does it lack blooms and have a long neck? It is time to repot. African violets require rich, well drained soil to flourish. Bagged specialty soil made for violets is good, and it’s better if blended with equal parts of peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. If you have a long neck on the plant, select a 5- to 6-inch pot. Otherwise, a 4- or 5-inch pot that is…

Apr 5, 2011

Landowners, volunteers can help with planting projects along water

Volunteers, as well as people who own land along the Niagara River, Buffalo River or creeks, are needed for planting projects to restore the habitat along the water’s edge. The projects are part of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper’s Habitat Restoration Program and Restore Corps. Landowners If you own land on the Niagara River, Buffalo River or a creek that is a tributary of those rivers, you probably appreciate your access to the water and want to help protect our streams. But…

Apr 5, 2011

New small shrubs are great for tight spaces– even containers!

by Connie Oswald Stofko A new trend in gardening is the development of small bushes that fit nicely into tight spaces– some are even suitable for containers! These new varieties preserve the characteristics we enjoyed in the larger versions. One example of a smaller bush is ‘Bloomerang,’ a very fragrant reblooming lilac introduced two years ago that grows only four or five feet tall. That’s not like your grandmother’s lilac, which might have gotten 10 feet tall, said Mark Van…

Mar 29, 2011

Nine tips to keep your African violet looking its best

by Ruth Syron Good grooming will help keep your African violets looking beautiful for nine months out of the year. (African violets rest for three months. The rest period is usually January through March, but it can be December through February.) Here are nine tips to keep your African violet looking its best: Any leaf with a dried edge or a spot should be removed. Keep the leaves free of dirt and dust by brushing with a soft makeup brush…

Mar 29, 2011

Five great tips for starting new plants from cuttings

by Connie Oswald Stofko Even if you already know how to root a plant in water, you can make the process more successful with great tips from David Clark, professional horticulturist. He also shares tips on two easy methods for starting plants that you may not have used before. Clark recently gave two hands-on workshops on plant propagation at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. He shared a wealth of information, including these five great tips: 1. Create a…

Mar 22, 2011

Use your garden to help the Buffalo-area watershed

by Connie Oswald Stofko In the early 1900s, Margaret Wooster’s family farmed land in the Genesee Valley, south of Rochester. When salt deposits were discovered underground, the family sold their land to a mining company. A mine shaft was sunk and family members went to work as salt miners for the company. Eventually the mine was sold to what became Azko Nobel and the mine became the largest salt mine in North America. Unfortunately, disaster struck in 1994. Residents of…

Mar 22, 2011

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