Sign up early for Easter egg hunt, one of many events in Spring Flower Show The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will hold its Spring Flower Show from Saturday, March 16 to Sunday, April 7. One of the popular features is always the Easter egg hunt, which this year will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30. The hunt sells out every year, so you should register early, said Erin Grajek, director of marketing at the Botanical Gardens…....
Cherry blossom festival is budding in Buffalo’s Japanese Garden
by Connie Oswald Stofko Just as they do in the United States, the cherry trees in Japan bloom first in the southern part of the country and later in the north. Visitors enjoy the spectacular views and accompanying celebrations, and some tourists follow the festivities from south to north during the cherry blossom season. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for tourists in this country to be able to do the same thing? Washington, D.C. already holds the huge National Cherry Blossom…...
Grow celery from the stump!
I saw this idea in several places on Pinterest and I just had to try it. When you’re done with a bunch of celery, you’re left with a stump. I used to toss that stump into the compost pile. Then on Pinterest I saw that you can use it to start a new celery plant. It’s really simple. Just set the stump into a small jar or bowl. Add just a little bit of water– about a quarter inch is…...
Free plant material available from Plantasia, & more great news
Get free plant material by volunteering at Plantasia; sign up now The Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association (WNYSNLA) is seeking not-for-profit organizations to participate in a green exchange program. Plant material, such as annuals, trees, shrubs and mulch that is left over from Plantasia will be given to not-for-profit organizations in exchange for a donation of volunteer time at Plantasia, its annual landscape and garden show, which takes place March 21-24 at the Fairgrounds Event Center and…...
How to find gardening help in Western New York
I recently received this question: “I’ve decided to put in a new rose garden. I’m looking for information on soil mix (in West Seneca I have deep clay). I’m willing to take out two feet of clay but I want to be sure I put the right soil back in. Where can I get local info?” This was an interesting question because the reader didn’t ask, “What should I do?” but instead asked, “Where can I find information?” Western New…...
Free tree seedlings available to schools; DEC also holding sale
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering free tree seedlings to schools, and it is selling tree and shrub seedlings for conservation plantings on private and public lands. The DEC operates the State Tree Nursery in Saratoga Springs. Seedlings for schools Free tree seedlings are available to any school: public, private or parochial; nursery, elementary, secondary, vocational, college or university. Any school-sponsored organization is also eligible. Spruce and pine are available. Only one species may be…...
Cash prizes offered in photo contest, & more items too good to miss
Cash prizes offered in Jamestown Audubon Society’s photo contest The Jamestown Audubon Society’s Nature Photography Contest offers prizes in three categories and two divisions. The youth division is for ages 8-18 or still in high school and the adult division is for ages 18 and over or post-high school. Youth and adult winners in the categories of landscapes, plants, and wildlife will all receive a $100 cash prize as well as free photo finishing. “Every winner receives a cash prize,”…...
Luxuriant gardens in Clarence were built slowly, filled with perennials
Grassless front yards aren’t seen only in the City of Buffalo. A profusion of flowers fills most of Catherine Klein’s front yard in a semi-rural area of Clarence. “You don’t need grass,” she said. “Grass is green. Flowers are colorful.” As you’re planning your garden for this summer, take inspiration and some tips from Catherine. Catherine and I are related. Her father-in-law and my late father were cousins, which makes me and Catherine second cousins by marriage (or something). I…...
Hand tie a bouquet using your dried roses and preserved leaves
by Connie Oswald Stofko In a previous video, you learned how to dry roses, and last week you learned how to preserve leaves using glycerin. This week, David Clark, horticulturist, shows us how to pull those elements together by making a hand-tied bouquet. It’s easy once you see how it’s done! You can get more great tips from Clark during a series of upcoming workshops that have been organized as part of the 125th anniversary celebration of Blessed Sacrament Church in…...
Order now to get ‘hot picks’ at Botanical Gardens sale, & more news
‘Hot picks’ available during Botanical Gardens plant sale Alstromeria ‘Inca Ice’, seen above, is one of the “hot picks” offered this year as part of the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Only a limited number of specimens of each hot pick will be available. The hot picks must be ordered online. The deadline to order is April 5. Plants will be available for pick-up at the Botanical Gardens during the Great Plant Sale on…...