When Jim Tarantino moved 22 years ago into his home at 1069 Eggert Rd., Amherst, there wasn’t much of a garden. His major concern was erosion in the part of the backyard that slopes down to what is now Kadimah School of Buffalo. He built the retaining wall and planted whatever he could to hold down the soil, happily accepting cuttings from other gardeners. In the photo at left, these lovely plantings are actually outside his fence; his yard is to…...
Work is done in Buffalo front garden competition– Is that a hosta I see?
Last week, we left you this conundrum: A shady front yard at 87 Newman Place, Buffalo. Murray Brothers Nurseries, which has 350 varieties of shade-tolerant hostas, ready to do a makeover. A homeowner who wants color– but no hostas! Work on the front yard was completed last week, and we won’t keep you in suspense a moment longer. Yes, the homeowners love their newly designed front gardens! And yes, the designer used hostas, but you have to look hard to find…...
Cheektowaga man shares his love of gardening with inmates
When it comes to gardening, “We’re only limited by our imagination.” That’s what Tom Carlucci tells the inmates he teaches at Wyoming Correctional Facility. Carlucci shared his own garden with visitors during the ninth annual Snyder-CleveHill Garden View. The event was held Sunday, July 9 in the the Snyder and Cleveland Hill neighborhoods. The garden walk was sponsored by Univera Healthcare and the Harlem Kensington Cleveland Community Association. Carlucci is a vocational instructor in horticulture at the Wyoming Correctional Facility…....
Every gardener is an artist, says Hamburg man
by Connie Oswald Stofko Jeff Leyonmark of Hamburg believes every gardener is an artist. In addition to gardening, they all seem to have other creative interests as well. They build or paint or cook. This artistic part of life is something that is important for Jeff to share with his children. “I want to bring art everywhere,” he said. He and his wife Wendy shared their garden with visitors on Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10, during Buzz Around…...
Country boy and city girl get best of both worlds in Lockport
by Connie Oswald Stofko A huge front yard is outdone in size by the even larger backyard at the home of chiropractor Dr. Kenneth Kurbs and his wife Michelle at 570 Locust St., Lockport. The property is just under two acres. “To get a lot this size in the city is very unusual,” Kenneth said. “I’m a country boy and my wife is a city girl, so we got the best of both worlds.” The Kurbses shared their gardens during…...
Front Yard Garden Competition under way near Cazenovia Park
by Connie Oswald Stofko Work is underway in the second annual Front Yard Competition held as part of the National Garden Festival in Buffalo. Members of the Western New York Nursery & Landscape Association will transform 15 yards facing the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Cazenovia Park in South Buffalo. We’ll take a look at one of those yards, 87 Newman Place, whose makeover is being done by Murray Brothers Nurseries in Orchard Park. The homeowners are Richard Speth and his wife…...
Japanese iris are easy to grow in Buffalo area; sale coming
by Connie Oswald Stofko Japanese iris are easy to grow in the Buffalo area, and evidence of the beautiful blooms you can get were on display Sunday at the Western New York Iris Society’s show “Spectacular Elegance.” The show included Japanese iris and any other beardless iris; the society’s June show was for bearded iris. At left is an example of a specimen with multiple buds on one stalk, which is a new breeding trend for Japanese iris, said Maria…...
Grand garden can be seen July 9 on Orleans County tour
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We thought it was a small garden,” said Jeannette Riley of the grounds of the home she shares with her mother, Alma Riley in Albion. Their property is probably five times as large as a typical suburban yard, though it’s small compared to nearby farms. The Rileys have developed the gardens in stages, and it hasn’t grown too big for them to maintain. But the main reason the garden doesn’t seem massive to Jeannette is because…...
Buffalo in Bloom to begin, more volunteers needed
If you live in the City of Buffalo, keep your front yard mowed and weeded during July and you might be rewarded through Buffalo in Bloom. And whether you live in the city or suburbs, you can help by becoming a volunteer scout and choosing yards that deserve an award. Here’s how it works. Volunteer scouts, working in a team of two to four people, are assigned a several-block section of the City of Buffalo. They scout their area between…...
Parkside garden has evolved from play area to outdoor living room
by Connie Oswald Stofko Patience. That’s what you need if you want a yard and gardens like those at 84 Woodward, Buffalo, the home of Melissa and Bill Maldovan. The Maldovans’ gardens were decades in the making. The couple shared their lovely landscape with visitors during the 14th annual Parkside Garden Tour on Sunday, June 26. Both husband and wife have gardening backgrounds. Melissa has taken horticulture classes and Bill did landscaping in high school and college. When their three…...