Suzi Redino estimates that only 5 to 10 percent of the furniture and decorations in her yard were purchased. The rest were picked out of the garbage. Literally. Suzi specializes in trash to treasure in her interior design business, Cherry Tree Design. Her husband Rick’s family business is a junk yard, R & R Salvage. Almost every day he brings something home to her, and many of the items find their way into her yard. “That’s from the junkyard,” she…...
Keep garlic handy and add a decorative element to your kitchen when you make this ornament by braiding freshly picked heads of garlic. Jim Gugliuzza demonstrated the craft during Lockport in Bloom on July 7 and 8 at his home at 684 Walnut St., Lockport, where he has a 700-foot lot with large vegetable gardens. Gugliuzza planted 12 kinds of garlic this year. Garlic is usually harvested around July 10, but he pulled some early to show us his braiding…...
Brand new garden walk begins this year in West Seneca The West Seneca Garden Walk will take place for the first time from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22. Get the map right here, and maps will also be available on the Burchfield Nature & Art Center website. You can pick up paper maps at Ebenezer Greenhouse, 1347 Union Rd., West Seneca. The West Seneca Garden Walk is being organized by Sharon and Dave…...
The National Garden Festival’s neighborhood-transforming Front Yard Contest kicked off yesterday on Crowley Avenue in Buffalo, bordering the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Riverside Park. Professional landscapers, Master Gardeners and teams from the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy are donating their time and materials to give 15 homeowners free garden makeovers. This Front Yard Contest is part of third annual National Garden Festival. Organizers believe it is the only such civic-minded garden competition in the country. You can view the landscaping work in…...
Container plantings add color to the garden surrounding the backyard patio of Mary Murrett, who shared her gardens at 178 Hirschfield, Williamsville, during the Village of Williamsville Garden Walk on June 30. She has fun designing her containers as she goes along. “I go nuts at the nursery,” Murrett said. “I take one of these, and one of these and one of these.” When she gets all her plants home, she sets a piece of plywood across a carpenter’s trestle…...
Tomorrow is Independence Day, the day when Americans mark the independence they won after the Revolutionary War. But just a few years after that, the young nation fought another war with Great Britain, the War of 1812. Because Canada was a colony of Great Britain, it was swept into the fighting. The War of 1812 was the last time the United States and Canada fought one another. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, and…...
Sweet corn and bus tours have nothing to do with each other except that you should hurry to take advantage of both while they’re available! Get sweet corn now Sweet corn is already available at Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Dr. Ext., Niagara Falls, NY. Normally, the market wouldn’t have any sweet corn until between July 4 and 10, said Ray Crawley, manager at Goodman’s, and that would be just one or two growers. It’s not even Independence Day yet…...
The weather was seasonably warm on Sunday, and that made the cool, blue pool below look even more appealing. Michael and Claudette Rivera of 268 Crescent, Buffalo, shared their lovely landscape during the 15th annual Parkside Garden Tour on June 24. Their home was built in 1913 by the Kelly family that established Hens and Kelly, a local upscale chain of department stores that operated from 1892 to 1982. Mike likes to use plants that go with the time period…...
Native Plants Day set at Lockwood’s Native Plants Day, part of the National Garden Festival, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 7 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. Topics include the significance of native plants, revitalizing neighborhoods by creating beautiful livable growing places, and the impact of individual decision-making on the quality of life in Western New York. Speakers include: Sally Cunningham, author, consultant and director of the National Garden Festival sees an opportunity…...
From time to time, we post a question and ask for input from our readers. If you have an idea on how to help, please leave a comment. I hope you can help with a gardening concern I have. My neighbor has bamboo growing in their front yard. Right now it’s sending shoots out into just their yard. However, I’m terrified it will creep into my yard. I’ve read some scary things online about bamboo. Can you tell me how…...