I spotted my first robin last week. My crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths are blooming. The weather has been amazingly mild– bordering on hot! And the calendar says that today is the vernal equinox. Any way you look at it, spring has arrived in Buffalo, and we gardeners are raring to go. Here are six great gardening tips you can use right now: Spring gardening tip #1 Try new Cool Wave pansies, a frost tolerant plant that trails and spreads. It…...
We promised to tell you more about annuals that will work well in your Buffalo area garden. Today we’re going to talk about a black annual, a drought-tolerant annual and a shade annual with colorful leaves. Bonus: If you love impatiens for shade, try a new variety that you can plant in sun. These tips are shared by the staff at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY 14075. Lockwoods will exhibit at Plantasia, which will be held at the…...
Fairy gardens have such a wide appeal, it’s easy to see why they’ve become such a hot new trend in the Buffalo area. Fairy gardens are great for people with limited space, for people who want to share gardening with a child, or for people who just like being creative. “Basically, a fairy garden is a miniature garden planted in a container or in the landscape,” explained Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd.,…...
New varieties of tulips will be featured this year at the annual Spring Flower Show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo. The show will run from Saturday, March 24 though Sunday, April 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors (55+) & students (13+), $5 for children ages 3-12, and free for Botanical Garden members and children under 3. There will be about 35 varieties of tulips exhibited, and 30 of them…...
The FreshConnect program, which brings fresh food from New York State farms to underserved communities, will award competitive grants to support projects that make New York farm products more accessible to low-income residents and areas in need. The deadline is April 2. In 2011, Governor Cuomo launched the FreshConnect program to create new farmers markets and support existing markets that provided fresh produce to high-need areas throughout the state. The initiative is now expanding to include not just farmers’ markets,…...
Using the proper tools in your garden can make your life easier, save you time and keep you out of the doctor’s office, said Nellie Gardner, horticulturist at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Complex. Gardner, along with her assistant, Norma Wiegley, will lead a workshop called “The Sharpest Tool in the Shed” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 in the Greatbatch Pavilion at the Darwin Martin House, 125 Jewett Parkway, Buffalo, NY 14214. Gardner will showcase all her favorite…...
In a previous article, we told you that using annuals in your Buffalo area garden can help give you constant bloom. Today we’ll tell you about three more great annuals that work well in containers. These suggestions were provided by the staff at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY 14075. Mandevilla “These are some of the best plants you can have,” said Jill Kisker, grower at Lockwood’s. The flowers of the mandevilla have a lovely shape and come in…...
If you own land on a lake, creek, river or other body of water, you may know that using native plants in the landscape can benefit the environment. But it can benefit you, too. You can learn more on how to care for your waterfront property at a series of workshops scheduled by Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. The workshops will provide technical assistance on the topic of waterfront or riparian habitat restoration using native plant species. The first workshop will be…...
You don’t have to be a member of a garden club to attend the spectacular events of the 83rd national convention of the National Garden Clubs Inc., which will be held May 15 to 20 in Buffalo. This is the first time the national convention will be held in Buffalo, said Babbidean Urban Huber, chairman of the event. Last year it was held in Washington, D.C., and next year it will be held in Seattle. National Garden Clubs, Inc. is composed…...
My garden is built around perennials, and I would recommend that strategy to anyone. But this year I vow to use more annuals. Yes, perennials are great because they stay in your garden year after year–you don’t have to spend money buying them every year. Plus, they tend to spread. You can start with a small garden and expand it from year to year. The problem with perennials is that while the plants are there all year, the blossoms come…...