Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Dealing with tar spot, plus two other timely tips for fall

Here are three helpful tips for autumn, courtesy of the free newsletter from Heimiller Greenhouses. Tip #1: How to deal with tar spot When it comes to tar spot, there’s bad news and good news and more bad news. The bad news is that tar spot is an ugly black fungus that seems to infect Norway maples, to a greater or lesser degree, every year, according to Lisa Heimiller of Heimiller Greenhouses. The good news is that while tar spot…...

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Nov 8, 2011

waterfall at Botanical Gardens in Buffalo NY

Botanical Gardens will expand exhibits with $200,000 grant

Expanded outdoor gardens and a new “Celebration of Color” exhibit this summer are among the changes you’ll see at the the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, thanks in part to a $200,000 core improvements grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation. The Botanical Gardens will use the grant to continue its growth in educational programs and horticultural exhibits as it strives to become financially self sustaining. Why growth is vital to the Botanical Gardens The challenge that the Botanical…...

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Nov 8, 2011

balcony on Niagara near Hudson in Buffalo

Yes, you do have enough room to garden in Buffalo!

I often hear people say that they don’t have room to garden. They live in an apartment, they explain, and have only a small patio area. Or worse, they’re not even on the ground floor. Those things didn’t bother the folks with these second-floor balconies that I happened to spot in Buffalo this year. At left, this balcony on Niagara St. near Hudson has more flowers than your average suburban yard! The folks here could have settled for a single…...

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Nov 1, 2011

Hurry and plant spring bulbs now. Plus, three other autumn reminders

Take advantage of this beautiful autumn weather we’re enjoying in the Buffalo area and tackle some gardening projects. Here are some reminders of things you can do right now. Reminder #1: Hurry and plant spring bulbs. If you want spring flowers such as tulips and daffodils, hurry and plant your bulbs now before the ground freezes. That tip is from the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, where today 16 volunteers and several staff members planted spring bulbs– 4,500 of…...

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Nov 1, 2011

Jerusalem artichole or sunchoke flowers in Amherst NY

The coolest plant ever: Jerusalem artichoke (also known as sunchoke)

I don’t know why everyone doesn’t grow the Jerusalem artichoke, also known as sunchoke. This plant starts out from nothing and grows a dramatic ten feet tall in one season. It flowers in September, adding autumn interest to your garden. You can plant it in fall, so it gives you a chance to putter in your garden now. If that weren’t enough, it’s a food plant. The roots are delicious! I hadn’t heard of this marvelous plant until I got…...

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Oct 25, 2011

Purple Light chrysanthemum in Buffalo NY

Chrysanthemum enjoys a long tradition in Buffalo

The chrysanthemum has been enjoyed for thousands of years. It was cultivated as a flowering herb in China as far back as the 15th Century B.C., according to the National Chrysanthemum Society. The City of Buffalo is a mere upstart compared to ancient China, but we have enjoyed chrysantheums throughout our history, too. For more than 100 years, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens has held its annual Chrysanthemum Show, which is the longest running tradition at the Botanical…...

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Oct 25, 2011

Are you growing poisonous plants?

Are you growing poisonous plants? If you have foxglove, hydrangea or even tomato plants, the answer is yes! In this video, Rachel Gorodetsky, Pharm.D., clinical assistant professor at D’Youville College in Buffalo, discusses common garden plants and indoor plants that can be poisonous when eaten. Her presentation was part of the kick-off event for the medicinal gardens at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens…....

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Oct 18, 2011

Take a lesson from this elementary school garden in Hamburg

“All of this is to teach our children where food comes from,” said Tricia Miller, volunteer coordinator for the Giving Garden at Union-Pleasant Elementary School in Hamburg. “If children grow it and taste it, their willingness to eat it and try more things grows.” The garden at Union-Pleasant Elementary School started three years ago because parents were concerned about food in the schools, Miller said. They decided a garden would be a good way to educate children about healthy food…...

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Oct 18, 2011

Herbal remedies & pharmaceuticals both start with plants

by Connie Oswald Stofko Whether you treat your maladies with an herbal tea or a pill from the drugstore, your medicine probably got its start in the garden. At the kick-off event for the medicinal gardens at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Wednesday, a proponent of herbal medicine and pharmacists from D’Youville College gave their views on healing plants. Yolanda Smith, left, a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, is a medicine gatherer and talked about the…

Oct 11, 2011

On 5th anniversary of October Storm, cooler temps on the way

Sunny and warm– even hot!– day after day. We’ve enjoyed splendid gardening weather this October in the Buffalo area. But this spate of summery weather isn’t all that unusual for October, according to Aaron Mentkowski, meteorologist at WKBW Channel 7. This warm weather will end soon, as it does every fall. While our current weather isn’t setting any records, July’s weather did. Current weather similar to that preceding October Storm of 2006 Mentkowski noted that it was warm in the…...

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Oct 11, 2011