Open Gardens is one of the amazing gardening events we get to enjoy here in Western New York. Open Gardens are like garden walks, but they take place on Thursdays and Fridays instead of on weekends. They take place only during July. And Open Gardens include just exceptional gardens. This year there will be nearly 100 gardens to visit! The gardens are beautiful, there are no crowds, and the gardeners are friendly and happy to answer questions. To see where…
by Connie Oswald Stofko We’re enjoying a cool break in the weather, but summer has just started. Temperatures are going back up into the 80s– or higher. Be prepared with annual flowers that can take the heat. Here are seven recommendations from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. These flowers will bloom all summer. Most of them are also drought tolerant, so you don’t have to water them constantly when the weather is hot and dry. Consider…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Whether you will share your landscape on a garden walk or just have a few friends over for a barbecue, you want your yard to look nice. Here are some tips on how to make your gardens look attractive to visitors. Here’s an article on how to prepare for a garden walk that is just as appropriate for a casual get-together. It links to other articles with more tips. Be sure to read the comments left…
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Buffalo Style Garden Art Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 26 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 27 on the front lawn of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Admission is free. Need something unique or handmade to complete your garden? Visit more than 50 vendors of nature-themed items or works that can be displayed in a garden setting – in many mediums:…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “You pull into Lewiston and see all the flowers,” said Doreen Albee, second vice president of the Lewiston Garden Club. “It happens because of a dedicated group of 45 people.” The club’s big projects, such as the plantings at town buildings, are supported by the vendor portion of the Lewiston GardenFest. The Lewiston GardenFest will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20 on Center Street from 4th to…
Trees live in societies, and “In those societies, there is so much going on,” said Suzanne Simard. “It’s complex. “Trees have complex lives. They know what their neighbors are doing. They communicate with them through these webs of fungal filaments that travel through the soil. They also communicate by sending off chemicals through the air.” Dr. Simard, author of Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, will speak in a free, virtual event to be held at 7…
The WNY Seed Library is again open during library hours at the Audubon Branch Library, 350 John James Audubon Pkwy., Amherst. You don’t need a library card to borrow seeds. You can see all the varieties of seeds here. The WNY Seed Library uses the term “borrowing” seeds because the organizers hope that when your plants are mature, you will save the seeds and donate some back to the seed library. You can also donate seeds that you saved from plants you grew previously as well…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “It seems like a lot of people are battling aphids this year,” said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market. A great way to get rid of aphids is to let ladybugs gobble up the aphids. But what if ladybugs haven’t discovered the aphids on your plants yet? You can buy live ladybugs at Urban Roots, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. The ladybugs aren’t in stock today (Tuesday, June 8, 2021), but Jablonski-Dopkin…
by Connie Oswald Stofko I love garlic because it’s easy to grow. Plus, you get two harvests per season! The first harvest is when you cut the scapes and the second is when you dig up the bulbs. Harvesting garlic scapes The curlicue stems, which are the flower stalks, are called scapes. You should cut off the scapes. If you don’t, the plant will divert resources away from the bulb to the scape, leaving you with a smaller bulb. Besides,…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Now is the time to buy the guidebook that will show you the way to nearly 100 exceptional gardens to visit during select hours on Thursdays or Fridays for five weeks. Open Gardens begin July 1 and continues through July. To get all the information, you need an Open Gardens guide. There are three ways to get the guide: Purchase one online here ($20 donation). Buy the Open Gardens smartphone app ($4.99). It has GPS, maps, photos and garden…