The Ken-Ton Garden Tour is now accepting applications for this year’s tour. Residents of the Town of Tonawanda and Village of Kenmore can sign up here. If you wish to apply by telephone, contact Sandy at 716-983-6827. The deadline is Friday, June 4. You may display your garden during one or more of the times listed below: Friday, July 16 from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 17 from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, July 17 and 18…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Asian jumping worms can damage your soil, making it difficult for plants to grow in your garden. Jumping worms have been identified in Erie County and may be in other parts of Western New York, too. The bad news is that there’s not much we can do to get rid of Asian jumping worms. The good news is that we can try to prevent spreading them. Don’t share soil– your garden soil could contain jumping worms…
Your supermarket may call them yams, but they are probably sweet potatoes, according to an article in the latest issue of WNY Gardening Matters. A true “sweet potato” is not a yam. And a sweet potato isn’t a potato, either. Find out more about sweet potatoes and yams in this article by Carol Ann Harlos. Other articles in this issue are: Not Your Grandmother’s Houseplants Anymore by Vicki Bruning MG Volunteer Meeting Speaker: Dave Zittel by Carol Ann Harlos…
With about 400 gardens on Garden Walk Buffalo and only two days to visit, wouldn’t it be nice to get a map ahead of time so you can plan your route? You can! Make a donation before June 15 and a map will be mailed to you by the third week of July. Donations received after June 15 will receive next year’s map. See all the details here. Bonus: you will also get the map for the East Side Garden Walk mailed to…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Native plants are not only good for beneficial insects, they can be just what you need to make your garden look great. Here are four native plants being offered by Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. These plants are true natives, not hybrids or cultivars, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager. All four plants like sun. See a list of Urban Roots’ native plants here. They offer about 100 different native plants throughout…
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re one of those Western New York gardeners who like to plant your tender vegetables during Mother’s Day weekend, I hope you checked the forecast first. Last night we had a frost advisory for all of Western New York. Tender vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, can’t tolerate frost! In fact, they want nights–nights, not days– that are at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be a few days before we see even daytime…
To celebrate Go Public Gardens Day, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is offering 15 percent off all memberships from now through May 16. Use coupon code: Gardens2021 at checkout. Throughout the week, public gardens are emphasizing their importance and impact as community resources and catalysts for change and resilience. They are encouraging the public to visit, engage, donate and/or volunteer….
by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s spring! If you want to start a new garden in your yard, you will have to remove the grass first. Darren Cotton, founder and president of The Tool Library in Buffalo, shares the steps he followed when he and his partner Michael Reyes created new cutting gardens last year. (The purpose of a cutting garden is to grow flowers that will be picked. Reyes is a floral designer.) Cotton, who is an urban planner and graphic…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Many garden groups in Western New York are holding plant sales and plant exchanges in the coming weeks. Here’s the list I have so far; there might be more sales to come. Check back to our Events page often to see what’s new. And when you’re looking for plants, please don’t forget our local garden centers! Garden Friends of Clarence Garden Friends of Clarence will hold a perennial plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday,…
by Connie Oswald Stofko It seems to be the start of volcano season in Western New York. Mulch volcanoes (those neat, cone-shaped piles of mulch at the base of trees) are showing up again. They may look nice to you, but they’re not good for the trees, according to garden experts. Mulch volcanoes can slowly kill trees. Check out our previous article on mulch volcanoes to find out why you shouldn’t use mulch volcanoes and how you can properly mulch…