by Connie Oswald Stofko You can find perennials at plant sales and plant & seed exchanges being held by garden groups in Western New York. Yes, you can still plant perennials, but don’t wait too long. As soon as you get your plants, put them into the ground. You want to give them time to make sure they get established before the first frost and first freeze. See this table for frost and freeze dates for your area. If you…
What should you do with a plant that isn’t thriving? How do you make a houseplant dish garden? What succulents can live outside during our winters? Learn about these during the Back-to-School event at at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The event will be held from Friday, Sept. 6 through Saturday, Sept. 14. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. (Closed Sunday.) Updates are available on their…
by Connie Oswald Stofko When I think of permaculture, I picture an apple tree in a backyard. If you move away, the apple tree still produces fruit, even though you’re not there. “Permaculture” is permanent agriculture. Learn how permaculture can provide you with food—and help the environment—with talks on “Introduction to Permaculture and Native Plant Communities.” The talks will be presented by Kathy Contrino, a Master Garden in Orleans County and owner of CW Native Plant Farm. She is also…
The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive species that feeds on on 100 different plant species including grapes, hops, maple trees and other woody plants. It could be a problem for your landscape, but it’s an even bigger issue for agriculture, especially in our grape-growing region, and could pose a severe threat to our natural resources. The SLF has been found in Western New York, and we want to get rid of it before it spreads. You can help by reporting any…
You have just until Friday, Sept. 6 to sign up for plant classes at SUNY Niagara (previously called Niagara County Community College). Sign up sooner if you can; Sept. 6 is the Friday of the first week of classes. If you don’t want to get credit for the course, you can audit a course. Seniors who are 60 years old or older can audit a course for free! All of the courses that can be audited are under Workforce Development. Here…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “My garden has color from spring to fall,” said Elaine Bialecki, founder of the original Elaine’s Flower Shoppe in Depew. What does it look like at this time of the year? Watch the video below, made by Jay Jinge Hu of Williamsville at this time last year. Hu has shared many of his videos with us, and you can see them here. He has also welcomed visitors to his own wonderful garden on Open Gardens. While…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The goldenrod soldier beetle is a native insect that eats aphids and pollinates plants, which is good for our gardens. Yay! But if it comes into contact with a certain fungus, the unlucky beetle can die, become a zombie and help spread the fungus to other goldenrod soldier beetles. That’s sad for the individual beetles, but it’s not something gardeners need to worry about. Our garden helper The larvae of the beetle feed on soft-bodied insects…
by Connie Oswald Stofko When I visited the gardens of Nancy Townsend (Bachman) in North Tonawanda, I was drawn to what looked like a vertical garden, but the plants were simply set on shelves. I wrote about her landscape back in 2020, but the idea about the shelves didn’t fit into the article about the 360-degree views of her gardens. Since it had been awhile since I had seen her gardens, I gave her a call to see if she…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Algae are important in our creeks, ponds and other waterways in Western New York. But when algae grow out of control—or blooms—that’s a big problem. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) can produce toxins that make fish, pets and people sick. But gardeners can help prevent HABs. Conditions that create harmful algal blooms HABs are happening more often in Western New York as our climate continues to warm and extreme weather events increase, according to Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper….
Get great tips in upcoming gardening classes by Master Gardeners this fall. Keep up to date with all kinds of gardening activities on our Events page. Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties The fall 2024 Master Gardener Lunch & Learn series will be held via Zoom or in person in Jamestown and Ellicottville. The in-person sessions will be held at: Please register and a Zoom link or room location will be emailed to you. Register here. If you cannot attend live, a…