__________ The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (NACC), a nonprofit group, is looking for help to improve the landscaping on their campus, in turn beautifying their downtown neighborhood. They are looking for volunteers to help. The NACC is housed in the former Niagara Falls High School at 1201 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The massive, neoclassic revival building served as Niagara Falls’s central high school until 2000 and was almost torn…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “I hope people aren’t afraid,” said Kathleen Goodman, a Master Gardener volunteer with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. She was wrapping up her presentation on Asian giant hornets, which have gotten the nickname “murder hornets.” That nickname grabs people’s attention, but it stirs up fear, too. “I just want people to know what’s going on,” Goodman said. Goodman gave the presentation on Asian giant hornets last week as part of Garden Fence Chats, an online…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Recently a couple of readers have shared ways to keep red lily leaf beetles from eating their plants. Could these things really work? I asked John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County, what he thought of the suggestions. Bottom line: there are no studies on whether these methods work, but they shouldn’t hurt, either. Diatomaceous earth for red lily leaf beetles Susan Baker said that last year she had lily leaf beetles on…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The front yard garden of John Taylor of Lockport is in the running for the title of America’s Best Front Yard in an annual competition by Better Homes and Gardens. His garden was submitted by his wife, Mary Brennan-Taylor. “Much to my surprise and delight, John is one of the top 10 finalists from an enormous field of candidates,” she said. You can vote for your favorite garden here. Taylor’s garden is Number 7. Voting is…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s something to look forward to: Open Gardens and some garden walks this summer! You can see a list of which gardening events are open and which are canceled at the end of this article. There may still be changes, so to get the most up-to-date information, go to the calendar page of Gardens Buffalo Niagara. One of the garden walks that has been canceled is the The Hamburg Garden Walk, but organizers plan to offer…
When you think of a willow, you probably think of a weeping willow (Salix babylonica), which originated in China. But if you want butterflies in your garden, you might want to choose native varieties of willow– they support at least 455 species of butterfly larva. Find out more reasons to plant native willows in the article Willows That Don’t Weep by Lynn Chimera. It’s one of the latest articles published in WNY Gardening Matters by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative…
by Connie Oswald Stofko I know how much you depend on our Events page, so I work hard to post events as soon as I get them. I’m so efficient that I have posted events for some groups through the end of 2020. Now I’m not sure which events are actually taking place! Please help me out. If your event already appears on our Events page If your event is already on our Events page, please email me the week…
Exciting and unusual plants will again be offered in The Great Plant Sale at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. This year it is being held online with curbside pickup. Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com is proud to once again be a sponsor for this wonderful event! Cool plants As always, the sale features some plants propagated from the Botanical Gardens’ extensive collection. You can see all the plants that are available in The Great Plant Sale here. Items include: Exotic Japanese maples Ginkgo trees…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Many beginning gardeners wonder what vegetables are the best to plant. That’s a difficult question to answer. What I like to plant may not be what you should plant. Here are some ideas on how you can choose what vegetables are best for you to plant. Right plant for the right spot The first thing you always have to think of are your growing conditions. Many of the vegetable plants that gardeners like to grow need…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Many gardeners are in the habit of buying all their plants on Memorial Day weekend. Garden centers have always been packed. Because of the pandemic, this year garden centers have to limit the number of people they can let in at one time. There won’t be crowds to deal with (yay!), but not everyone will be able to stock up this weekend. Don’t worry. There will still be plenty of plants to buy next week. “You…