If you have a wet area in your landscape, you may look at it as a problem area — but that’s because you’re trying to plant the wrong plants there. Learn about native plant choices that are so interesting they will make your neighbors wish they had wet areas in their landscapes, too. “Natives for Those Wet Places” by Lyn Chimera is one of the three articles in this month’s edition of WNY Gardening Matters. The publication is produced by…
You can place an order for tree and shrub seedlings in sales being held now by counties and by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). In addition, tree seedlings are available to schools for free. New York State DEC The Spring Seedling Sale of the NYS DEC provides more than 40 native tree and shrub species for low prices. They offer various mixed species packets including streamside habitat builders and pollinator-popular flowering species. See details here. The deadline…
by Connie Oswald Stofko In the Great Plant Sale, “We want to offer things you’re not going to see everywhere,” said Sharon Reader, volunteer at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and a member of the committee that chose the plants for the sale. The deadline to pre-order is Friday, April 5, but if you want one of the really spectacular Hot Picks, you better order now — They often sell out quick. By the way, Botanical Gardens members…
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County Master Gardener Program will host the 2019 Education Day from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at Classics V Banquet & Conference Center, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd, Amherst. The cost for Education Day is $35 for Erie County Master Gardeners, $45 for Master Gardeners from outside Erie County and associates, and $55 for the general public. Advance registration is required; register here. Registration is not complete until payment has been received. Registration fees…
Applications are now available for Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grants, named for Garden Walk Buffalo’s founder. Completed applications are due Feb. 28. The grants, named for Garden Walk Buffalo’s founder, have been working to beautify Buffalo since 2005. The initiative has funded over 100 garden beautification projects across the West Side of Buffalo totaling more than $100,000. Find eligibility requirements and applications online or call 716-247-5004 and they will mail you an application. One objective of Garden Walk Buffalo, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this…
by Connie Oswald Stofko and Stephen Vermette We’ve had some wild weather in the past week: lots of snow, wind, an official blizzard, and dangerously cold wind chills. But yesterday it felt like spring, with strong sun and temperatures around 60. Now some areas have flooding, and more flooding is possible. Tomorrow we might get freezing rain. Later in the week the forecast is for rain, then snow. Find out what you can do in your landscape in these changing conditions, and remember…
Volunteers needed at Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens….
Whether you are a die-hard fan of hostas or a beginning gardener, Hosta College has something for you, said Marcia Sully of Eden, president of the Great Lakes Region of the American Hosta Society. (You may have visited her landscape, the Hidden Gardens of Eden, during Open Gardens.) “The focus of Hosta College centers around hosta lovers, but our class offerings range far and wide, with classes on wildlife, butterflies, garden travel, landscaping, pruning, pond building, conifers, bulbs, iris, daylilies and botanical Latin,” Sully…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “I have so many friends who say, ‘I can’t garden anymore,’ said Margaret O’Brian of Huntington Ct., Hamburg. As they get older, they have bad knees or other ailments that they didn’t have to contend with when they were younger. She tells them: “You may not be able to garden like you used to, so just switch it up.” One way to do that is through container gardening. Container gardening is planting things in pots and other…
Friends of Reinstein Woods is holding its annual plant sale, which features wildflowers and shrubs that are native to the Northeast. Orders will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 15. Orders may be placed online or by downloading a mail-in order form. “Planting native plants is one of the most beneficial acts you can do for our environment,” said Terrence Boyle, Friends of Reinstein Woods board president. “Native plants are an excellent choice for gardeners because the beauty of these flowers and shrubs enhance…