by Connie Oswald Stofko A bear was spotted walking through a resident’s yard in Batavia last week. You can see the resident’s video here. This isn’t the first sighting of bears in populated areas of Western New York. I wrote about bears that were seen in Cheektowaga and Lancaster (suburbs of Buffalo) in 2020. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said then that they had begun to see a rise in reported sightings of black bears in…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Let me tell you a story,” said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. “Last year my husband and I planted tomato seeds in the house with grow lights. The plants were getting bigger, so we moved them into gallon buckets. The weather got warmer and we moved the plants in and out of the garage (to protect them from cool nights). “Then we got…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko On June 29, it will be legal for adults, age 21 and older, to grow cannabis at home in New York State. Right now, only medical cannabis can be grown by private individuals in New York State. The patient must get authorization from a certified health care provider to grow cannabis. The rules that are in place now for growing medical cannabis will be the rules for home cultivation of cannabis starting June 29. A person…...
The Lewiston GardenFest and the Ken-Ton Garden Tour are accepting applications from gardeners to share their landscapes. The Lewiston GardenFest is also seeking vendors. Lewiston GardenFest Lewiston GardenFest is accepting applications from residents interested in sharing their own gardens. Get the application form here. The deadline is May 15, but getting your application in sooner is better. The event is also looking for businesses and vendors who sell items related to gardening, horticulture and the outdoors, including nurseries, landscapers, garden…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Many non-profit groups are holding plant sales and plant exchanges in Western New York. See a lengthy list below. More plant sales or plant exchanges might be added in coming days. You can keep up to date on our Events page. Great Plant Sale by Botanical Gardens UPDATE: The Great Plant Sale has been extended through May 8. Shop online through Sunday, May 4 for the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Garden’s Great Plant Sale. (There will be…...
In the newest edition of the Optimistic Gardener, topics include: The publication is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Find the newsletter on the gardening page of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus (on the righthand side)…....
With literally hundreds of gardens to see in just two days, wouldn’t it be nice to get the map for Garden Walk Buffalo map ahead of time so you can plan your route? Make a donation by June 15 and the Garden Walk Buffalo map will be mailed to you. Bonus: The East Side Garden Walk map will be mailed to you as well! And there’s more! Your donation supports not only these tours, but also supports the Lunenfeld Beautification…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are three brand-new, exciting plants for Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale: Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will hold their yearly 69-cent Perennial Sale at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The plants are sold only in packs of four plants at $2.76 per pack. Get a flat for $33.12 (12 packs per flat). See the list of plants here. The sale will take place from Friday, April 26 to Saturday, May 4, while supplies last. Sale hours are 8 a.m…....
Burning for Biochar, a hands-on workshop on making biochar, will be held Saturday, April 27 at Henry’s Gardens, 7884 Sisson Hwy., Eden. Discover the benefits biochar can bring to your garden with John Maher, a founding member of the BioChar Coalition. Maher has degrees in both chemistry and biology, and has been producing biochar for over 10 years. Biochar has a number of benefits for your garden, from increasing microbial activity to increasing cation exchange capacity to help the soil…....
Every year, people scoop up young wild animals thinking the animals are orphaned or neglected. They take the young animals to a wildlife rehabilitator, or worse, attempt to raise the young animals themselves. In many cases, this is unnecessary or even harmful, according to this page from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The most common young animals to be mistakenly “kidnapped” by humans are fawns, cottontail rabbits and fledgling birds. It’s important to understand the normal behavior for these…...