girl at Children's Garden Festival in Buffalo NY

Fun grows at Children’s Garden Festival Oct. 8

by Connie Oswald Stofko At the Children’s Garden Festival, kids and families can enjoy hands-on activities while learning about planting bulbs, composting, fall produce, and how to be good environmental stewards in their own neighborhoods. It will be held rain or shine from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 in Martin Luther King Jr. Park, near Fillmore & N. Parade, Buffalo. The Children’s Garden Festival is co-presented by the East Side Garden Walk committee of Gardens Buffalo Niagara and Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Activities are…...

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orchids at Graycliff in Derby NY

Orchid exhibition ties in with history at Graycliff; runs two weeks only

The Niagara Frontier Orchid Society will host a live plant exhibition inside the main house at Graycliff, 6472 Old Lake Shore Rd., Derby. This exhibition ties in well with Graycliff’s history. The property was designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Isabelle Martin, an avid lover of flowers. Her fondness for flowers is reflected in both the design of the main house (there is a special sink that supported her floral arranging hobby), and the design of the gardens…...

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street trees in autumn in Western New York by Stofko

Leaves are beginning to change color in WNY; when will we see peak color?

by Connie Oswald Stofko The leaves on the elm tree in front of my house are turning yellow and, in a week or so, will be floating from the branches, just like the leaves in the video above. If you want to enjoy the wonderful colors of autumn, keep track with the fall foliage report from the I Love NY website. The reports signal when leaf color will be just changing, at the midpoint, at near peak, at peak and…...

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forester and landowner looking at tree

Grants available: community forests, invasive species, large landowners

Environmental grants are available to some landowners, municipalities and groups. Deadlines are coming up quick. See the details below. Regenerate NY Grant for landowners; deadline is Oct. 6 Regenerate NY is accepting applications until 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6. If you own five or more acres of forestland or land suitable for establishing forest, you may be eligible for a Regenerate NY grant. This cost-share grant program aims to help private landowners promote forest regeneration on their land. Projects must…...

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biochar in kiln

Biochar can help your garden soil for eons—learn more at event in Eden

by Connie Oswald Stofko The Amazon basin in general has poor soil, but it has some areas with amazingly fertile soil. Those fertile soils were created thousands of years ago by people using slash-and-burn agriculture. What was left behind from the burned plant material created the soil called terra preta, or black earth. And that soil, thousands of years later, can still be farmed today. Now we’re trying to replicate those fertile soils by using biochar, a kind of charcoal…...

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Boxelder bug

Pesky boxelder bugs: read more in WNY Gardening Matters

Boxelder bugs are basically nuisance bugs, according to this article by Lyn Chimera in the newest edition of  WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. In autumn, boxelder bugs may go into your house to find a warm, dry place to spend the winter. Their droppings can stain walls, both inside and out. If you squish them, that can leave a staining, smelly mark. Find out more about boxelder bugs in this article…....

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seed packets

Plant & seed exchange set by Capen Garden Walk

Capen Garden Walk will hold a plant & seed exchange from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 at University Presbyterian Church, 3330 Main St., corner of Niagara Falls Boulevard, Buffalo. Take your perennials and seeds to share and get some new plants and seeds for your garden. You can share perennial divisions, herbs, houseplants, small shrubs and seeds. Free seeds will also be provided by the ARTseeds program of the University Heights Arts Association. In addition, plants, pots and other garden art will be…...

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opening frame for video on How to Divide Perennials in Western New York

Autumn is a good time to divide perennials; see new video

by Connie Oswald Stofko Is your hosta overtaking your heuchera? Or just getting too big for your small garden? You may need to divide your plants, and autumn is a good time to do it. Find out more about dividing plants with Lyn Chimera of Lessons from Nature. And if you need more tips, check out these articles:…...

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flower arrangement, plant in pot and gift in basket

Master Gardeners to hold gala, plant sale in Batavia

The Genesee County Master Gardeners will host their annual Fall Garden Gala and Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 East Main St., Batavia. Arrive at 10 a.m. for the best plant selection. No early birds, please. This plant sale features hardy garden perennials, most of which are grown by Master Gardeners. Fall is a good time to plant many perennials as there is still time for them to grow…...

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Create buzz: Send me your WNY gardening events!

by Connie Oswald Stofko One of the things that gardeners love about Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com is the list of so many gardening events in Western New York. If your group has an event that would interest gardeners, please let me know. I post events for free for nonprofit organizations. Email your information to me at Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com. I publish this magazine on Tuesdays. Make sure to get an event to me by the Friday preceding the Tuesday publication to announce your event. You…...

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