Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

swallowtail by Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

New: Live butterflies coming to Botanical Gardens; buy tickets now

Experience hundreds of live butterflies fluttering around you during the new Butterfly Experience at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It will be open this summer on June 7 and go through August 3. Tickets are expected to sell quickly; you may want to purchase tickets now. See details below. The exhibit will be housed inside the new Tropical Orchard greenhouse, which has dozens of fruit-producing and nectar-rich plants for the butterflies to feed on. You will see butterflies that are…...

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Mar 11, 2025

Great Lakes could be the next target; what you can do

“Call your elected leaders TODAY and tell them to take action to protect NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and our 50+ years of environmental legislation and protections,” said Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper in its advocacy alert on Feb. 28. Learn how to find your elected officials here. The rapid and haphazard dismantling of public agencies “is a travesty,” said Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. “… we know this is just the beginning of the intentional undermining of…...

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Mar 4, 2025

Protect peat bogs: article from Orleans County MG, plus tasks for March

We need to protect peat bogs. Learn more about that in the article “Peat Moss and Sustainability” by Kathy Contrino, Master Gardener in Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. Peat moss, which is used to help soil retain moisture, is grown in peat bogs. However, peat moss grows slowly and it grows only if the conditions are perfect. Peat bogs are also an environment for native carnivorous plants, so harvesting peat moss can disrupt that ecosystem. There are alternatives to peat…...

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Mar 4, 2025

pots at Mischler's Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville NY

Spring Preview event at Mischler’s; indoor plant sales & more!

Our soil is still frozen, so there’s not much to do outside right now. But there’s plenty to do inside during the Spring Preview event at Mischler’s Florist & Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 7 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 8. Here are highlights of this exciting event: Plant sale: Add to your collection of indoor plants! All houseplants and succulents will be 33…...

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Mar 4, 2025

floral clock photo illustration by Connie Oswald Stofko

Hear 45 gardening tips in Orchard Park

Connie Oswald Stofko, editor of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, will present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes” at the meeting of the Orchard Park Garden Club. The event will take place starting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 6 at the American Legion Post, 3784 Ellis Road, Orchard Park. Stofko will share some of the best tips she has learned while interviewing home gardeners and experts. She has to average one tip per minute, so it’s fun to see if she can squeeze them…...

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Mar 4, 2025

Want to raise hens for eggs? It may be harder to find chicks this year

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you want to start raising chickens for eggs, don’t be scared off by avian flu (bird flu), said Amy Barkley, the subject matter expert on avian influenza at Cornell University. However, you may face a different problem: finding chicks and pullets to start your flock. (Pullets are females raised by a farmer until the bird is about ready to lay eggs.) “I think it’s going to be more challenging to find chicks and pullets this…...

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Feb 25, 2025

goldenrod with grass-carrying wasp, ground yellowjackets and sweat bee in Amherst NY

Beyond milkweed: aim for native plants throughout our growing season

by Connie Oswald Stofko You may already have some milkweed and other native plants in your summer garden. Can you try for a loftier goal? Here’s a suggestion from Kim Eierman, an environmental horticulturist and ecological landscape designer: Have three native plants blooming in your garden at any time throughout our entire growing season. “Pollinators don’t all wake up on the same day,” Eierman said. “What if all you had in your garden was milkweed?” In early spring, when we…...

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Feb 25, 2025

3-day Orchid Fest will cap off exhibit at Botanical Gardens

The Orchid Fest by Niagara Frontier Orchid Society will be the big finale of the Orchid Exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Orchid Fest runs from Friday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 2. See it during Orchids After Dark on Friday and Saturday or during the day on Saturday and Sunday. This event features award-winning orchids, special displays and showcases, and orchid experts. Vendors are:…...

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Feb 25, 2025

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Subscribers: Stay logged in longer with this simple tip

Here’s a tip that you help you move from one article to another without having to use your password each time. When you log in, click on “Remember me.” That should do the trick. You will have to use your password every so often, but it should be much easier this way! If you have questions, contact connie@buffalo-niagaragardening.com…....

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Feb 24, 2025

stakes to keep deer out in East Aurora NY

Murals, deer fences & more in East Aurora

by Connie Oswald Stofko “It was just a makeshift thing,” said Kim Kaiser, talking about the wooden stakes that her husband Seth set up to try to keep deer out. “It was kind of ugly,” she said. “But the fence is too low, so I had to think of something. I could put up a better fence, but I don’t want to disturb the clematis on the fence.” Wooden stakes, the kind you would buy to stake trees, were set…...

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Feb 18, 2025