by Connie Oswald Stofko Here is a tip about voles from Kathy Guest Shadrack, board member and communication liaison with the Western New York Hosta Society. She has a problem with voles even though hawks, foxes and coyotes visit her gardens. In order to give her garden a fighting chance, she covers the crowns of her hostas with baskets she got from a dollar store. If the crown is really large, she chooses deer netting instead of a basket. She…
by Connie Oswald Stofko If your nonprofit group has meetings or other events that are open to the public, send me the details and I will share them on our Events page. If I already have your event listed, please let me know that you are still planning to hold that event, either in person or virtually. I will happily keep it posted. If I don’t hear from the group, the event gets deleted. That’s because when the pandemic hit,…
by Connie Oswald Stofko How much do you know about gardening in Western New York? Here’s a fun quiz that will allow you to test your knowledge. Some questions are easy, but one or two might trip you up. You can see the answers below along with a link for more information. 1. What can you do with autumn leaves? A. Put them in your compost B. Spread them around your perennials C. Start a new garden D. All of…
by Connie Oswald Stofko If a tree dies, you don’t necessarily have to remove it from your garden. These gardeners incorporated the dead tree into their landscape….
by Connie Oswald Stofko The ebooks on Garden Tips: Random, quirky, fun and useful is now ready for Super Readers! To write this ebook, I sifted through great ideas I have come across in my 10 years publishing Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. I searched for tips that were quirky, fun and, most of all, helpful. There is a tip on where to start if your landscape is a blank slate, a tip on how to harvest tomatoes through November, a tip on how…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Buffalo-style gardens are known for displaying quirky objects as garden art, such as a gumball machine or a giant bird cage. Put an elegant spin on that idea with a monochromatic theme. Choose one color for the decorations in a section of your landscape. Using objects of the same material, such as glass, can also make the space more cohesive. Here are some examples from this summer’s Open Gardens….
People love the beauty of silver birch trees (Betula pendula) but have realized that variety is short lived and susceptible to the birch borer. Find other native alternatives that are more interesting in this article by Lyn Chimera. It’s in the current issue of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. “Remember, if you want to plant a tree always check for an appropriate native first,” Chimera said. Other articles in this…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Be a citizen scientist and help the Pollinator Conservation Association with its BioBlitz through Dec. 1 on the Outer Harbor in Buffalo. Help to discover and identify flora and fauna there to improve conservation planning for future projects. The area includes Times Beach, Tifft Nature Preserve, the Union Ship Canal, and all of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation land and State Park land on the Outer Harbor. You can post pictures and observations on INaturalist.org….
by Connie Oswald Stofko Everywhere you turn, there’s a great view in the backyard of Jerry and Karen Dwigun in Elma. And Karen Dwigun has lots of tips to help you make the most of your landscape. The Dwiguns shared their landscape during Open Gardens in July. Find the right spot for a perennial Plants that are marked “shade” still need some sun, Dwigun said. If you put a plant in a spot and it’s not doing well, move it….
by Connie Oswald Stofko Gardeners are once again beginning to notice brown marmorated stink bugs flying and crawling in their homes. These invasive pests are looking for a place to spend the winter. They don’t pose any harm to humans and they won’t damage your home. However, they are ugly and annoying in your house. They make a loud buzzing when they fly and a big thump when they land. When you squish them, they stink. More important, they feed on…