Your next adventure awaits at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens during Topiary Tales. Step into the conservatory, which has been transformed into a whimsical woodland forest, filled with larger-than-life animal topiaries made from plants and other natural materials. Peacocks and turtles and bears, oh my! That’s right— there is an entire cast of characters set in botanical scenes that inspired a series of short stories for you to read as you adventure through this picture book come to…...
Search Results for: deer
Lots of rabbit damage this winter: why?
by Connie Oswald Stofko The rabbits killed half of my blackberry bush; only three healthy canes, or stems, are left. My neighbor’s five-foot rose of Sharon that she has been nurturing for ten years looks like a skeleton. Many gardeners around Western New York have the same question: Why was there so much damage from rabbits this winter? First of all, we have a lot of rabbits in Western New York, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in…...
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Groundcover & colorful flowers at Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale
by Connie Oswald Stofko Five varieties of astilbe, one new groundcover and one new true blue flower. That’s what you’ll see in this article, but there will be many more varieties in the 69-cent perennial sale at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. Mark your calendar: The sale will start at 8 a.m. Friday, April 25 and continue while supplies last. Sale hours are: Plants are sold in packs of 4 for $2.76. A list of plant…...
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Botanical Gardens: spring flowers, 125th anniversary & more!
by Connie Oswald Stofko Just when it seemed like winter was gone and we were solidly into spring, I woke up to snowflakes in the air. But we can always rely on the annual Spring Flower Exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It’s always warm inside, there are more flowers than you can squeeze into your gardens, and the deer didn’t eat the plants. Find old photos This year is special because the Spring Flower Exhibit is kicking…...
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Wet spot in your yard? Get tips from North Tonawanda Botanical Garden
by Connie Oswald Stofko Does part of your yard turn into a pond in spring? Get some tips from the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Organization. The organization has been working for about five years to rehabilitate a long-neglected park located at 1825 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, along the Tonawanda Creek portion of the Erie Canal. The group aims to revitalize the native habitat as well as create a scenic destination. The volunteers also help with educational programs and community activities…....
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Who has been in your garden? See winter tracks
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re like me, anytime you see tracks in the snow, especially if they are near a plant that has been nibbled on, you assume it’s rabbits. But sometimes I get surprised—we occasionally have deer, too. Or the random skunk. How can you tell what has been in your garden? You can get help with these Winter Tracks from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In addition to drawings, there’s helpful text, too. For…...
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What worked well for your garden? What didn’t?
by Connie Oswald Stofko Now is the time to start making plans for next season. What worked well in your garden this year, and what didn’t? Here are some ideas that may help. Consider trees and shrubs Too often, when we think about “garden plants,” we think only about perennials and annuals, but shrubs and trees are important elements of your landscape. New York state and most counties in Western New York will have sales of tree and shrub seedlings…....
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Get ready to plant spring bulbs in WNY
by Connie Oswald Stofko Autumn is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but planting them too early could damage or even kill them. When you plant bulbs that flower in the spring, the soil needs to be cool; around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market in Buffalo. Cool soil tells the bulb to grow roots, which is what you want. The bulb is getting established for spring, when it will send out leaves…...
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Cottage garden in Lancaster is colorful in three seasons
by Connie Oswald Stofko “My garden has color from spring to fall,” said Elaine Bialecki, founder of the original Elaine’s Flower Shoppe in Depew. What does it look like at this time of the year? Watch the video below, made by Jay Jinge Hu of Williamsville at this time last year. Hu has shared many of his videos with us, and you can see them here. He has also welcomed visitors to his own wonderful garden on Open Gardens. While…...
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Nothing like an outdoor wedding to jumpstart a backyard makeover
by Connie Oswald Stofko Jen and Joe Weber moved their family into their new home three years ago. When they got there, they found that the previous owners had planted bishop’s weed (also called goutweed), a nasty, very aggressive plant that spreads easily and is hard to get rid of. The bishop’s weed is still there, stretching 66 feet along one side of the house. Other projects, such as fixing “the path to nowhere,” haven’t been started yet, either, and…...
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