Where to go, what to avoid, and how to score the best deals this season Story and photos by Jim Charlier The nurseries are open. The plant lists are ready. And if you know where—and when—to shop, spring plant buying in Buffalo Niagara can be an art form. A new article I put together at ArtofGardening.org, “The Smart Gardener’s Guide to Spring Plant Buying in Buffalo Niagara,” pulls together decades of gardening experience and tips from gardeners across Western New…
by Connie Oswald Stofko There’s something for everybody at the 79-cent perennial sale at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses. Here are just three of the interesting plants that will be in the sale: A little more than a hundred varieties of perennials will be offered in the sale. See the entire list of the plants on sale here. The plants are sold only in packs of four plants at $3.16 per pack. Get a flat for $37.92 (12 packs per flat)…....
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You don’t need a plot of 40 acres in order to grow food; there’s an increasing number of vegetable varieties that can be grown in containers. Find out more in “This Month in the Garden,” one of the articles in this edition of Gardening Matters, the publication of Master Gardeners in Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. Some of the benefits of gardening in a container are: See more about gardening in containers and other gardening tips in “This Month…...
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Growing seeds indoors can be complicated. That’s why you should see the great information on the page “From Seed to Seedling: What Every Indoor Grower Should Know,” published by the Master Gardeners in Orleans County. For example, you should build a custom planting schedule based on your own location. That means knowing your average last frost date, factoring in how long each variety needs to grow indoors before transplanting, and leaving time for hardening off. It also means considering your…...
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by Connie Oswald Stofko Large trees tower over the front lawn of John Dyster and his wife Lyn in Lewiston: a river birch, a redbud and two maples. But that’s nothing compared to the back of the house, which looks like a forest. “It’s always been wooded,” Dyster said, noting that the area has been like that ever since the house was built in 1950. The entire lot size is .62 of an acre, about 116 feet wide and 232…...
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A biochar demonstration will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 4 at Henry’s Gardens, 7884 Sisson Hwy., Eden. On the same day, there will also be an Easter egg hunt and coloring contest for kids. Biochar Biochar is a carbon-rich material made by burning wood or plant waste in a low-oxygen environment. This isn’t a lecture — it’s a hands-on, eyes-on experience. The presenters will be John Maher of Lake View (near Hamburg), a board member…...
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“If you want a splash of color for spring, there’s nothing like pansies,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville. Pansies are usually set outside on the first day of spring at Mischler’s, but not this year. “It’s been so cold out,” Yadon said last week. “I don’t want them to get wilted.” Today his staff is finally putting out pansies in pots and flats. Pansies are quite hardy; they can handle cold weather down to…...
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“It’s March! There’s hope in this month’s calendar,” said Peggy Koppmann, Master Gardener. “Hope for sunshine, warming temperatures, a hint of green and growing things, and the official start of spring. Pour your beverage of choice at 10:45 a.m. on March 20 and toast the beginning of the season.” Here are some things you can do in March: You can find more uplifting and useful ideas from Koppmann in the article “This Month in the Garden.” Also see the article…...
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Get gardening tips for March in the Digging In newsletter. It’s published by Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, Survey your yard and garden Check your houseplants Your houseplants will begin perking up as we have longer daylight. They will need a little more water, and it’s a good time to start fertilizing them again. This is also a good time to consider pruning your houseplants and repotting any that have outgrown their containers. Get ready to…...
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by Connie Oswald Stofko If your neighbors have lesser celandine, you will soon have this horrible, but cute, plant all over your gardens and lawn. What can you do? Talk to your neighbors–in a nice way. That’s what Devon Southall of Tonawanda did. Southall had some lesser celandine in her backyard, so she asked her neighbor if she could check along their shared fence. Yikes! Along the fence, Southall found a carpet of lesser celandine about 75 feet long. That…
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