Garden tips Archives - Page 10 of 108 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

crocus with honey bee in Amherst NY copyright Connie Oswald Stofko

Gardens look like April, not March: weather in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko Does it seem that your crocuses, daffodils or other plants are budding—even blooming—early this year? “There’s no question about it,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. “We are ahead of where we would normally be. It looks like April instead of March.” The Southern Tier has also seen warmer temperatures than usual, said said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. While it’s…...

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Mar 19, 2024

Lesser celandine: spread the word about this horrible plant in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko Gardeners in Western New York have the opportunity to address the problem of lesser celandine. That’s because lesser celandine is right in our own backyards. Or front yards. Or the lawns and gardens of our neighbors. If you don’t know what lesser celandine is, read on. And if you are already familiar with this invasive plant, please tell others. Tip: Our weather has been warm, and lesser celandine may be coming up sooner than it has…...

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Mar 12, 2024

North Tonawanda gardeners built raised beds that are self watering

by Connie Oswald Stofko The landscape of Mary Lou Szalach and Kevin Papendick is beautiful, with garden islands in the front yard, but it was the backyard that I wanted to see. That’s where they have raised beds that are self-watering; the beds are connected to their sprinkler system. I visited them last year on the North Tonawanda Garden Walk. Papendick displayed a diagram that laid out the set-up; see above. I colored it in to make it easier to…...

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Mar 5, 2024

lemon balm illustration from Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz (1885)

Lemon balm & more in newest edition of Optimistic Gardener

Lemon balm, soil science and the many kinds of compost bins are some of the topics in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener. The publication is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Find the newsletter on the gardening page of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus (on the righthand side)…....

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Mar 5, 2024

flower lettuce for winter seed sowing in Western New York

Is it too late for winter sowing in Western New York?

by Connie Oswald Stofko This could be the warmest winter in the history of record-keeping in Western New York. Yesterday it was sunny with a high of 53 degrees Fahrenheit in Buffalo, and overnight it never reached freezing. It was even warmer today—We broke the previous record of 64 degrees for this date. Maybe it’s too warm to do winter sowing. But then again, WNY will have a high in the 20s on Thursday. So maybe we can still do…...

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Feb 27, 2024

Amherst artist uses color on Open Gardens

Putting purple and orange together creates excitement in your garden, says painter Val Szeluga. See how it’s done in Val & Gene Szeluga’s Moonlight Garden in the video above. The video was created by Jay Jinge Hu, who shares his Williamsville landscape on Open Gardens. You can also see the Szelugas’ marvelous garden in person on Open Gardens in July. The Tours of Open Gardens Guide, which you need to visit these exceptional gardens, will be available at Plantasia. You can…...

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Feb 20, 2024

garden where ash trees used to be in Hamburg NY

Hamburg gardener lost 50 ash trees; see how she coped

by Connie Oswald Stofko When Carol and Rick Stumpf bought an empty lot for their home 30 years ago, ash trees were already established. A house and gardens followed and the Stumpfs enjoyed their landscape. “It was all shaded back here,” Carol said. “I had all my beds how I wanted them.” She gazed longingly around her huge backyard, remembering how it used to be before her mature ash trees–and many others across Western New York– were killed by emerald…...

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Feb 13, 2024

oak tree under utility wires in Amherst NY

Utility pole? Find out where to plant a tree; sales happening now in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko You don’t want to be that person—the person whose tree branch knocked out the electricity for the whole neighborhood. And you don’t want to plant a tree or shrub in a spot where the utility companies will do the pruning for you. The result isn’t pretty and it’s not good for the tree. That’s why you need to make sure you choose the right tree or shrub for your landscape before you buy one from the…...

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Feb 6, 2024

mature trees in huge backyard in East Aurora NY

Towering trees create spectacular landscape in East Aurora

by Connie Oswald Stofko Majestic trees rise high above the huge backyard of Kim and Seth Kaiser. “I retired a couple years ago,” Kim said, “but when I was working, this was my respite.” The size of the backyard itself, 200 feet deep, is remarkable. “Who would ever think this is back here?” a visitor wondered. Kim replied: “It’s a surprise!” When the Kaisers moved into their East Aurora home 33 years ago, “There were no flowers here,” Kim said…....

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Jan 30, 2024

A-frame over shrub in Western New York by Stofko

Prepare your garden for the next wave of winter in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko The forecast for the coming week calls for daytime temperatures above freezing, so if we do get any snow, it should melt. That means you’ll have time to easily walk around your yard and prepare your gardens for another onslaught of snow. When the temperatures do get colder, chances are we will get lake effect snow again. Lake Erie still hasn’t iced over, so cold wind picking up moisture from the lake can fall on land…...

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Jan 30, 2024