by Connie Oswald Stofko “Plugs are a soil-filled fabric tube planted with one or more cuttings,” explained Jen Weber, vice president and manager of Mike Weber Greenhouses, 42 French Rd., West Seneca. The fabric acts as the container for the plant. Regular plugs have one plant. Combo plugs have three types of plants together in one plug. “The combos are great if you have trouble getting inspiration or aren’t sure what color combinations work well,” she said. Buying plant plugs has…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Lilies, gladiolus and dahlias are just three of the stunning flowers in a group of plants referred to as summer bulbs. Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, gives us an overview of summer bulbs and how you can use them in your Western New York garden. Urban Roots, located at 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo, offers a variety of summer bulbs. Don’t confuse these with spring bulbs (such as crocus, hyacinth and tulips)…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko There seems to be confusion over which home gardeners can legally plant cannabis in Western New York. Right now only people that have their medical cannabis card from their practitioner can grow cannabis, said Melissa Moore, co-coordinator of the Horticulture Program and instructor of Cannabis at Niagara County Community College (NCCC). Those people can grow up to six plants per person, and a total of 12 plants per residence. People without a medical card are not…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A month ago, I published Lesser celandine is back: What to do if it’s already out of control, but I still keep getting questions from readers. I also have gotten comments on that article and previous lesser celandine articles about how bad the situation has become on their property. Let’s address some of these issues. You can’t apply herbicide once the plant has flowered. Why? Here’s the answer from Andrea Locke, coordinator of WNY PRISM (Partnership for Regional…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko We talked about No Mow May in an article last year. The idea is to take a break from mowing your lawn until the end of May. That way, you’re allowing plants in your lawn to flower, providing early food for bees and other pollinators. “But it’s just a starting point,” said Matthew Shepherd, director of Outreach & Education at the Xerces Society. “We want to see landscapes transformed. We want lawns that are less manicured, where…...
Why should you prune? What do the terms “greens” and “browns” mean for composting? Those are just two of the topics in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener, the local horticulture newsletter for Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. It is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in those 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)…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Shady areas can be a challenge for gardeners, and if the shady area is dry, that’s even more difficult. If you have an area like that, try planting lamium. “It’s drought tolerant,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses. “It grows in dry shade areas. That’s a hard thing to find.” What’s even better is that you can buy it during the 69-cent Perennial Sale at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko It looks like we will have a week of warm spring weather in Western New York! It’s a great time to get outside and enjoy some gardening tasks. But don’t get ahead of yourself–some tasks should wait a little longer. See what’s happening in your yard See what plants have started to grow. Pick up any trash that blew into your yard. Look for damage from rabbits, deer or moles and voles. Check for winter storm damage. Some things you…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I have been writing about lesser celandine for 11 years, but I realized I hadn’t addressed in detail what to do if your whole yard, or a large section of your yard, is covered with lesser celandine. Here are questions I got from a local gardener: Hi Connie, I bought a new house last spring in the Elmwood Village (area of Buffalo). It’s beautiful but both the front and back yards are total carpets of lesser…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When should you plant garlic? The usual recommendation is October. (It overwinters and you harvest around July.) But maybe you can plant garlic in April in Western New York–and harvest the same year! I got a comment on this previous article last October from a local gardener. She had planted garlic in April: Last fall I had hand surgery and wasn’t able to get my garlic planted. I did it in spring and had a beautiful…...
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