Garden tips Archives - Page 17 of 110 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Mosquitoes bugging you? Keep them out of your WNY landscape

One way to keep mosquitoes from biting you is by keeping them out of your yard in the first place. The most common mosquito in New York State is Culex pipiens, which has a very small territory. It usually stays within 300 feet of its breeding site, according to this page on mosquitoes from New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYS IPM). If you and your Western New York neighbors make sure there are no breeding sites, everyone can have a…...

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May 16, 2023

plant plugs of annual plants at Mike Weber Greenhouses in West Seneca New York

Save money & get more variety with plant plugs at Mike Weber Greenhouses

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…...

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May 9, 2023

Summer bulbs: plant now (or soon) in WNY

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)…....

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May 2, 2023

No, you can’t plant cannabis in WNY yet, but you can prepare for next year

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…...

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Apr 25, 2023

More on lesser celandine in WNY: questions & discussion for next year

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…...

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Apr 25, 2023

No Mow May: what people in WNY are doing & why

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…...

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Apr 18, 2023

Pruning, composting & more in ‘The Optimistic Gardener’

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)…....

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Apr 18, 2023

lamium 'Pink Pewter' courtesy Ball Horticultural Company

Plants for dry shade & more at Mischler’s 69-cent sale; starts April 21

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…...

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Apr 11, 2023

hyacinths and daffodils in Amherst New York

Tasks you can do in WNY’s warm spring weather

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…...

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Apr 11, 2023

lesser celandine covering lawn in Buffalo New York

Lesser celandine is back: What to do if it’s already out of control

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…...

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Mar 28, 2023