by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s funny that many people think we have a double lot,” said Beth Kreutzer. I thought the same thing when I visited her and her husband Brian, but she said their Cheektowaga lot is the usual suburban size: about 50 feet wide and 100 feet long. Their backyard probably feels so much larger because of how much there is to see. There’s a large koi pond, streams, waterfalls, grass paths, a boardwalk, and lots of shrubs…
by Connie Oswald Stofko “I hated mowing,” said Peter Nightengale, “and I wanted my yard to look like nobody else’s.” That’s why he got rid of all the lawn in his South Buffalo property. In the front yard, white stones cover an area that used to be grass. There isn’t any lawn in the backyard, either. Even the hellstrip (the area between the sidewalk and street) has no grass—it’s all flowers. You can see this landscape and many others on…
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…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader contacted me regarding a previous article on zinnias. The reader wanted native zinnias, and the zinnias described in the article were all cultivars, not native plants. No one around here sells native zinnias because zinnias aren’t native to Western New York. In the United States, zinnias are native only to the Southwest. Their range stretches all the way to South America. My reader replied: “I understand this, but they are at least native to…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The box tree moth, an invasive pest that can damage and even kill a boxwood shrub within weeks, has been identified in Niagara, Erie and Orleans counties. This pest can spread; the moths are highly mobile and are good fliers. Anyone with boxwoods in Western New York should watch now for the caterpillar stage of the box tree moth (Buxus species). The caterpillar feeds almost exclusively on boxwood shrubs. The caterpillars are ravenous feeders, and heavy infestations…
by Connie Oswald Stofko We don’t have the kind of volcanoes that spew hot rocks out of a mountain, but we do have volcanoes in Western New York that can damage your trees: volcanoes made of mulch. Mulch volcanoes are those cone-shaped piles of mulch at the base of trees. Many gardeners like how the mulch volcanoes look, but they are actually bad for the trees. Check out our previous article on mulch volcanoes to find out why you shouldn’t use mulch volcanoes…
by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Let me tell you a story,” said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. “Last year my husband and I planted tomato seeds in the house with grow lights. The plants were getting bigger, so we moved them into gallon buckets. The weather got warmer and we moved the plants in and out of the garage (to protect them from cool nights). “Then we got…
by Connie Oswald Stofko On June 29, it will be legal for adults, age 21 and older, to grow cannabis at home in New York State. Right now, only medical cannabis can be grown by private individuals in New York State. The patient must get authorization from a certified health care provider to grow cannabis. The rules that are in place now for growing medical cannabis will be the rules for home cultivation of cannabis starting June 29. A person…
In the newest edition of the Optimistic Gardener, topics include: 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)….
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are three brand-new, exciting plants for Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale: Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will hold their yearly 69-cent Perennial Sale at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The plants are sold only in packs of four plants at $2.76 per pack. Get a flat for $33.12 (12 packs per flat). See the list of plants here. The sale will take place from Friday, April 26 to Saturday, May 4, while supplies last. Sale hours are 8 a.m….
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