Blue My Mind dwarf morning glories

Cottage garden in Lancaster is colorful in three seasons

by Connie Oswald Stofko “My garden has color from spring to fall,” said Elaine Bialecki, founder of the original Elaine’s Flower Shoppe in Depew. What does it look like at this time of the year? Watch the video below, made by Jay Jinge Hu of Williamsville at this time last year. Hu has shared many of his videos with us, and you can see them here. He has also welcomed visitors to his own wonderful garden on Open Gardens. While…...

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annual plants on shelves in North Tonawanda NY

Random gardening tip: plants on shelves

by Connie Oswald Stofko When I visited the gardens of Nancy Townsend (Bachman) in North Tonawanda, I was drawn to what looked like a vertical garden, but the plants were simply set on shelves. I wrote about her landscape back in 2020, but the idea about the shelves didn’t fit into the article about the 360-degree views of her gardens. Since it had been awhile since I had seen her gardens, I gave her a call to see if she…...

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sign in Ellicott Creek Park Tonawanda NY about harmful algal bloom HAB

Gardeners: Help prevent harmful algal blooms in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko Algae are important in our creeks, ponds and other waterways in Western New York. But when algae grow out of control—or blooms—that’s a big problem. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) can produce toxins that make fish, pets and people sick. But gardeners can help prevent HABs. Conditions that create harmful algal blooms HABs are happening more often in Western New York as our climate continues to warm and extreme weather events increase, according to Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper…....

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slug trap in Cheektowaga NY

Slug traps: Effective & easy to make

by Connie Oswald Stofko “With the rain and high humidity, it’s been a bountiful year for slugs,” said Lyn Chimera of Lessons from Nature. Many gardeners aren’t happy that the slug population has increased; slugs can injure plants by chewing holes in the leaves and stems. (See photos of damage on this page from Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CASLS). Find more information about dealing with slugs and snails on that page, too.) One way to deal with slugs…...

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spinach leaves

Reminder: plant another crop of vegetables, find seed libraries

by Connie Oswald Stofko Second vegetable crop The growing season isn’t over yet. In fact, you can plant a second crop of some herbs and vegetables. It’s called succession planting. In our previous article, Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market explains what to plant and when to plant. It’s all spelled out so you know what vegetables you can plant in your area now. Urban Roots has seeds in stock and will get more. Seed libraries connected to public…...

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bumblebee flying to blossom on nepeta, copyright by Connie Oswald Stofko

What does this hot summer mean for WNY gardens?

by Connie Oswald Stofko “This year seems to have been running ahead of schedule from the beginning,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. “We had a mild winter, early spring and and early summer.” And summer has been hot! What does this mean for our gardens now? Tomatoes and other food plants With the higher temperatures we’ve had, your tomato plants and other vegetable plants may have started fruiting earlier than usual, Farfaglia said…....

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bumble bee on goldenrod by Stofko

30 x 30: Help conserve land & water by 2030 in New York State

by Connie Oswald Stofko Do you want to help conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030? Learn more and offer your comments on a proposed strategy for New York State. A virtual meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 where you can offer your input. Here are the details: See the draft New York State 30×30 Methodology and Strategies document. You can offer your comments until Aug. 30. See more here. 30 x 30…...

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painted surface roots on a path in Niagara Falls NY

Random gardening tip: Don’t trip on tree roots

by Connie Oswald Stofko Rick Martinez of Niagara Falls offers this simple gardening tip to prevent tripping on tree roots: “My wife has poor depth perception,” Martinez said, “so I painted the surface roots on the path from our back door to the garage.” Here are two other tips he has shared: Do you have a tip to share with other gardeners in Western New York? Send it to connie@buffaloniagaragardening.com. If you can, attach a photo, too…....

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Raspberry 'Caroline'

Plant figs, raspberries, blackberries & more from Mischler’s

by Connie Oswald Stofko This isn’t the end of the growing season—or the planting season—in Western New York. In fact, there are new offerings of fruit plants at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. You can plant them now and as long as you keep them watered, “They’ll do fine,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s. Tip: When planting these or any perennials, water them properly in the heat of summer, said Jessica Limardi, staff member…...

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Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle

Learn about ladybugs in the newest issue of the Optimistic Gardener

Ladybugs aren’t bugs at all. They’re beetles. That’s just one thing you’ll learn 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 County (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus County (on the righthand side)…....

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