by Connie Oswald Stofko “The wetness we had early in the season has caused disease issues that will show up the rest of the season,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. These issues include mildew and blight. How you handle it depends on the particular plant that is affected as well as on your gardening preferences. Some plants that get a fungal disease don’t need to be treated at all. If a lilac bush…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “Everyone comes to see the back,” said Rich Groblewski as he gave me a tour last week of his landscape at 14 Lombardy St., Lancaster. It seems like a nice suburban yard with a new arbor (the old one was crushed under seven feet of snow in the Snowvember storm), a fire pit, small pond and flowering plants. But walk a little farther back and you’ll see a path lined with bright red railings. Follow the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Pat Bobo has an elegant landscape filled with flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables, but she doesn’t spend a lot of money on plants. One example is the lush grape vine she picked up for a dollar. When she bought the plant, it was on its last legs, she said, but now it’s thriving. “I don’t like paying over $4 or $5 for a plant,” Bobo said. “I pride myself on getting things for a dollar or…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Dick Herr has a way with plants. He had a yucca plant in his garden, but dug it out 35 years ago. Last year– surprise!– it came back. Now it’s taller than ever and was in full bloom when I visited last week. You can see his gardens at 180 Hamilton Dr., Snyder, during the Snyder-CleveHill Garden View from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 12. Maps can be picked up at Trillium’s Courtyard Florist,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Rather than just rip out the overgrown jungle that she found in her yard when she moved into her home six years ago, Jennifer Matyjasik is trying to preserve the history of the 1930s house and honor the avid gardener who once lived there. Her neighbors told her that the woman who had owned the house, along with her sister, were great gardeners. Matyjasik is trying to honor that as she fashions her new landscape. As…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader sent me this question that I can’t answer, but I hope one of my readers can. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment below. Does anyone have suggestions for deterring squirrels? Every year my friendly neighborhood squirrel gets in my garden and eats my tomatoes. He even actually brings them up on my porch sometimes and leaves the peels and uneaten portions laying there. It’s very frustrating that he picks my fruit before…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko The yard of Carrie Brooks, 773 Crescent Ave., Buffalo, is filled with plants, and many of them have a story. The forsythia came from a bouquet her daughter gave her. The branches stayed in the vase of water too long and rooted, so she planted them. After the bush has finished flowering, she allows a sweet pea vine to climb up and cover it with its own flowers. Japanese lanterns were used as the table decorations…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You can see a huge decorative ruler topped with a snowflake, which, in the winter, marks how much snow is on the ground in the backyard of Linda Washut and Kathleen Kelkenberg, 175 Highland Ave., Hamburg. It measures all the way up to four feet. “We got it at a garage sale,” Washut said. “We thought it was hilarious.” But during the Snowvember Storm of 2014 the ruler was buried. “We got seven feet of snow,”…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a question I received from a reader: Hi Connie, thanks for your newsletter, it’s always so informative! I have entered the Amherst Garden Walk this year. As a part-time transplant Buffalonian, I am unsure of what will be blooming on July 11, the day of the walk. I like a good challenge, however I’m thinking I bit off too much? Are there tips, a web site to guide, anything to assist the process of coaxing…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Go big. That’s the lesson I took away from the gardens of Jerry Powarski of George Dr., West Seneca. Powarski gave me a sneak peek last week as a preview of the West Seneca Tour of Gardens, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19. The garden walk season kicks off this weekend with the 10th annual Lewiston GardenFest, which will be held 10 a.m. to 5…...
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