by Connie Oswald Stofko Jeff Wilson, who has a Christmas cactus that is probably more than 85 years old, shares some tips with us on how to care for these wonderful indoor plants. We met Wilson and Luis Martinez on Garden Walk Buffalo where they shared their ideas for shade gardening. Wilson’s oldest Christmas cactus is a plant they call “Grandma” because it came from Wilson’s maternal grandmother. However, it had originally been owned by her mother, Wilson’s great-grandmother. Grandma…
Tag: Garden tips
Learn the story of hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ from world-renowned hosta hybridizer
by Connie Oswald Stofko How the hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ was created is the fascinating story of an artist with a love for family and her country. Olga Petryszyn, the world renowned hosta hybridizer who bred ‘Niagara Falls’, will speak at the meeting of the Western New York Hosta Society on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St. near Oakwood, East Aurora. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 2 p.m. The event…
5 tips from Graycliff’s landscape restoration you can use in your own garden
by Connie Oswald Stofko Over the years, many changes were made to the landscape at Graycliff Estate, 6472 Old Lake Shore Rd., Derby. The historic landmark was designed by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright as a summer home for Isabelle R. Martin and her husband, Darwin D. Martin, a wealthy Buffalo businessman. To bring Graycliff back to Wright’s original vision, the landscape has been restored to look as it did when it was completed in 1931. Reine Hauser, executive…
How to keep basil over winter: Free class discusses growing tomatoes inside, too
by Connie Oswald Stofko The days are getting shorter and colder and soon we’ll be seeing snow in Western New York, but you can continue to grow food plants– inside! In this article, Jak Kochems, horticulture consultant at Arbordale Nurseries and Landscaping in the Getzville area of Amherst, gives us tips on how to bring basil plants inside and care for them over the winter. If you haven’t already brought your basil plant inside, do it now– a freeze can kill…
Halloween fun: Be creative in your WNY garden all year long
I visited the yard of Jim “Wak” Nowicki during Garden Walk Buffalo in July. He had lots of interesting elements in his summer garden, including live fish in bowls suspended from tree branches, which we’ll talk about more toward the end of this article. But he doesn’t relegate his creativity to the summer months. He took a few moments out of the tour of his summer gardens to give me a sneak peek at his Halloween decorations that were stored…
It’s time to plant sunchokes in WNY & I will share some with you
by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m beginning to harvest my sunchokes, which I think are the coolest plants ever, and I’ll give some to anyone who wants to plant them. You can plant them now in Western New York. The only catch is that I don’t want to mail them, so I ask you to arrange to pick them up. If you don’t live near me (I’m in the Eggertsville area of Amherst), you probably work with someone whose cousin lives…
Question: How should a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ tree be pruned?
Here’s a question from a reader: I bought a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ tree in the fall of 2012. I pruned it a tiny bit as my goal is to have it grow taller. They say to prune it in late fall or late winter. This year I had a ton of big, heavy blooms, and many of the branches drooped over. I am wondering 2 things: 1) Should I prune back the thinner branches…and, if so, by how much? Will…
Grow rose bush from wedding bouquet– or use any roses you get from the florist
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader came across the story we did awhile back on starting plants from cuttings and left a question in the comments section. “How do I root roses from the florist?” asked Tina Strength. “How do I start them rooting and growing?” This question intrigued me. It never even occurred to me that you might be able to grow a plant from a rose you get in a bouquet from the florist. I turned to David…
Free class at Lockwood’s covers what you should do in garden in October
Don’t prune in autumn. That’s one of the important bits of advice gardening expert Sally Cunningham will share during a free class on “Yard and Garden Care in October (for a Better Spring!)” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 12, at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. While the class is free, seating is limited, so please call 649-4684 to make a reservation. Whether you maintain a yard or grow vegetables and flowers, the jobs you do now will make a…
Heirloom vegetables connect us with previous generations; learn more at fair
by Connie Oswald Stofko Starting in 1910, Jim Tammaro’s great-grandmother grew lovely flowers, a dianthus called ‘maiden pinks’, in the garden of her Rochester home. In 1960, his aunt took some of the plants to her home. In the 1980s, when his aunt died at the age of 93, the plants were turned over to Tammaro. Now Tammaro carries on the legacy, growing the maiden pinks outside the front door of his Williamsville home. Growing these plants that have a…