Sign up early for Easter egg hunt, one of many events in Spring Flower Show The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will hold its Spring Flower Show from Saturday, March 16 to Sunday, April 7. One of the popular features is always the Easter egg hunt, which this year will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30. The hunt sells out every year, so you should register early, said Erin Grajek, director of marketing at the Botanical Gardens…....
Tag: Garden tips
Grow celery from the stump!
I saw this idea in several places on Pinterest and I just had to try it. When you’re done with a bunch of celery, you’re left with a stump. I used to toss that stump into the compost pile. Then on Pinterest I saw that you can use it to start a new celery plant. It’s really simple. Just set the stump into a small jar or bowl. Add just a little bit of water– about a quarter inch is…...
Free plant material available from Plantasia, & more great news
Get free plant material by volunteering at Plantasia; sign up now The Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association (WNYSNLA) is seeking not-for-profit organizations to participate in a green exchange program. Plant material, such as annuals, trees, shrubs and mulch that is left over from Plantasia will be given to not-for-profit organizations in exchange for a donation of volunteer time at Plantasia, its annual landscape and garden show, which takes place March 21-24 at the Fairgrounds Event Center and…...
How to find gardening help in Western New York
I recently received this question: “I’ve decided to put in a new rose garden. I’m looking for information on soil mix (in West Seneca I have deep clay). I’m willing to take out two feet of clay but I want to be sure I put the right soil back in. Where can I get local info?” This was an interesting question because the reader didn’t ask, “What should I do?” but instead asked, “Where can I find information?” Western New…...
Cash prizes offered in photo contest, & more items too good to miss
Cash prizes offered in Jamestown Audubon Society’s photo contest The Jamestown Audubon Society’s Nature Photography Contest offers prizes in three categories and two divisions. The youth division is for ages 8-18 or still in high school and the adult division is for ages 18 and over or post-high school. Youth and adult winners in the categories of landscapes, plants, and wildlife will all receive a $100 cash prize as well as free photo finishing. “Every winner receives a cash prize,”…...
Order now to get ‘hot picks’ at Botanical Gardens sale, & more news
‘Hot picks’ available during Botanical Gardens plant sale Alstromeria ‘Inca Ice’, seen above, is one of the “hot picks” offered this year as part of the Great Plant Sale of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Only a limited number of specimens of each hot pick will be available. The hot picks must be ordered online. The deadline to order is April 5. Plants will be available for pick-up at the Botanical Gardens during the Great Plant Sale on…...
Wild weather– Should we worry about our Buffalo gardens?
Last week the temperatures were in the single digits. This week it may be in the 50s or even 60s. Should we Western New York gardeners be worried? “I’m probably more concerned that folks don’t have much snow cover,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Snow is a good insulator and can protect plants against damage that can come from these wild fluctuations in temperature. This is the second year in a row that…...
Hypertufa: additional tips on using this material to make planters
Hypertufa is a concrete-like material that you can use to make planters that can stay outside all winter. In December, Anne Brierley of the Parkside area of Buffalo took us through the steps of making a hypertufa planter. But she had so many great tips, we couldn’t squeeze them all into one video. In the video below, Brierley gives tips on using leaves to make impressions, talks about coloring hypertufa and goes into more detail on the process of making…...
Check on your amaryllis and other items too good to miss
I walked into my basement this weekend and was surprised to see that my amaryllis bulbs were leafing out. I shouldn’t have been surprised; this is precisely what they were supposed to do. I am forcing them to bloom indoors so I can enjoy gorgeous flowers in the middle of winter. But out of sight, out of mind. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice their activity until the leaves were quite long and I had a flower bud. If…...
Carnation is the birthday flower for January, but it gets no respect
The birthday flower for January is the carnation, which is one of my favorite flowers. It has everything you could want in a flower– a beautiful shape, a wide variety of colors and a delightful fragrance. But some people look down on the magnificent carnation. “The carnation got a bad reputation,” said Maggie Wittmer, floral designer at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville. “There’s no reason to hate the carnation. That’s a bum rap.” In addition to being beautiful, the…...