by Connie Oswald Stofko My photos, taken in harsh afternoon sunlight, don’t do justice to the landscape of Molly and Douglas Mailey, which I saw on the Hamburg Garden Walk in July. Molly has lush and colorful garden beds. Just by looking, you may be able to pick up on some of the techniques she uses to add beauty to her landscape. She has shady areas, and chooses her plants well to fit the lighting conditions. Her garden beds curve and are…
Check out brand new East Side Garden Walk this weekend, plus 4 more
by Connie Oswald Stofko Did you know that other cities in America have only one garden walk? And you have to buy an expensive ticket to see the gardens? And you get to see only about 15 gardens? What we have in Western New York is amazing! We have easily 600 gardens that you can see on more than a dozen garden walks in the City of Buffalo and other towns. And we’ve just added yet another garden walk!…
Open Gardens start this week; four garden walks this weekend
by Connie Oswald Stofko In addition to the many garden walks we have in Western New York, we are fortunate to have Open Gardens. The Open Gardens are like garden walks, but they take place on Thursdays and Fridays instead of on weekends, and they happen only during July. And unlike most of the garden walks, which allow any garden in the area of that walk to be listed, Open Gardens include just select gardens. There will be 75…
You can enter Tiny Garden Contest in Williamsville; learn basics this weekend
You can enter your own container garden in the Tiny Garden Contest, which will be held as part of the Williamsville Garden Walk on Saturday, July 21. You don’t have to live in Williamsville to enter. There will be a category for children 12 and under as well as a category for adults. The contest is still a month away, and if you’re not sure how to construct a container garden, you can learn the basics in a free…
12 things to do at the Lewiston GardenFest this weekend
The 13th annual Lewiston GardenFest presented by Lewiston Garden Club will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17 along Center Street in Lewiston. Here are a dozen things you can do at the event: 1. Browse the nearly 80 vendors. Get ideas and merchandise to beautify your own outdoor space from the vendors lining Center Street. They offer flowers, plants, handcrafted art, garden décor and more. 2. Stroll some of Lewiston’s best private gardens. Throughout the…
Deadlines coming up for Amherst, Hamburg garden walks
If you want to share your garden on the Amherst Garden Walk or Hamburg Garden walk, register soon. Amherst Garden Walk Applications are now available for the 2018 Amherst Garden Walk. Applications must be submitted no later than June 17. Sign up for the Amherst Garden walk online or get a printable application here and return it to the address on the form. The Amherst Garden Walk will be be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 7. Hamburg Garden Walk…
Booklet for Open Gardens now available at garden centers
You can now buy the booklet for Open Gardens, which lists all the information you need to visit more than 75 exceptional gardens during select hours on Thursdays and Fridays in July. The booklet is available for a $5 donation at many local garden centers– see the list here. You can also buy a copy at the Erie County Master Gardener Plant Sale on Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, at First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo….
Overgrown backyard becomes relaxed space for entertaining
By Connie Oswald Stofko The front porch “is like another living room,” said Doug Lilley of Livingston St., Buffalo. “I love sitting out here. It’s peaceful.” When he bought this 150-year-old double seven years ago, the upstairs porch was rotting and needed to be replaced. An addition to the back of the house was rotten and Lilley had to lop off the entire addition. The backyard was so overgrown, it was hard to walk back there. Now the house…
Lewiston GardenFest seeks vendors & gardeners; register now
The 13th annual Lewiston GardenFest is looking for residents who want to share their gardens as well as vendors for the event to be held 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17 on Center St. in Lewiston. The event is presented by the Lewiston Garden Club. It is free to attend. Lewiston GardenFest will include gardens open to the public as well as nearly 80 vendors offering flowers, plants, garden décor and more. There will also be speakers, and Master Gardeners…
After years of adding gardens, couple finds it’s OK to cut back
by Connie Oswald Stofko After about 20 years of adding trees and garden beds to their Grand Island landscape, Pat and Gary Scott are slowing down and even reducing the size of some beds. “We have to tone it down a little because it’s a lot of work,” Pat said. “If the gardens get too big, it’s overwhelming.” I visited the Scotts on last year’s Grand Island Garden Walk. This year the Grand Island Garden Walk will be held from 10…
