by Connie Oswald Stofko Many people struggle with shady yards, wishing they could grow the plants they see in sunnier gardens. Jeff Lokken is different. He embraces his canopy of trees. The result is a forest-like retreat from the noise of the city. We visited Lokken last year during Garden Walk Buffalo at the home he shares with Rebecca Bish at 170 Prospect Ave., Buffalo. This year Garden Walk Buffalo will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday…...
July 15, 2013: UPDATE With just a few weeks left, the National Garden Festival has reduced the price of the Open Garden Directory from $8 to $5. If buyers of the book use the Botanical Gardens buy-one-get-one free admission coupon, the complimentary Spring Lake Winery wine tasting for two, the 25% off a Shrub Coat product offer, the free coffee or tea at Organic 3 Café coupon, the $10 off any fairy garden coupon for Mischler’s Florist, and the $5…...
“The National Garden Festival in Buffalo has been known all along for its gardens and beautiful flowers,” said Mary Van Vorst, but she and other organizers have felt that there should be more attention paid to the environment and green movement. That’s why this year you’ll see a new feature as part of the festival: the Beyond Flowers bus tour to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3. It’s a little bit different than the other…...
If you’re one of us, the few holdouts who don’t have air conditioning, or if you just like the look in the photo above, try painting your window screens. Several beautiful creations, including the one seen above, were done by artist Bruce Marzahn, but the technique could be used by anyone. I saw the screens and other creations by Marzahn last year at his properties at 165 and 167 Prospect Ave., Buffalo, during Garden Walk Buffalo. Garden Walk Buffalo is…...
How this pond was created is a long story that involves a garage built for a Model T Ford, two kids’ fascination with WWI and a couple who know how to rescue great items from the trash. The story starts in 1995 at the home of Michelle and Jim Schmitt at 253 Crowley Avenue in the Riverside area of Buffalo.They had an old garage that had been built for a Model T. It even held some Model T parts, including…...
Mini garden walks scheduled during Lancaster’s Old Home Days Old Home Days, an event that was last held in Lancaster 100 years ago, is being resurrected and is scheduled for June 30 through July 6. The Lancaster Garden Walk will take part. In addition to its main walk, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21, the Lancaster Garden Walk will hold three mini-walks as part of Old Home Days. The…...
Buffalo’s National Garden Festival was among garden festivals from around the world to receive international recognition last week at the Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto. Other award recipients traveled from Japan, France, Portugal, Italy and Australia as well as from across North America. “More and more eyes around the world are being opened to the fact that Buffalo is a premier gardening tourism destination,” said Sally Cunningham, director of the National Garden Festival. In the photo above, she is in…...
Welcome to all my new subscribers I had a great time at Plantasia last week, and I was delighted to be able to meet so many of my current readers. Thanks for stopping by my booth to say hello! I also want to welcome all my new subscribers. A whopping 515 people signed up! Thank you all. Remember that you can join the conversation by leaving a comment on any of our articles. You can also share pictures of your…...
When Carol Franklin is outside watering her garden on Prospect Avenue in Buffalo, people will stop and tell her what a good job she’s doing. They don’t expect to find city areas to look as good as this, she explained, but you can have a great garden wherever you are. “Bloom where you are planted,” Franklin said. I visited Franklin this July during Garden Walk Buffalo. Her welcoming front garden wraps around the side of the house and can be…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You may remember Jim Gugliuzza of Lockport, who earlier showed us how to braid garlic. He has large fruit and vegetable plots in his yard on Walnut Street that he shared during Lockport in Bloom in July. The sign that hangs there sums it up– Check it out below right. Gugliuzza had lots of great information on growing fruits and vegetables. Here are seven tips I hope you find useful: Keep birds out of your berries…....
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