by Connie Oswald Stofko Brenda Snyder was looking for a seed bank–a place where seeds are collected and shared–but she couldn’t find one in Western New York. “There were no seed banks I could even drive to,” Snyder said. “I thought, ‘How is that even possible?’ I decided somebody just needed to take the bull by the horns and get it rolling.” Working with other volunteers, she is setting up the WNY Seed Library, a free seed library for anyone who wants…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, the second stinky corpse flower to bloom at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, is already bigger than Morty was this year, and Fester may grow bigger than Morty was in 2014, said Erin Grajek, associate vice president of Marketing & Visitor Experience at the Botanical Gardens. Fester can grow two to eight inches per day and is now 63.5 inches or about 5 1/4 feet tall. Morty was about 4 1/2 feet tall this year, but was…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, which started out as the smallest of the three corpse flower corms (bulbs) that the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens acquired in 2014, is ready to bloom and is on display now. This announcement comes a week after another of the corpse flowers, dubbed Morty, bloomed for the second time! Since these plants bloom only once every six to ten years, having two bloom within such a short amount of time is unusual. It’s…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Morty isn’t acting the way it did the last time it bloomed. The corpse flower or Amorphophallus titanum, which gives off the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators, revved up its smell, but didn’t unfurl the way it did in 2014. It’s shorter this time, too– about 4 1/2 feet tall, not the huge 7 1/2 feet he attained last time. Yet the fact that Morty bloomed again so soon is pretty exciting– These plants may…
We thought we might have to wait until 2024, but Morty the corpse flower, which bloomed in 2014 with the smell of rotting flesh, is ready to bloom again at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The corpse flower blooms just once every six to ten years. “It is hard to predict when the plant may be in full bloom, but our best estimate of bloom time would be within six weeks,” said Dave Swarts, president/CEO. Morty can grow about two…
For this year’s Leaf a Legacy project, PLANT WNY member firms planted 22 bare root trees of mixed varieties on Arbor Day, April 27, at the Kids Escaping Drugs (KED) campus in West Seneca. The KED campus recently lost a large number of trees on their campus due to construction. Trees are important for many reasons. They’re calming, add beauty to the campus and absorb and block sound. Trees provide environmental benefits by cleaning the air and providing a home for wildlife….
The PLANT WNY Foundation is offering scholarships to students who want to pursue careers in the nursery/landscape industry. The next application deadline is Monday, June 18 for the fall 2018 semester. Get more details and application forms here. Winners of spring 2018 scholarships are: Cheryl Krisnosky, recipient of the Mary and George Schichtel Scholarship Alora Angelina Brusino, recipient of the WNY Nurserymen’s Association Foundation Scholarship Sean Beckinghausen, recipient of the WNY Nurserymen’s Association Foundation Scholarship Carrie Everett, recipient of the George O. Adams…
by Connie Oswald Stofko I want to find new subscribers for Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York, so I’m holding a drawing and offering great prizes for gardeners. Please help me spread the word by emailing this information to a friend. Or share it on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter or your favorite social media. Or pick up the phone and call a relative. Or mention it to a coworker. If you’ve been reading Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com for awhile, you’re my best ambassador….
The Amherst Garden Club offers a $1,500 scholarship to a student in Erie or Niagara County planning to study horticulture, urban design or related fields. The application deadline is May 1. For more information and an application form, please contact Sandra Witman at inventiongirl1@roadrunner.com….
Applications are now available for Marvin Lunenfeld Beautification Grants, named for Garden Walk Buffalo’s founder. Completed applications are due Feb. 28. The initiative has funded more than 100 garden beautification projects across the West Side of Buffalo totaling more than $100,000 since 2005. Find eligibility requirements and applications online or call 716-247-5004 and they will mail you an application. One objective of Garden Walk Buffalo is to give back to the community by supplying funds to block clubs and neighborhood…
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