herbs at Mischler's Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville NY

Herbs, pansies & flowers for eclipse at Mischler’s

by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s a little early for herbs, “but people were asking for them, so we overwintered some and we planted some from seed,” said Jessica Limardi, staff member at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. This is the time for pansies, and you can also buy a floral arrangement for the total eclipse of the sun. Herbs There are just a few herbs now at Mischler’s; more will come later in the season. Of…...

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lemon balm illustration from Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz (1885)

Lemon balm & more in newest edition of Optimistic Gardener

Lemon balm, soil science and the many kinds of compost bins are some of the topics in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener.   The publication is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Find the newsletter on the gardening page of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus (on the righthand side)…....

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herbs, compost, rose hips, birds in snow

Autumn tips: rose seeds, herbs, new garden, spreading compost & more

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are six reminders–or perhaps new ideas–for activities that Western New York gardeners can do in autumn. Start roses from seeds Yes, you can actually start roses from seeds, and autumn is the time to do it, said David Clark, CNLP. The seeds are inside the rose hip, which is the fruit of the plant. It’s a green or red ball that forms when the rose flower drops off. See more in the article “How to…...

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mint tea in cup with sprig of mint copyright Connie Oswald Stofko

Make herbal tea from a variety of plants in Western New York

by Lyn Chimera, owner of Lessons from Nature After a busy day, sitting down with a good cup of herbal tea from the garden is one of the joys of my life. I started growing a few mints and was hooked on the amazing taste of fresh mint tea. The freshness makes a huge difference. Every year my first cup of fresh tea is a cause for celebration. Technically, herbal teas are not teas. Tea comes from the tea plant…...

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decorative plates in garden in Lewiston NY

Lewiston GardenFest kicks off garden walk season in WNY

The season of garden walks will kick off this weekend with Lewiston GardenFest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18 on Center Street in Lewiston. Here are some photos–and tips!–from a couple of the gardeners who will be sharing their landscapes during the Lewiston GardenFest. You can see and learn more during the actual event. “Celebrate summer at Lewiston GardenFest and come away inspired to enhance your own green spaces,” said Mary Ann Yates,…...

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looking at mint plant in Amherst NY

Garden Talks begin in Batavia & on line

The Genesee County Master Gardeners will hold monthly Garden Talks starting in February. Garden Talk programs start at noon and can be 30 to 60 minutes long, depending on the topic. They will be held on Thursdays. This free series is open to all, but registration is required. You can attend in person at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office, 420 East Main St., Batavia, or online via Zoom. To attend in person, contact Mandy at 585-343-3040, ext. 101 or amm532@cornell.edu. For a Zoom…...

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orange and red peppers

Inflation: Ideas for growing food in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko Maybe you haven’t noticed, but food prices are going up and may continue to rise. Food plants may be a good investment right now. To deal with inflation, consider growing vegetables, herbs or fruit that: You are really going to eat Are expensive to buy You can share with others Plant what you like to eat I used to have a large section of garden filled with chives. They grow easily and get a pretty purple…...

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harvesting sage in early winter

Don’t desert your garden yet! Tasks for early winter weather in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko I wasn’t sure whether to use “early winter” or “late autumn” in the headline. Technically, winter doesn’t start until Dec. 21. Yet we have already gotten snow and more is in the forecast, so I went with winter. Then again, the snow keeps melting, and many of us still have leaves on the trees. Maybe we should call this season “wintumn.” Whatever you call it, there are still tasks you can do in your garden. If…...

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Seed Share at Hamburg Library

Get free seeds at downtown library, Hamburg branch

by Connie Oswald Stofko You can get free seeds at libraries in Erie County: Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, and the Hamburg Public Library, 102 Buffalo St., Hamburg. These are in addition to the WNY Seed Library at the Audubon Branch Library, which we talked about previously. The organizers at all these seed libraries hope that after you have borrowed seeds, you will save some seeds from the plants you grew and take them back to the seed library…...

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green peppers on plant

What to do with your extra plants

by Connie Oswald Stofko Have you ever bought plants and found you had extras? You have space for two cherry tomato plants and one beefsteak, but each variety comes in a package of four. What do you do with the extras? First, are you sure you don’t have space? You don’t need a lot of space to garden. Containers aren’t just for flowers; you can plant vegetables in containers, too. One local gardener I met planted fruit trees in containers…....

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