by Connie Oswald Stofko “Orchids are easier to care for than people think,” said Donna Lipowicz, president of the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. In this article, Lipowicz will give you tips on how to care for your orchids in Western New York. You can get even more information while you enjoy beautiful displays at the Orchid Show to be held March 3-5 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Orchid Show and Orchids After Dark The Niagara Frontier Orchid…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko There aren’t many plants blooming outdoors right now, but many Western New Yorkers are enjoying stunning amaryllis flowers indoors. Amaryllis bulbs are popular holiday gifts. If your plant is done blooming, don’t throw it away–it can bloom again next year. It’s pretty easy to get an amaryllis to bloom again, and the small effort you put into the project is well worth the effort. Amaryllis has huge, trumpet-shaped flowers–it’s spectacular! The most important thing to know…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re tired of the gray, gloomy skies we’ve been seeing for weeks, get a little sunshine in your life with fresh flowers. Spread the cheer by sending flowers to your Valentine or to your friends. What might make you even happier is supporting a local grower and getting flowers picked that day. At Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville, they grow their oriental lilies in their own greenhouses. “We cut them fresh daily,”…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Most poinsettias are 18 inches tall, but Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses offers poinsettias that are about three feet tall–twice as tall as other poinsettias. One recent shopper called them “magnificent,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s. While they’re unusual, these poinsettias are, oddly enough, traditional, too. They aren’t a different variety of poinsettia; they’re just grown differently. Typically, poinsettias are pinched back (which means cutting back some stems), Yadon explained. That encourages the plant to branch…...
Along with the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will host the popular Orchid Show on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13 at the Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Note: The Botanical Gardens will close at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 13 to allow all the exhibitors and vendors to set up and and tear down…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a message I got from a reader: Hi Connie, Would you consider adding the tiny whitefly infestation and organic solutions to rid garden of them in your next newsletter? In the garden, they are everywhere, likely thirsty! Wishing for rain tonight! Thank you, Brigitte Wagner-Ott, Eggertsville I didn’t even know what whiteflies were, and since Wagner-Ott lives down the street from me, I figured I should find out more. She saw something online, but wanted information…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you want to force your amaryllis to bloom inside around Christmas, bring it inside around the middle of August. That’s the advice from David Clark, CNLP, who teaches the horticulture classes at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. See our previous article here to find out about the timing for amaryllis. Find out more about growing amaryllis here…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Several weeks ago, the folks at one garden center suggested I do an article about houseplants–in summer! That’s an odd topic for this time of year, I thought to myself. Then another garden center suggested the same thing. When a third garden center brought up houseplants, I knew I had to find out more. Here are some reasons to pay attention to houseplants in summer: Healthier houseplants Your houseplants will grow better outside because they can…...
Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi) is an easy-to-care-for houseplant that can flourish for years, said Lyn Chimera in this article in the most recent edition of WNY Gardening Matters. “I still have a large plant that started out as a cutting from my mother over 50 years ago,” she said. Learn more about Christmas cactuses– and Thanksgiving cactuses, too– as well as how to care for them, in the article. Also in this edition is a graphic on principles of permaculture…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko You might already know that succulents are easy to care for. You don’t need to fuss with them. They don’t need much water. And they don’t need a lot of light. But did you know that some succulents need more light than other succulents? We’ll discuss that in this article, and you can get more details on the best growing conditions for succulents in a talk at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 12 at Mischler’s Florist and…...
© 2023 Buffalo-Niagara Gardening. All rights reserved.