grass path in Hamburg Garden Walk Hamburg NY

Art, nature & philosophy mix in this landscape on Hamburg Garden Walk

by Connie Oswald Stofko “Come to the party! Life is a feast,” said an enthusiastic Jack Edson, expressing his outlook on his gardens and his life. I visited his landscape last year on the Buzz Around Hamburg Garden Walk. He touched on many topics, including nature, art and philosophy. As he discussed the mulberry trees in his yard, Edson noted that they have a painterly quality. He pointed out the light and dark of the mulberry leaves, and compared that…...

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Sunflowers in Amherst NY

Gardeners, let’s be thankful when things go right

by Connie Oswald Stofko This spring, my wonderful neighbor gave me several sunflower seedlings. I was excited (and thankful!) because my husband and I love sunflowers. We had given up on planting sunflowers because rabbits love our gardens. It became too difficult to try to defend—then lose—these wonderful flowers to the rabbits. But this year I decided to try one more time, and I was very careful. I planted the seedlings in large pots and placed the pots outside on…...

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purple daylily in Amherst New York

Gardeners have a lot to be thankful for in Western New York

by Connie Oswald Stofko I hope you are warm, well and safe. And I hope that, no matter where you live in Western New York, you find things to be thankful for. I am thankful for everything gardeners do to help others, whether they quietly share plants and seeds with a neighbor, volunteer as a Master Gardener, give produce to food pantries, organize a garden walk or add a native plant to their garden or balcony. The gardening environment in…...

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rose with frost copyright Stofko

I’m thankful for WNY gardens and for the people who tend them

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here in Western New York, we have great gardens. But more important, our gardening community has great people. We have neighbors who share their experience. They’ll tell you what grows well in the sunny front yard and give you tips for your shady backyard. There are people who rejuvenate their neighborhoods through gardening. I’ve talked to people in the City of Buffalo—and suburbs, too—who found that when they spruced up their front yards, other neighbors did,…...

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snow on berries

It’s our last issue of the year; look for the next edition Jan. 19, 2021!

by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m taking a short break, but I’ll be back on Jan. 19 with a new edition of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. As usual, it will contain great garden tips, events and everything you need to know about gardening in Western New York. We gardeners are already looking forward to next spring–and the days are getting longer! And there’s more to be optimistic about. We’re still in the midst of a pandemic, but two vaccines for COVID-19 have been approved…....

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Garden in Cottage District of Buffalo

What do we have to be thankful for this year? Gardening!

by Connie Oswald Stofko “During this Covid pandemic, gardening has been our therapy,” said Marie Wysocki of Hamburg. She and her husband Jerry shared their landscape during Open Gardens. “Weeding is very therapeutic for us. I’m usually a calm person, but if I didn’t have this…” Many gardeners echoed that sentiment this year, and I feel the same way. We were able to get plants, thanks to the folks at our local garden centers who scrambled to create new systems…...

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rain on flowers by Stofko

Four reasons why WNY gardeners like summer rain

by Connie Oswald Stofko This spring we endured long, cold stretches of rain. Or snow. We couldn’t wait for dry, sunny days. Summer finally arrived and brought those hot, dry days, but perhaps we’ve had more than you would like. Yesterday I waited for rain that never arrived. Here are four reasons Western New York gardeners like rain in the summer: If it rains enough, we don’t have to water. While some gardeners enjoy the task of watering, others would…...

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butterfly on daisies

What are you thankful for as a gardener?

by Connie Oswald Stofko Here in Western New York, we gardeners have a lot to be thankful for. Here’s my list, and I hope you’ll share your own thoughts in a comment below. I’m thankful that we got plenty of rain this season. I rarely had to water. Gardeners I talked to were thrilled that their perennials were so big and healthy! There are so many garden walks and Open Gardens during the summer in Western New York that no…...

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Tips & inspiration for wild winter weather in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko and Stephen Vermette We’ve had some wild weather in the past week: lots of snow, wind, an official blizzard, and dangerously cold wind chills. But yesterday it felt like spring, with strong sun and temperatures around 60. Now some areas have flooding, and more flooding is possible. Tomorrow we might get freezing rain. Later in the week the forecast is for rain, then snow. Find out what you can do in your landscape in these changing conditions, and remember…...

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container of flowers on deck railing

Have fun with containers & accept failures, says Buffalo gardener

    by Connie Oswald Stofko Martha and Dan Meegan have many gorgeous container plantings in their yard at 35 Montrose Ave., Buffalo, which they shared this month on the Samuel Capen Garden Walk. But not every gardening project works out the way you plan. “You’re going to fail at some,” Martha said, pointing to a small group of sad pots. “I left those out for people to see.” I loved that demonstration of encouragement to her visitors! I always…...

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