by Connie Oswald Stofko As a gardener, what would it be like if your house was surrounded by a nature preserve full of deer? Ruth Robson in Cheektowaga knows what it’s like firsthand. While she has houses to her right, to her left is the Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. Her backyard, and the backyards of all her neighbors, border on Reinstein Woods. The deer could stay in Reinstein Woods, but they don’t know know anything about property lines, so they…...
UPDATE FEB. 3, 2025: Some readers wanted to hear more about this topic, but couldn’t attend the talk when it occurred. You can see a summary of the main points of Ken Parker’s presentation here. by Connie Oswald Stofko Are black-eyed Susans native plants? To North America, yes. But to Western New York, they’re not native, said Ken Parker, membership chair of Wild Ones Western New York. And it’s important for “native plants” to be native to where we live…....
Did your morning glories wait until autumn to bloom? The Master Gardeners in Erie County received calls from people wondering why their morning glories didn’t bloom earlier, said Carol Ann Harlos in “Lessons from the Hotline” in WNY Gardening Matters. One reason the morning glories didn’t bloom earlier might be the soil. The plant likes poor soil. If the soil is rich in nutrients, the plant tends to put energy into leaf growth instead of making flowers. This article also…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We don’t do the usual; we do the unusual. We pride ourselves on that,” said Brian Olinski. That’s why so many people visit him and and his husband, Gordon Ballard, during Open Gardens. You will find plants in their landscape that no one else in Western New York has. And their “Bird Avenue Gardens” are big, situated on a double lot in Buffalo, with plants everywhere you look. But you don’t need a gigantic garden or…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Autumn is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but planting them too early could damage or even kill them. When you plant bulbs that flower in the spring, the soil needs to be cool; around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market in Buffalo. Cool soil tells the bulb to grow roots, which is what you want. The bulb is getting established for spring, when it will send out leaves…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I was shocked when I saw the pitiful state of my impatiens. The flowers were limp, the leaves were sagging and the plant looked miserable. I don’t know when I had watered them last, but, obviously, it was too long. I felt bad. Luckily, impatiens spring back fast. I checked back a few hours later and they were perky and happy again. But don’t wait until your plants start wilting to let you know that they…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When I think of permaculture, I picture an apple tree in a backyard. If you move away, the apple tree still produces fruit, even though you’re not there. “Permaculture” is permanent agriculture. Learn how permaculture can provide you with food—and help the environment—with talks on “Introduction to Permaculture and Native Plant Communities.” The talks will be presented by Kathy Contrino, a Master Garden in Orleans County and owner of CW Native Plant Farm. She is also…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “My garden has color from spring to fall,” said Elaine Bialecki, founder of the original Elaine’s Flower Shoppe in Depew. What does it look like at this time of the year? Watch the video below, made by Jay Jinge Hu of Williamsville at this time last year. Hu has shared many of his videos with us, and you can see them here. He has also welcomed visitors to his own wonderful garden on Open Gardens. While…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “This year seems to have been running ahead of schedule from the beginning,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. “We had a mild winter, early spring and and early summer.” And summer has been hot! What does this mean for our gardens now? Tomatoes and other food plants With the higher temperatures we’ve had, your tomato plants and other vegetable plants may have started fruiting earlier than usual, Farfaglia said…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko This is the last week to visit gardens in Western New York, and there are so many to see! First, don’t forget about Open Gardens this Thursday and Friday, your last chance to tour about 100 select gardens this year. You’ll also be able to see Artists in Open Gardens, where visual artists will be creating art in gardens in Alden, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, East Aurora, Eden, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lockport, Tonawanda, West Falls, West Seneca and…...
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