by Connie Oswald Stofko “Gardens are never done,” said Gary Leising of 2695 Sweet Home Road, Amherst. “You always come up with new ideas. There are always things you want to do and things you want to change.” When Leising and his wife Linda moved into their newly built home in 1984, the landscape was just a field. That mostly sunny landscape has turned into a mostly shady landscape with two dozen trees, established garden beds and a large koi…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader sent me this question that I can’t answer, but I hope one of my readers can. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment below. Does anyone have suggestions for deterring squirrels? Every year my friendly neighborhood squirrel gets in my garden and eats my tomatoes. He even actually brings them up on my porch sometimes and leaves the peels and uneaten portions laying there. It’s very frustrating that he picks my fruit before…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The yard of Carrie Brooks, 773 Crescent Ave., Buffalo, is filled with plants, and many of them have a story. The forsythia came from a bouquet her daughter gave her. The branches stayed in the vase of water too long and rooted, so she planted them. After the bush has finished flowering, she allows a sweet pea vine to climb up and cover it with its own flowers. Japanese lanterns were used as the table decorations…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A reader came to me with a gardening question. Do you have any suggestions on how she can resolve her problem? If so, please leave a comment. Here’s her question: I have an area of my lawn that has had moss, bare spots and grayish/brown grass for several years. It isn’t getting smaller despite suggested treatments from my lawn maintenance company. They recommended lime but it didn’t work. They tested the pH and it is within…
by Connie Oswald Stofko When it comes to dealing with pests such as deer and rabbits, the bad news is that there is no single technique that works all the time. The good news is that there are lots and lots of things you can try. When I speak to gardening groups, I get a chance to talk with gardeners, and they’re happy to share what works for them. I’m always coming across new ideas on how to deal with pests….
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re a gardener who has complained about deer eating your plants, you’ve probably had someone respond with “Well, the deer were here first.” But gardeners who have been in their house for a few decades insist they were there before the deer. They’re right. While many people think that we are encroaching on the deer’s long-established habitat when we build new developments, suburban sprawl is actually creating refuges for deer, said Paul D. Curtis, associate…
by Connie Oswald Stofko You may have noticed black circles on the maple leaves in your neighborhood. That’s called tar spot because it looks like drops of tar were dripped onto the leaves. Tar spot is caused by a fungus and attacks mostly sugar maples, but can affect other maples as well, said Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardener coordinator for the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension. There isn’t a lot you can do about tar spot, but the disease isn’t as…
You don’t have to have a college degree to help advance scientific learning in plant and nature topics. You can help scientists collect data on a number of local and national projects. Here are a few projects that might interest you. __________ Let scientists know where squirrels are & where they aren’t Take a look around your home, office, school or other location and, whether you see squirrels or not, enter your observations at the Project Squirrel website. Scientists want…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A combination of gardening problems faces Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, the 35-acre historical interpretive center in Amherst that showcases 19th century buildings set up like a village. Much of the landscape is boggy, so gardens can be wet early in the season. In addition, there’s no irrigation system, and hoses can’t reach all the gardens, so there’s no easy way to water plants during the dry summer months. To deal with these conditions, Buffalo Niagara Heritage…
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re having problems with your fruit this year, it might be due to an invasive fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila. The fruit fly is in Western New York. Cornell Cooperative Extension representatives in Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties told me it has been found those counties, and it has been found in other counties as well. One of the biggest tell-tale signs of damage from the spotted wing drosophila is beautiful looking fruit…
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