Pests & Weeds Archives - Page 24 of 30 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Had damage to your lilies? You might have a new invasive bug called lily leaf beetle

by Connie Oswald Stofko Margaret Raupp, coordinator of Open Gardens, alerted me to a couple of problems with disease and pests that she noticed while touring the gardens. We’ll talk about the first one, lily leaf beetle, today. Raupp said that when she visited an Open Garden in Lockport, the garden of John Taylor and Mary Brennan-Taylor, almost all of the Asiatic and Oriental lilies were lost to the lily leaf beetle, an invasive species that’s fairly new to Western…...

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Aug 18, 2015

Pool owners: It’s time to look for invasive Asian longhorned beetle

It’s again time for pool owners to check their filters and skimmers for the Asian longhorned beetle. If you find one, please report it during the fourth annual Citizen Pool Survey being held through Aug. 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you don’t have a pool, you can still help. DEC expanded its survey to include photo submissions from anyone who spots a suspect beetle, even if the beetle isn’t found in a pool…....

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Jul 28, 2015

Wet weather brings mildew, blight to Western New York gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko “The wetness we had early in the season has caused disease issues that will show up the rest of the season,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. These issues include mildew and blight. How you handle it depends on the particular plant that is affected as well as on your gardening preferences. Some plants that get a fungal disease don’t need to be treated at all. If a lilac bush…...

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Jul 14, 2015

Sunny field has evolved to shady haven in Amherst

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…...

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Jun 30, 2015

Help a reader: How can you keep squirrels from eating your tomatoes?

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…...

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Jun 29, 2015

overall view of Bonnie Brooks' yard in Buffalo NY

Native plants and large greenhouse are attractions in this Parkside garden

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…...

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Jun 23, 2015

lawn problem from Martha Neri of Williamsville NY

Can you help this reader with a lawn problem?

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…...

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May 12, 2015

Use old CD’s to keep deer & rabbits away, plus more tips on garden pests

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…....

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May 5, 2015

Suburban sprawl isn’t taking habitat from deer; it’s creating havens for them

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…...

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Nov 11, 2014

tar spot on maple leaves in Western New York 2014

Tar spot affects maple leaves in WNY; is there anything you can do about it?

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…...

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Oct 28, 2014