by Connie Oswald Stofko “Everyone comes to see the back,” said Rich Groblewski as he gave me a tour last week of his landscape at 14 Lombardy St., Lancaster. It seems like a nice suburban yard with a new arbor (the old one was crushed under seven feet of snow in the Snowvember storm), a fire pit, small pond and flowering plants. But walk a little farther back and you’ll see a path lined with bright red railings. Follow the…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Pat Bobo has an elegant landscape filled with flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables, but she doesn’t spend a lot of money on plants. One example is the lush grape vine she picked up for a dollar. When she bought the plant, it was on its last legs, she said, but now it’s thriving. “I don’t like paying over $4 or $5 for a plant,” Bobo said. “I pride myself on getting things for a dollar or…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Now is a good time to install hardscapes in your yard—things like paths, trellises and retaining walls for raised beds and slopes. Here’s a creative idea for a retaining wall that I saw at Plantasia in March. It’s made out of old books. While this wall was in place for only a few days and was displayed inside a building where it never got rained on, I think it could work in the real world. The books wouldn’t…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I visited the garden of Karen Deutschlander of Lancaster last summer as she was preparing for the Lancaster Garden Walk, then I showed you how she uses vignettes in her garden. She has quite a collection of other garden art, too. On this first day of autumn, let’s take another peek at some of the art in her garden. I hope it inspires you to get creative in your garden, too. Note: Deutschlander brings in her art for…...
It’s just a matter of weeks (or perhaps days) before we get frost in Western New York. Although he doesn’t know of any parts of Western New York that have gotten frost yet, there was a frost advisory Sunday night for the Town of Andover in Allegany County, said Mark Holt, Agriculture-Horticulture community educator for Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties. That frost advisory prompted him to send along some tips on protecting tender plants from frost…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Great lighting set the mood for a Moroccan-themed garden during the nighttime garden walk of the Ken-Ton Garden Tour held this past weekend. The event also included a daytime garden walk. Richard Levy of 122 Pickford Ave., Tonawanda, chose a Morrocan theme because his father’s family is from that part of the world. His grandparents were born in Istanbul. At left, a gazebo was draped with rich-looking colorful fabrics. He looked at 100 or 200 photos…...
By Connie Oswald Stofko Linda and Jaime Klubek of 48 Cadman Dr., Williamsville, have so many gardens they have named them. There’s the Asian garden featuring decorations influenced by that part of the world; the art garden, which features original glass creations made by Linda as well as statues and recycled items; the frog garden, home to many playful statues of frogs; the shoe garden, which contains a collection of shoe-shaped planters, and the grotto, a quiet and secluded spot for…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “Before, it just looked like a collection of plants,” said Elaine Clutterbuck of 728 Crescent Ave., Buffalo. “Now it looks like a garden.” What did the trick? Pathways. “I think the pathways are what made the garden,” she said, looking around her attractive backyard. “Before, it didn’t look like it had any unity.” I visited the gardens of Elaine and her husband Don during the Parkside Garden Tour on June 29 and learned so much. You…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “We never throw anything out,” said Ken Haberman of 39 West Ave., Hamburg. He and his wife Shirley have found ways to use scrap material in their gardens. When a driveway was put in, the extra topsoil became raised beds at the front of the house. Broken concrete was used to hold the soil in place and create a lovely terraced effect. When a chimney had to be torn down, they used the flues as tall…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I’m excited to be part of a new feature this year at the ninth annual Lewiston GardenFest: Garden Talk demonstrations. The Lewiston GardenFest is held by the Lewiston Garden Club and kicks off the garden walks of the National Garden Festival. I’ll be giving a new presentation, “Get Crafty in Your Garden,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21 in the Community Tent located in the center of the festival on Center Street in Lewiston. (Part of…...
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