You can provide support for vining vegetables such as squash or cucumbers, while at the same time providing shade for lettuce, which likes cooler temperatures, with a simple trellis. I saw three different examples built by clever gardeners earlier this summer at the community garden at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Anyone can rent a parcel in the community garden, which is a wonderfully sunny area. Parcels are $85 for 4 feet by 50 feet (200 square feet) and…...
Tag: Shade
West Seneca gardener creates a getaway in her own backyard
by Connie Oswald Stofko “It’s serene,” said Mary Anne Bach as she gazed around her backyard. “I love coming here.” Sometimes if friends ask her if she wants to go out, her real answer is no. She’d rather spend her time off in her garden. You’ll be able to see why she enjoys her landscape so much when you visit the home she shares with her husband Jim at 52 Tim Tam Terrace during the West Seneca Tour of Gardens…...
Clay, tree roots & shade: Get tips in this video
by Connie Oswald Stofko I love Western New York gardeners. I tried waiting out the rain Sunday, but it just kept getting worse, so around 1 p.m. I made my way out to the Snyder-CleveHill Garden View, a garden walk that covers parts of Amherst and Cheektowaga. I stopped at the home of Terrie and Jerry Newman at 194 Lamarck Dr. The description on the map said they had struggled with clay soil, something that a lot of Western New…...
Niagara Escarpment makes unique backdrop for Lockport gardens
by Connie Oswald Stofko The backyard of Barbara and Anthony DiMino of Lockport has one feature I’ve never seen in any other garden landscape. Because they’re situated on the Niagara Escarpment, their property ends at the top of a steep incline that shoots up three or four stories high at the back of the yard. You can see this unique landscape during the 10th Annual Lockport in Bloom Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12 and…...
New! Hosta show at Botanical Gardens to display & judge leaves
A new hosta show called Buffalo: The City of Light will be held by the Western New York Hosta Society from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 22 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. In this unique show, hundreds of single hosta leaves (not the flowers) will be displayed in vases and grouped by size and color. Judges will analyze each leaf for awards. Anyone may enter. Entries will be accepted from 8:30…...
Coleus can add color & height to shady gardens; see spectacular displays at Botanical Gardens
by Connie Oswald Stofko “The colors are breathtaking,” said Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, talking about the coleus ‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’. “It will visually will stun you.” The colors in ‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’, which you can see in the first photo, are indeed mouth watering. A center the color of cherry candy is surrounded by a chocolatey brown. A thin border of minty green traces around the edges. “The color combination is…...
Tips on color and more from my sneak peek at Celebration of Coleus & Color
By Connie Oswald Stofko Because Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com is the proud sponsor of the upcoming Celebration of Coleus & Color exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, I was given a peek of what’s in store–It’s going to be spectacular! I got to see some of the containers being prepared for the show and Jeff Thompson, director of horticulture at the Botanical Gardens, shared tips you can use at home, too. Mark your calendar: The show will be held from…...
Learn the story of hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ from world-renowned hosta hybridizer
by Connie Oswald Stofko How the hosta ‘Niagara Falls’ was created is the fascinating story of an artist with a love for family and her country. Olga Petryszyn, the world renowned hosta hybridizer who bred ‘Niagara Falls’, will speak at the meeting of the Western New York Hosta Society on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Aurora Senior Citizens Center, 101 King St. near Oakwood, East Aurora. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 2 p.m. The event…...
Gardeners make substitutes for impatiens on Garden Walk Buffalo
by Connie Oswald Stofko During last year’s Garden Walk Buffalo, mounds of impatiens were flowering robustly at 689 West Delavan, Buffalo. But just a few weeks later, the impatiens were dropping their leaves. By September, the impatiens were gone, a victim of downy mildew. This year, Luis Martinez and Jeff Wilson were among the gardeners who had to find different plants to use in shady areas. I visited them during Garden Walk Buffalo, held July 27 and 28. With 376…...
Patriotic grouping features red, white & blue clematis
A patriotic grouping of red, white and blue clematis displays just a few of the many varieties of clematis that you’ll find in the huge gardens of Barb Rudnicki, 395 Reserve Rd., West Seneca. She will share her garden on the second annual West Seneca Garden Walk, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 20. You can pick up maps at the Charles E. Burchfield Nature & Art Center, corner of Union Road & Clinton…...