by Connie Oswald Stofko This is just a sample of the bulbs you can find at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. If you’ve never planted bulbs, keep reading–there’s a list of previous articles that you’ll find helpful. But if you’re still stumped, stop in to Urban Roots to get the gardening advice you need. Tulip wildflower mixture (species) These wild tulips (also called species tulips) are shorter than the hybrid tulips you usually see, but…...
This information is from Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners in Orleans County. In June, the rush is on to get our gardens in top shape. But with roses, peonies and other plants soon to bloom, it’s also a great time to stop and actually smell the flowers. Scent is an important feature of flowering plants. Because they cannot get up and relocate themselves, plants use scent to attract pollinators and to deter hungry creatures. Researchers at Purdue University say that plants emit…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You have to watch the weather and can’t rely on dates. If you wanted to plant tender vegetables on Mother’s Day or Memorial Day this year, you’re probably feeling disappointed right now. Many parts of Western New York had frost warnings last night. Even if you didn’t get frost, it was too cool overnight for tender plants, such as tomatoes. “Not just tomatoes, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market. “I’d be careful of…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko The rabbits killed half of my blackberry bush; only three healthy canes, or stems, are left. My neighbor’s five-foot rose of Sharon that she has been nurturing for ten years looks like a skeleton. Many gardeners around Western New York have the same question: Why was there so much damage from rabbits this winter? First of all, we have a lot of rabbits in Western New York, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s a heady time for gardeners—plant sales and plant exchanges from nonprofit groups are popping up all over Western New York! These plant sales are a great way to find bargains, connect with friends and neighbors and find out what other gardeners in WNY are planting. Some of the plants in the sales come straight from the gardens of the members in the organizations. Since those gardeners have extra plants to share, it’s a good sign…...
“The primrose is one of the very first signs of spring—even before they show up in our gardens,” said Lyn Chimera, Master Gardener in Erie County. “I know spring is coming when the displays of primrose are in the supermarkets. “Given the proper growing conditions, these vigorous plants will multiply each year, adding stunning colors to the spring garden.” Use primrose in garden beds, borders and containers as well as for naturalizing areas in a woodland setting. You can find…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Five varieties of astilbe, one new groundcover and one new true blue flower. That’s what you’ll see in this article, but there will be many more varieties in the 69-cent perennial sale at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. Mark your calendar: The sale will start at 8 a.m. Friday, April 25 and continue while supplies last. Sale hours are: Plants are sold in packs of 4 for $2.76. A list of plant…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Just when it seemed like winter was gone and we were solidly into spring, I woke up to snowflakes in the air. But we can always rely on the annual Spring Flower Exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. It’s always warm inside, there are more flowers than you can squeeze into your gardens, and the deer didn’t eat the plants. Find old photos This year is special because the Spring Flower Exhibit is kicking…...
Master Gardeners in Erie and Orleans Counties offer helpful tips and advice in their monthly newsletters. Here’s the latest information. Orleans County Digging In, the newsletter by Master Gardeners in Orleans County, starts off with suggestions on taking it slow: We are all itching to get back into the garden, to clean up the leaves, cut back spent perennials, and dig in new plants. But there are reasons to take it slow. Yes, they include protecting our pollinators, but they also…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko How did you feel on Friday, that sunny day that hit 75 degrees at the airport? I have lived in Western New York my entire life, so I should know better, but to me, it felt like spring was here to stay. In weather like this, I always think of a cartoon, To Spring, that I saw on TV when I was a kid. It’s a lovely short cartoon movie created in 1936. A bunch of…...
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