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…...
We need to protect peat bogs. Learn more about that in the article “Peat Moss and Sustainability” by Kathy Contrino, Master Gardener in Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. Peat moss, which is used to help soil retain moisture, is grown in peat bogs. However, peat moss grows slowly and it grows only if the conditions are perfect. Peat bogs are also an environment for native carnivorous plants, so harvesting peat moss can disrupt that ecosystem. There are alternatives to peat…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko There’s snow on the ground and more snow to come. As I write this, the temperature might reach a high of 16 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill as low as -5. Brrr! That’s the forecast in the Buffalo area, but the weather is pretty much the same in the rest of Western New York. Yet despite the weather, the beginning of gardening season is here! Now is the time to get your supplies, equipment and…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko We’re not ready to plant vegetables outside yet, but this is a good time to plan for spring. Here’s an idea for keeping rabbits out of your vegetable garden. I saw these raised beds in the yard of Beth and Brian Kreutzer in Cheektowaga. I think these garden beds are genius: simple, fairly easy to build and a solid defense against pesky rabbits. You can tell the fencing works by the healthy vegetables! The Kreutzers’ patch…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko A completely renovated greenhouse, the Tropical Orchard, will open this Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. I was given a sneak peek yesterday to share with you! The Tropical Orchard features a collection of edible plants from around the world. Some of the plants you’ll see are starfruits, bananas, Australian finger limes, pineapples, chocolate tree, ponderosa lemon, strawberry guava tree and coconut palm. More common plants include peanuts, a peach tree,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Autumn is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but planting them too early could damage or even kill them. When you plant bulbs that flower in the spring, the soil needs to be cool; around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market in Buffalo. Cool soil tells the bulb to grow roots, which is what you want. The bulb is getting established for spring, when it will send out leaves…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “My garden has color from spring to fall,” said Elaine Bialecki, founder of the original Elaine’s Flower Shoppe in Depew. What does it look like at this time of the year? Watch the video below, made by Jay Jinge Hu of Williamsville at this time last year. Hu has shared many of his videos with us, and you can see them here. He has also welcomed visitors to his own wonderful garden on Open Gardens. While…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s a little early for herbs, “but people were asking for them, so we overwintered some and we planted some from seed,” said Jessica Limardi, staff member at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. This is the time for pansies, and you can also buy a floral arrangement for the total eclipse of the sun. Herbs There are just a few herbs now at Mischler’s; more will come later in the season. Of…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Wait until the forsythia blooms. That’s a rule of thumb for many gardening tasks in Western New York. For example, you shouldn’t prune your roses until you see forsythia blooming in your neighborhood, according to this tip from the the Western New York Rose Society. The forsythias are blooming now, or will bloom soon, in Western New York. “This is when the soil is warming up and things are popping up outside,” said David Clark, CNLP, who was honored…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Does it seem that your crocuses, daffodils or other plants are budding—even blooming—early this year? “There’s no question about it,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. “We are ahead of where we would normally be. It looks like April instead of March.” The Southern Tier has also seen warmer temperatures than usual, said said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. While it’s…...
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