“If you want a splash of color for spring, there’s nothing like pansies,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville. Pansies are usually set outside on the first day of spring at Mischler’s, but not this year. “It’s been so cold out,” Yadon said last week. “I don’t want them to get wilted.” Today his staff is finally putting out pansies in pots and flats. Pansies are quite hardy; they can handle cold weather down to…...
“It’s March! There’s hope in this month’s calendar,” said Peggy Koppmann, Master Gardener. “Hope for sunshine, warming temperatures, a hint of green and growing things, and the official start of spring. Pour your beverage of choice at 10:45 a.m. on March 20 and toast the beginning of the season.” Here are some things you can do in March: You can find more uplifting and useful ideas from Koppmann in the article “This Month in the Garden.” Also see the article…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko On March 8, you can go outside after dinner and see your garden in the daylight! But you will have lost an hour of sleep the night before. Daylight Saving Time is this Sunday, March 8. Remember to “spring forward” & move your clocks forward an hour. The idea of Daylight Saving Time is to allow people to make better use of the longer daylight available during summer. That makes sense, I guess. In the summer,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Snow is on the ground–still!–but you can make your list of seeds now. Check out Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, which is now carrying two especially delightful offerings. “We are excited about these seeds,” said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. And don’t forget about seeds for cool weather vegetables. Seed shakers for flowers These seeds “are a mix of annuals, biennials and perennials,” said Jablonski-Dopkin. “Each mix has a…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When you think of this year in gardening, what comes to your mind? If weather is the first thing that comes to mind, you aren’t alone. I asked a few gardening folks in Western New York to look back on 2025, and several brought up the wild weather we had this year. And 2026? No one can foresee the weather, but looking at the plans these people have, other aspects of gardening will be amazing! What…...
Here is the latest edition of Digging In, the newsletter published by Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. What our gardens teach us Our gardens keep teaching, even as winter approaches. It’s harder to see the lessons when everything feels cold and dormant, but they’re there. Consider vernalization — the way many plants, from native perennials to fruit trees to spring bulbs, need to experience winter’s chill before they can bloom. It’s what makes the seeds we plant during winter…...
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…...
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