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 Does part of your yard turn into a pond in spring? Get some tips from the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Organization. The organization has been working for about five years to rehabilitate a long-neglected park located at 1825 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, along the Tonawanda Creek portion of the Erie Canal. The group aims to revitalize the native habitat as well as create a scenic destination. The volunteers also help with educational programs and community activities…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko “It was just a makeshift thing,” said Kim Kaiser, talking about the wooden stakes that her husband Seth set up to try to keep deer out. “It was kind of ugly,” she said. “But the fence is too low, so I had to think of something. I could put up a better fence, but I don’t want to disturb the clematis on the fence.” Wooden stakes, the kind you would buy to stake trees, were set…...
Putting purple and orange together creates excitement in your garden, says painter Val Szeluga. See how it’s done in Val & Gene Szeluga’s Moonlight Garden in the video above. The video was created by Jay Jinge Hu, who shares his Williamsville landscape on Open Gardens. You can also see the Szelugas’ marvelous garden in person on Open Gardens in July. The Tours of Open Gardens Guide, which you need to visit these exceptional gardens, will be available at Plantasia. You can…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When Carol and Rick Stumpf bought an empty lot for their home 30 years ago, ash trees were already established. A house and gardens followed and the Stumpfs enjoyed their landscape. “It was all shaded back here,” Carol said. “I had all my beds how I wanted them.” She gazed longingly around her huge backyard, remembering how it used to be before her mature ash trees–and many others across Western New York– were killed by emerald…...
What looks like a huge, lush garden is really extreme container gardening. “Everything is in pots,” said Scott Dunlap. His husband, Joe Hopkins, does the gardening and together they share their Buffalo Cottage District landscape on Open Gardens and Garden Walk Buffalo. You can get a glimpse of their gardens in this video, created by Jay Jinge Hu, who also shares his Williamsville landscape on Open Gardens. Other interesting tidbits from Hopkins and Dunlap’s landscape: See more videos here…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Lilies, gladiolus and dahlias are just three of the stunning flowers in a group of plants referred to as summer bulbs. Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager of Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, gives us an overview of summer bulbs and how you can use them in your Western New York garden. Urban Roots, located at 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo, offers a variety of summer bulbs. Don’t confuse these with spring bulbs (such as crocus, hyacinth and tulips)…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko We’re enjoying a cool break in the weather, but summer has just started. Temperatures are going back up into the 80s– or higher. Be prepared with annual flowers that can take the heat. Here are seven recommendations from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. These flowers will bloom all summer. Most of them are also drought tolerant, so you don’t have to water them constantly when the weather is hot and dry. Consider…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just beginning to grow vegetables, you’ll find great tips here from Jen Weber, vice president and manager of Mike Weber Greenhouses, 42 French Rd., West Seneca. She covers the basics– vegetables need sun– to more random tricks– always plant very hot peppers in containers. Browse through these tips to see how you can improve your vegetable garden this year. Find a sunny space Most vegetables need six straight hours of sun…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko Native plants are not only good for beneficial insects, they can be just what you need to make your garden look great. Here are four native plants being offered by Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market, 428 Rhode Island St., Buffalo. These plants are true natives, not hybrids or cultivars, said Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager. All four plants like sun. See a list of Urban Roots’ native plants here. They offer about 100 different native plants throughout…...
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