by Connie Oswald Stofko When I think of permaculture, I picture an apple tree in a backyard. If you move away, the apple tree still produces fruit, even though you’re not there. “Permaculture” is permanent agriculture. Learn how permaculture can provide you with food—and help the environment—with talks on “Introduction to Permaculture and Native Plant Communities.” The talks will be presented by Kathy Contrino, a Master Garden in Orleans County and owner of CW Native Plant Farm. She is also…
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 This is the last week to visit gardens in Western New York, and there are so many to see! First, don’t forget about Open Gardens this Thursday and Friday, your last chance to tour about 100 select gardens this year. You’ll also be able to see Artists in Open Gardens, where visual artists will be creating art in gardens in Alden, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, East Aurora, Eden, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lockport, Tonawanda, West Falls, West Seneca and…
by Connie Oswald Stofko This isn’t the end of the growing season—or the planting season—in Western New York. In fact, there are new offerings of fruit plants at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. You can plant them now and as long as you keep them watered, “They’ll do fine,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s. Tip: When planting these or any perennials, water them properly in the heat of summer, said Jessica Limardi, staff member…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Jen and Joe Weber moved their family into their new home three years ago. When they got there, they found that the previous owners had planted bishop’s weed (also called goutweed), a nasty, very aggressive plant that spreads easily and is hard to get rid of. The bishop’s weed is still there, stretching 66 feet along one side of the house. Other projects, such as fixing “the path to nowhere,” haven’t been started yet, either, and…
Spring is a good time to check your trees for any signs of stress or disease, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you have questions about your trees, email photos and location information to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or you may contact the Forest Health Diagnostic Lab at 1-866-640-0652. Tree diseases Oak wilt Don’t prune oak trees in spring! This is the time when insects that spread the oak wilt fungus are on the move. Because of recent oak…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The box tree moth, an invasive pest that can damage and even kill a boxwood shrub within weeks, has been identified in Niagara, Erie and Orleans counties. This pest can spread; the moths are highly mobile and are good fliers. Anyone with boxwoods in Western New York should watch now for the caterpillar stage of the box tree moth (Buxus species). The caterpillar feeds almost exclusively on boxwood shrubs. The caterpillars are ravenous feeders, and heavy infestations…
by Connie Oswald Stofko We don’t have the kind of volcanoes that spew hot rocks out of a mountain, but we do have volcanoes in Western New York that can damage your trees: volcanoes made of mulch. Mulch volcanoes are those cone-shaped piles of mulch at the base of trees. Many gardeners like how the mulch volcanoes look, but they are actually bad for the trees. Check out our previous article on mulch volcanoes to find out why you shouldn’t use mulch volcanoes…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Cherry trees are already flowering in the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. Will there still be cherry blossoms to enjoy during the 11th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival next week? “I feel 100 percent confident that we will have cherry trees in bloom for the festival,” said Paula Hinz, co-founder of the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 inside the…
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…
© 2024 Buffalo-Niagara Gardening. All rights reserved.