July is the time to take inventory of the blank spaces in your garden, according to Peggy Koppmann in “This Month in the Garden.” That’s one of the articles in the most recent edition of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. “Perhaps a plant has died, or (gasp!), you killed it,” Koppmann said. “Maybe it got eaten by rabbits or it was overwatered or was in the wrong place. Maybe it was…...
Here are just three of the many tips in the garden checklist for July from the Master Gardeners of Orleans County. Find lots of details within those tips–and more!–here. Do you have gardening questions? Contact the Master Gardeners in Orleans County here. If you live in a different county and have questions, find your Cornell Cooperative Extension office here…....
More than 50 trees in various stages can be seen at the Bonsai Show that will be presented by the Buffalo Bonsai Society. The show will take place at from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. The cost is included in admission. Bonsai (pronounced like the English words “bone-SIGH”) is an art where trees are pruned and shaped to look like…...
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…...
The Forest Health Research Lab is available year-round to help your tree health problems at no cost. This isn’t just for forests; you can ask questions about pests or diseases for a few trees or a single tree. The folks at the research lab can identify the problem and provide recommendations. Start by submitting a report form. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for them to identify the problem and help you find a solution. They will…...
“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 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 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…...
If you have a sick tree in your yard, you can get help through the Forest Health Research Lab, part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. While it talks about “forest health,” you don’t need a forest; a single tree is fine. But this lab is just for trees, not other kinds of plants. The Forest Health Research Lab is available year-round to help you diagnose tree diseases and potentially invasive insects–at no cost. They will also…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko As a gardener, what would it be like if your house was surrounded by a nature preserve full of deer? Ruth Robson in Cheektowaga knows what it’s like firsthand. While she has houses to her right, to her left is the Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. Her backyard, and the backyards of all her neighbors, border on Reinstein Woods. The deer could stay in Reinstein Woods, but they don’t know know anything about property lines, so they…...
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