A small, informal event– a Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic— was held for a single day in May this year to celebrate the blooming of the cherry trees in the Japanese Garden located in Delaware Park. But that was just a taste of things to come. The Friends of the Japanese Garden of Buffalo are planning a full-fledged Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival for 2014 with an entire week of events, including gardening speakers, a Japanese tea ceremony, boat rides so you…...
Tag: Trees
When it comes to Christmas trees, fir is the new pine in Western New York
by Connie Oswald Stofko When you ask someone what kind of tree is used at Christmastime, they will immediately reply: pine. But pine isn’t as popular for Christmas as it used to be. According to Steve Lockwood, owner of Lockwood’s Greenhouses, Fraser fir is the top seller. Lockwood’s Greenhouses grow their own Christmas trees, which they cut and sell in the garden center at 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. They grow only firs now. Pine, as well as spruce, used to…...
Want an indoor flowering plant that’s really different? Grow tea!
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you want a really different kind of plant to grow indoors this fall and winter, grow tea. Yes, tea. The stuff you steep in hot water and drink. You can buy Sochi tea, a tea plant from the Sochi area of Russia, at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Our climate is almost, but not quite, mild enough to grow tea outside all year long in our gardens, said Fred Safford, who is in charge…...
Fifth-graders can enter Arbor Day poster contest; deadline is Dec. 17
Fifth-graders can help increase public awareness about trees in New York by participating in the annual National Arbor Day Poster Contest. The deadline is Dec. 17. The annual Arbor Day Poster Contest is sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Students are asked to create an original poster depicting this year’s contest theme: “New York’s Forest Where We Live!” The New York State winner will have his or her artwork…...
Question: How should a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ tree be pruned?
Here’s a question from a reader: I bought a Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ tree in the fall of 2012. I pruned it a tiny bit as my goal is to have it grow taller. They say to prune it in late fall or late winter. This year I had a ton of big, heavy blooms, and many of the branches drooped over. I am wondering 2 things: 1) Should I prune back the thinner branches…and, if so, by how much? Will…...
Forest Lawn & Re-Tree WNY seek volunteers to plant trees
Forest Lawn & Re-Tree WNY seek volunteers to plant trees from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2 at Forest Lawn, 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. No experience is necessary; a brief training session will take place each day. Children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. During this event, about 300 bare root deciduous hardwood trees will be planted throughout Forest Lawn as part of Forest Lawn’s ongoing efforts to “return the forest…...
Grants available to towns, school districts for tree projects
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting applications for urban forestry project grants. The deadline is Dec. 5. Communities can apply for tree planting, maintenance grants or invasive pest studies in cases involving an infestation of the emerald ash borer or the Asian long horned beetle. Grants are available to municipalities, public benefit corporations, public authorities, school districts and not-for-profit organizations that have a public ownership interest in the property or are acting on behalf of…...
Tree festival, plant sale set at Botanical Gardens this weekend
The fall plant sale and a new Tree Festival are among the attractions this weekend at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. The Succulent Show continues through Oct. 6. In September, the Medicinal Garden focuses on Cholesterol Awareness & Men’s Health Month. Fall plant sale The fall plant sale will be held 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 in the new administration building…....
Cornell & apple industry group introduce two new varieties of apples
Cornell University, in partnership with the New York Apple Growers, a new industry group, has developed two new apple varieties of apples, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, that will be available this fall at a few farmers markets. The apples were developed by Cornell University breeder and Horticulture Professor Susan Brown. They are being grown by 140 apple farmers throughout New York State. The two varieties have been a decade in the making, and how they’ve gone to market is a first…...
Watch local cooking challenge & learn to cook with native plants
Sumac, a native plant, is pretty this time of year with its large red, cone-shaped flowers. You can see these small trees in parks or in the wild, and they make a great landscape plant. But did you know sumac is edible? There are quite a few native plants you might want to start growing for food– If you know how to cook with them. In this article we’ll tell you about two events where you can get ideas on…...