by Connie Oswald Stofko Fester, which started out as the smallest of the three corpse flower corms (bulbs) that the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens acquired in 2014, is ready to bloom and is on display now. This announcement comes a week after another of the corpse flowers, dubbed Morty, bloomed for the second time! Since these plants bloom only once every six to ten years, having two bloom within such a short amount of time is unusual. It’s…
You can enter Tiny Garden Contest in Williamsville; learn basics this weekend
You can enter your own container garden in the Tiny Garden Contest, which will be held as part of the Williamsville Garden Walk on Saturday, July 21. You don’t have to live in Williamsville to enter. There will be a category for children 12 and under as well as a category for adults. The contest is still a month away, and if you’re not sure how to construct a container garden, you can learn the basics in a free…
See inside Morty!
by Connie Oswald Stofko Morty isn’t acting the way it did the last time it bloomed. The corpse flower or Amorphophallus titanum, which gives off the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators, revved up its smell, but didn’t unfurl the way it did in 2014. It’s shorter this time, too– about 4 1/2 feet tall, not the huge 7 1/2 feet he attained last time. Yet the fact that Morty bloomed again so soon is pretty exciting– These plants may…
12 things to do at the Lewiston GardenFest this weekend
The 13th annual Lewiston GardenFest presented by Lewiston Garden Club will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17 along Center Street in Lewiston. Here are a dozen things you can do at the event: 1. Browse the nearly 80 vendors. Get ideas and merchandise to beautify your own outdoor space from the vendors lining Center Street. They offer flowers, plants, handcrafted art, garden décor and more. 2. Stroll some of Lewiston’s best private gardens. Throughout the…
Explore Zittel’s & get $5 off a purchase of $50 or more
You can get locally grown flower plants and vegetable plants, but there’s so much more at Zittel’s Country Market, 4415 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg. Explore all that Zittel’s Country Market offers, and use the coupon above for $5 off any purchase of $50 or more. Print the coupon out and take it with you, or you can just show this page with the coupon on your phone to the staff when you check out. In addition to locally grown flowers and vegetable plants, Zittel’s has…
You might turn into a hosta fan at Hosta Experience
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re not familiar with hostas, you may wonder why this plant has an entire plant society devoted to it. You may just become a fan after attending the Hosta Experience to be held by the Western New York Hosta Society from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 10 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. You’ll see it listed as the Hosta Show, which is was it was…
Deadlines coming up for Amherst, Hamburg garden walks
If you want to share your garden on the Amherst Garden Walk or Hamburg Garden walk, register soon. Amherst Garden Walk Applications are now available for the 2018 Amherst Garden Walk. Applications must be submitted no later than June 17. Sign up for the Amherst Garden walk online or get a printable application here and return it to the address on the form. The Amherst Garden Walk will be be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 7. Hamburg Garden Walk…
Botanical Gardens to hold Great Plant Sale; buy ginkgo trees
Ginkgo trees will be one of the new items to be offered at the Great Plant Sale to be held Thursday through Saturday, May 17-19 at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Ginkgos are hardy plants that are used as street trees, said Kristin Pochopin, director of horticulture. Some people may be wary of ginkgo trees because the fruit is stinky and messy, but these trees are at low risk for fruiting. “These are low…
Booklet for Open Gardens now available at garden centers
You can now buy the booklet for Open Gardens, which lists all the information you need to visit more than 75 exceptional gardens during select hours on Thursdays and Fridays in July. The booklet is available for a $5 donation at many local garden centers– see the list here. You can also buy a copy at the Erie County Master Gardener Plant Sale on Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, at First Presbyterian Church, 1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo….
International African violet convention to be held in Buffalo; you can attend
by Connie Oswald Stofko People from across the United States, Canada and the world will come to Buffalo this month for the annual convention of the African Violet Society of America (AVSA), a a joint effort with the African Violet Society of Canada (AVSC). “I’ve even had people from Ukraine and Armenia contact me about how to get visas to come here,” said Judy Niemira, local co-chair for the convention and current president of the African Violet and Gesneriad Society of Western New…
