My garden is built around perennials, and I would recommend that strategy to anyone. But this year I vow to use more annuals. Yes, perennials are great because they stay in your garden year after year–you don’t have to spend money buying them every year. Plus, they tend to spread. You can start with...
Read More »

You don’t have to have grass in your front yard. I loved the grassless front yard of Anne Gareis, which I saw on Garden Walk Buffalo in 2011. A spectacular evergreen takes up most of the space in the front yard. She could have planted grass in the space around the tree, but instead...
Read More »

Your garden in the Buffalo area might not have much color this time of year, but you can change that by making your own Plexiglass light toppers. You can decorate for Valentine’s Day and other holidays, show your support for the Buffalo Sabres or other teams, or express your personal interests with these simple...
Read More »

by Mike Van Der Puy Climate change is here. What does that mean for gardeners and farmers in Western New York? Should we alter our growing plans? If so, how? Evidence that the climate is changing in Western New York You may have noticed migratory birds arriving earlier than they used to or see...
Read More »

At a recent workshop at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, David Clark shared this ingenious way to plant hardy annual seeds right now in the Buffalo area– outside! I love this idea because I always get itchy to do some gardening at this time of year, but there’s generally not a lot...
Read More »

Did you know that the beautiful amaryllis you have been enjoying indoors this winter can rebloom next year and the year after that, too? “I’ve been using the same bulbs through the years,” said Doug O’Reilly, horticulturist and head gardener at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. He has to make sure he...
Read More »

Carnivorous plants are fascinating because they do something so unusual: They eat animals. You can grow carnivorous plants in your Buffalo-area home if you pay attention to their needs in three areas: water, minerals and food, said Kenny Coogan of Kenmore. Coogan, along with Ryan McGhee, co-founded the Western New York Carnivorous Plant Club....
Read More »

Here’s an over-the-top decorating idea for the holidays: Make your yard feel more Christmasy by planting holly bushes in the Buffalo area right now! “It’s been such a mild December,” said Teresa Buchanan, general manager of Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg.  “That’s the only reason you can get away with planting holly now. Normally,...
Read More »

Right now you may be able to name all the plants in your garden, but next season, will you still know what’s what? Make these sturdy plant tags and you’ll definitely be able to keep track of your perennials. You can keep the tags outside all winter and, unlike flimsy plastic tags that get...
Read More »

Whether you’re looking for wonderful gifts to give to your gardening friends, or wondering what you should put on your own wish list this year, you’ll find some wonderful suggestions right here. Poinsettias: Beautiful, traditional, convenient A gift of poinsettias from Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses is  beautiful and traditional. It’s also fast, easy and...
Read More »