Karen Pfahler writes: "For the last two years I have cut and brought in holly for the house arrangements and by the time we celebrated the Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7 they bloomed!" That's such a delicate flower.

The Youngstown Garden Club created Christmas decorations for Old Fort Niagara, a National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site. This is the entrance to the trading post in the building called the French Castle. These photos were sent to me by Garda OKeefe of the Youngstown Garden Club.

The Youngstown Garden Club festoons Old Fort Niagara with greens and garland. “They’re handmade on site every year on a cold winter morning,” said Garda OKeefe of the Youngstown Garden Club. “It is a wonderful sight to see!” Here is a garland in the Great Hall.

This fireplace at Old Fort Niagara looks festive with decorations created by the Youngstown Garden Club.

The Johnson Room dining hall is decorated for Christmas by the Youngstown Garden Club. These photos are from 2011.

The mantle in the boulangerie, or bakery, at Old Fort Niagara, was decorated by the Youngstown Garden Club.

Here is a detail of a mantle decoration created by the Youngstown Garden Club for Old Fort Niagara.

Linda writes: "This daisy photo was taken on Nov. 1, 2011. A lovely late surprise."

After seeing Carrie Hoffman's photo (below), which was taken after Thanksgiving, "I decided to take a stroll around my garden to see what I could find," said Maria Gleason of Niagara Falls. "Almost everything was done blooming except my pink yarrow!" This photo was taken on Dec. 13. "It sure has been a beautiful fall for us gardeners!" she adds.

Our long and warm autumn meant that many of us were able to enjoy blossoms in our gardens even past Thanksgiving. Carrie Hoffman of Cheektowaga captured this photo of a flower budding on Dec. 2. It has since bloomed, and our recent snow meant the end of flowers on that plant. Carrie also spotted a rose budding in mid-November, but it never fully opened.

Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga shared this stunning photo of an orchid.

Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga shares a photo of one of the orchids she purchased this spring at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. “I have three different ones that are blooming right now,” she said. “It is so nice to have some flowers blooming in the house, since there are so few blooming outside right now.”

"I can't believe my African violets are still so happy," said Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga on Nov. 9, 2011.

No, that's not a tiny bird peeking out of a nest. It's an orchid! Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga took this photo of Paph. Spicerianum at the 2011 spring Orchid Show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga grew this toad lily in her garden this summer. "I tend to gravitate to the different plants," she said.

It's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor! "My grapes this year were plentiful and sweet; great jam and wine," said Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga.

"This is from my St.John's Wort plant," said Tina Schlau of Cheektowaga. "It is such a different looking flower."

A bee is silhouetted against the star-shaped center of a hibiscus flower as it looks for food in this photo from Ann M. Bednarek of Amherst. "It's amazing how hard these little insects work," Bednarek said.

An ant makes its way across the vast expanse of petals of a hibiscus flower in the garden of Ann M. Bednarek in Amherst.

Ann M. Bednarek of Amherst captured this cool shot of this spider on its web while she and her husband were enjoying a bonfire in the yard Oct. 9.

This clematis is lush and full on the trellis in this September 2011 photo taken by Maxine Osiewicz in Clarence.

Congratulations to the latest Yard of the Week winner in Youngstown. Ann Davis has a small, manicured yard in front of her pretty home and she creates a lovely welcome with beautiful hanging baskets and gorgeous containers on the porch.

In Youngstown, the Garden Club teams up with the village to give special recognition to residents who display a welcoming and attractive front yard. This week's selection is the teamwork of Kevin and Dawn Stanisz. He says he does the landscaping and she does the gardening. Speaking of teams, their garden also displays their support for Dawn's Yankees and Kevin's Raiders. Way to go!

The Vanones are the most recent winners of the Yard of the Week Award from the Youngstown Garden Club. Their pretty front yard calls, “Welcome!” to their friends and neighbors in Youngstown. Stacked stone and lake rocks edge the gardens leading right up to a shady seat on the front porch.

A spider web sparkles among the water lilies in the pond of Maxine Osiewicz of East Amherst.

Paul Lotz says he buys the plants, but his wife makes the garden beautiful! It was named Yard of the Week by the Youngstown Garden Club. While so many gardens are fading in the heat, this one is shining in the sun!

Judy Lewis loves working in her garden, a bright spot in her pretty Youngstown neighborhood. She was the winner of the Youngstown Yard of the Week award for the week of Aug. 5.

My son-in-law, Mike Barrie, sent me a photo of the snake plant I gave him a few years ago. It's doing much better under his care than it ever did when I had it, and it is even blossoming. You can see a close-up of the flower at right.

Here's a close-up of the flower on Mike Barrie's snake plant.

Mayor Neil Riordan announced the YoungstownYard of the Week at the Summer Concert Series on Friday, July 29. Congratulations goes out to theWisinski Family!

Julie Jericitano was a winner of the Youngstown Yard of the Week in July. Everything in her pretty front yard says, "Welcome!" She and her daughter planted a lovely little memorial garden as a tribute to her husband who passed away last year. Even with the heat that week, her plantings look fresh and lovely.

Debbie Hageman of 73 Grant St., Lancaster, shared photos of her summer garden. We wrote an article this spring when she asked what she should do about a rose that was damaged during the winter. Our expert's advice was to tape it. Unfortunately, that rose didn't make it. However, these roses are doing great. The photo was taken in July.

When the weeding is done, it's time to relax under the pergola. Photo from Debbie Hageman in Lancaster.

An old fashioned bike serves as a garden ornament for Debbie Hageman in Lancaster.

Chet Okonczak of Cheektowaga shares this photo of his pond, where a little boy enjoys a lazy summer day. That vibrant red flower is a canna.

Glenn Krisher snapped this photo on the first day of summer 2011 in Youngstown. Glenn has a resin fox in his backyard, and though it looks quite real, it didn't fool this squirrel for a minute. The squirrel fearlessly hopped on the fox's head and calmly ate his lunch.

Jennifer T. Hunt visited the Rose Garden in Delaware Park on Sunday, June 19 and snapped a few pictures with her phone. "Everything is in bloom," she said. "Absolutely gorgeous!"

Photo by Jennifer T. Hunt.

Photo by Jennifer T. Hunt.

Glenn Krisher took these photos Wednesday, June 15 in his garden in Youngstown. “My garden is a work in progress; never ending,” he said.

Glenn Krisher said he tried to make the setting around his small pond more relaxed than formal. It looks quite tranquil!

Foxglove brightens Glenn Krisher’s garden. You call also scroll down to see photos he took this winter at Old Fort Niagara.

This photo and the photo below were submitted by Nadine Catalano, a Master Gardener of Erie County . The photos show the “new hues of green on my Japanese Larch, Larix kaempferi,” she said. “I love the softness of the needles and the contrast in the new/old pine cones.”

You may remember reading about the many statues Janice Hetrick uses in her Lancaster garden. After we published the article on May 24, she sent us a photo of her completed waterfall. I just had to share it!

Sunshine, flowing water and snow capture the essence of early springtime in this photo from Don Coling and Dianne Vertes. They captured this shot at Akron Falls Park in Akron.

These photos from Connie Cordero tell the story of their stacked stone wall, which was built in August 2007. This pile of rocks is what remained after the ground shifted and the wall fell in April 2010. Connie named this photo "Stone Wall Stumble & Fall."

Here is Connie Cordero's wall in all its glory, surrounded by clematis 'Madame Julia Correvon,' which was planted in the summer of 2008.

This photo from Connie Cordero is named "Stone Wall Rise & Stand." They restacked the stones; the wall doesn't use any mortar.

These next several photos are from Diane and Ian Cox of Amherst. In this photo, wind-swept snow forms marvelous patterns on a tree trunk.

This shot of frozen cobwebs reminds us how we can find beauty during the large swings in temperature that mark springtime in the Buffalo area. This photo is from Diane and Ian Cox of Amherst.

This photo from Diane and Ian Cox was taken from their bedroom closet!

The sunrise over a golf course in Amherst is captured in this photo from Diane and Ian Cox.

Kathleen Struckle captured the delicate petals of this tulip during the 2008 spring flower show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens.

Tulips bob in this photo from Kathy Struckle.

Kathleen Struckle titles this photo, "Lilly and her Yellow Sister."

This amaryllis looked very different during Night Lights at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Photo is by Kathleen Struckle.

A palm bristles with sinister spikes in this photo by Kathy Struckle.

A fern looks feathery in this photo from Night Lights by Kathy Struckle.

Kathy Struckle spends quite a bit of time at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. She took this photo of a tulip during last year's spring flower show. She calls her photo "Happy Spring."

"Spring Bliss" by Kathy Struckle.

Kathy Struckle calls this image "Yellow Ruffles."

Kathy Struckle says these are called paper flowers.

This cheery snowman statue seems to be offering us an overflowing basin of snow. Floyd Baker has titled his photo, "Is This Enough?".

Tom Mazur of Cheektowaga sent in these next four photos, all taken with a cell phone camera! His camera is 3 megapixels, which is all you need to take good photos. Just 10 years ago, the best digital cameras you could buy had only 3 megapixels. This bush is in his yard on Ridge Park Ave.

This and the next three photos by Tom Mazur were taken in the United German and French Cemetery on Pine Ridge Rd., Cheektowaga.

Photo by Tom Mazur of Cheektowaga.

Photo by Tom Mazur of Cheektowaga.

This photo from Tom Mazur was taken near the Hyatt on Pearl near Mohawk in Buffalo. He says he has purchased a 12-megapixel Panasonic camera that he will carry around with him more often when the weather breaks.

Winter doesn't have to be bland. This scene at Fort Niagara, submitted by Glenn Krisher, is saturated with color. Posted Feb. 3, 2011

The clouds nearly obscuring the sun add drama to this photo at Fort Niagara submitted by Glenn Krisher.

Shrubs resemble frosted cupcakes in this photo from Cindy Berebko that she calls "Winter Wonderland." Posted Feb. 2, 2011

Heavy December snow was captured in this photo from Cindy Berebko.

Christmas garlands and snow decorate this tree in a photo submitted by Cindy Berebko.

Rhododendren and blueberry bushes in the garden of Maxine Osiewicz in East Amherst. Jan. 24, 2011

Deer netting catches the snow as it protects an azalea in Maxine Osiewicz's garden. She says that unfortunately part of the net protecting the nearby rhododendron fell "and the deer ate the shrub to the nubs." Jan. 24, 2011

Ornamental crabapples in the garden of Maxine Osiewicz.

Snow-covered trees in the yard of Maxine Osiewicz.