If it wasn’t so cold and windy today, I would have been weeding my Amherst garden, left. Lyn Chimera of Lessons from Nature took a photo of her East Aurora garden, right, but she was too busy shoveling to take time to weed. Plus, she couldn’t see the weeds under more than a foot of snow. Photo at left by Connie Oswald Stofko. Photo at right courtesy Lyn Chimera by Connie Oswald Stofko I often write articles about what you can do your garden right now. But today, what you can do in your garden depends on whether you live in the northern part of Western New York or the south. Wyoming, Chautauqua ..read more

Poinsettia ‘Christmas Mouse’ has small red bracts that look like mouse ears. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko We gardeners tend to look for color when we choose plants, but shape can add interest, too. Let’s take a look at three varieties of poinsettias at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, located at 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. All three are red, but each has “petals” with different shapes. Tip: What we think of as flower petals on poinsettias aren’t really petals. They’re bracts, a kind of leaf. Technically, the flower isn’t the colorful part; it’s just the bit ..read more

by Connie Oswald Stofko What plants will last through the winter in your garden? You can figure that out by knowing what hardiness zone you are in. And you may be in a warmer zone than you thought. A new version of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map was released last week by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature. The zones go from coldest to warmest; 5 is colder than 6. Each zone is also divided into “a” and “b.” In this new map, Western New York looks different than it did on the previous map, which was released in 2012 ..read more

Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko This spring, my wonderful neighbor gave me several sunflower seedlings. I was excited (and thankful!) because my husband and I love sunflowers. We had given up on planting sunflowers because rabbits love our gardens. It became too difficult to try to defend—then lose—these wonderful flowers to the rabbits. But this year I decided to try one more time, and I was very careful. I planted the seedlings in large pots and placed the pots outside on a table. There were no benches at the table this time—the benches make it too easy for rabbits to h ..read more

Photo courtesy Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Thousands of brilliant poinsettias, from ‘Christmas Joy Reds’ to ‘Princettia Pure Whites’, will be on display at the annual Poinsettia Exhibit at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. The exhibit takes place now through Monday, January 1, with these exceptions: November 23—Closed  December 24—Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. December 25—Closed   December 31—Open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year’s Poinsettia Exhibit features a new installation called Dimensions. Large reflective orbs and ..read more

Photo courtesy Jay Jinge Hu by Connie Oswald Stofko The decorative gardens of Tom and Darcie Homme in Pendleton look great in winter, spring, summer and fall. I shared them with you in 2021. What I didn’t show you was the area where he was starting a wildflower garden. It didn’t look like much then, but it’s maturing now. He’s rewilding; turning some of his lawn back to nature. We can see the wildflower garden, as well as the decorative gardens, thanks to a video produced in October by Jay Jinge Hu, who shares his own Williamsville landscape on Open Gardens. See the video here. Chatting w ..read more

Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko Nearly 100 people attended the first meeting on Saturday of the 30 x 30 Campaign for Western New York, which aims to have biodiversity on 30 percent of Western New York land and waters by 2030. You can view the video of the meeting here. (Meetings will be in person only, not online, but meetings will be recorded. I’ll share the recordings here on Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com.) Even if you couldn’t attend the meeting, you can share your opinions. Take the 30 x 30 survey using the QR code at the 1:00:15 mark on the video of the meeting ..read more

Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds—and now mammals!—that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locales in the United States and Canada.  Despite the name, you don’t need a feeder. All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water or food that attracts birds.  You can participate from inside looking out a window. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online.   The 2023–2024 season of FeederWatch has begun, but  ..read more

by Connie Oswald Stofko Is one-third of your yard biodiverse? Does it have native plants and bees and other animals? If not, could you take steps toward more biodiversity? That small idea is just one part of the 30 x 30 Campaign for Western New York, which aims to have biodiversity on 30 percent of Western New York land and waters by 2030. You could help by changing a bit of your yard, or parks in your town, or forests in your county, or waterways that flow through Western New York. “We want to save the Arctic and the Amazon, but there is a lot of work we can do right here,” said Jay Burney ..read more

Image courtesy Niagara Frontier Orchid Society See award-winning exhibits at the Orchid Show to be held by the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society and the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. The Orchid Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12. It will take place at the Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo. Note: The show will be located in the Administration Building. Entrance to the Orchid Show is included with the price of admission.  E-Tickets are highly recommended for all visitors, including members, for this ..read more