Photos by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko Many non-profit groups are holding plant sales and plant exchanges in Western New York. See a lengthy list below. More plant sales or plant exchanges might be added in coming days. You can keep up to date on our Events page. Great Plant Sale by Botanical Gardens Shop online through Sunday, May 4 for the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Garden’s Great Plant Sale. (There will be no on-site sale this year.) Members get 10 percent off their purchase. Click here for more information and the lists of all the plants for sale this ..read more

Thyme. Photo courtesy Karolina Grabowska In the newest edition of the Optimistic Gardener, topics include: Culinary and medicinal uses of thyme Seed libraries in Cattaraugus County More information on soil The publication is produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Find the newsletter on the gardening page of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua (on the lefthand side) and in Cattaraugus (on the righthand side). The post Thyme, soil & more in ‘Optimistic Gardener’ appeared first on Buffalo-NiagaraG ..read more

With literally hundreds of gardens to see in just two days, wouldn’t it be nice to get the map for Garden Walk Buffalo map ahead of time so you can plan your route? Make a donation by June 15 and the Garden Walk Buffalo map will be mailed to you. Bonus: The East Side Garden Walk map will be mailed to you as well! And there’s more! Your donation supports not only these tours, but also supports the Lunenfeld Beautification Grants of Gardens Buffalo Niagara. You help beautify Buffalo! Make your donation online before June 15. Or mail a check, payable to Gardens Buffalo Niagara, to: Gar ..read more

Trachelium caeruleum ‘Lake Michigan Blue’. Photo courtesy Ball Horticultural by Connie Oswald Stofko Here are three brand-new, exciting plants for Mischler’s 69-cent perennial sale: Great for cut flowers: Trachelium caeruleum ‘Lake Michigan Blue’ Little flowers for shade: Tricyrtis hirta ‘Miyazaki’ or toad lily Yellow flowers for early spring: Aurania Saxatilis ‘Goldrush’ Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will hold their yearly 69-cent Perennial Sale at Mischler’s, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. The plants are sold only in packs of four plants at $2.76 per pac ..read more

People are getting ready to see how biochar is made in this October 2023 demonstration at Henry’s Garden in Eden. Photo courtesy Biochar Coalition The beginning of the biochar burn in 2023 at Henry’s Garden in Eden. Photo courtesy Biochar Coalition Burning for Biochar, a hands-on workshop on making biochar, will be held Saturday, April 27 at Henry’s Gardens, 7884 Sisson Hwy., Eden. Discover the benefits biochar can bring to your garden with John Maher, a founding member of the BioChar Coalition. Maher has degrees in both chemistry and biology, and has been producing biochar for over 10 years ..read more

Photo courtesy New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Every year, people scoop up young wild animals thinking the animals are orphaned or neglected. They take the young animals to a wildlife rehabilitator, or worse, attempt to raise the young animals themselves. In many cases, this is unnecessary or even harmful, according to this page from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The most common young animals to be mistakenly “kidnapped” by humans are fawns, cottontail rabbits and fledgling birds. It’s important to understand the norma ..read more

A Kanzan cherry tree at left was blooming in a previous year in the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park in Buffalo. To the right of the tree, you can see the koto ji doro, or harp lantern, a 3,000-pound sculpture just like the one on Kanazawa, Buffalo’s Sister City. Photo courtesy Paula Hinz Snow Goose is one of the early cherry blossoms to bloom in Buffalo’s Japanese Garden. Photo courtesy Paula Hinz by Connie Oswald Stofko Cherry trees are already flowering in the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. Will there still be cherry blossoms to enjoy during the 11th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festiva ..read more

Female hummingbird at Phygeliius. Photo by Suchitra Krishnaswamy. by Connie Oswald Stofko Hummingbirds generally arrive in Western New York at the end of April or early May. I’ve seen some mentions online saying that hummingbirds have already been spotted in Chautauqua County, but according to this map, they haven’t arrived yet (as of Tuesday morning, April 16). Perhaps people are seeing male hummingbirds. The males arrive a week or so before females, according to “When to Expect Hummingbirds in Your Yard This Spring” from Audubon.org. It’s possible that the hummingbirds will be here a bit ear ..read more

Illustration by Connie Oswald Stofko “Unicorn” plants for changing gardens and ecofriendly rain gardens are among the topics to be presented at the 2024 Garden Symposium to be held by Master Gardener Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County. The symposium will take place from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at Jamestown Community College, Carnahan Jackson Building, 241 James St., Jamestown. Here is the list of speakers and topics: Betsy Burgeson, supervisor of Gardens and Landscapes at Chautauqua Institution, will present “Unicor ..read more

A grass path meanders to the back of Jack Edson’s yard. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko An arbor marks the entrance to Jack Edson’s backyard in Hamburg. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Come to the party! Life is a feast,” said an enthusiastic Jack Edson, expressing his outlook on his gardens and his life. I visited his landscape last year on the Buzz Around Hamburg Garden Walk. He touched on many topics, including nature, art and philosophy. As he discussed the mulberry trees in his yard, Edson noted that they have a painterly quality. He pointed out the light and dark of ..read more