BUFFALO                        REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS African Violet & Gesneriad Society of WNY meets the third Tuesday of the month, September–August, at 7 p.m., Greenfield Health & Rehab Facility, 5949 Broadway, Lancaster. av*****@gm***.com .  Alden Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except July and August) at 7 p.m., Alden Community Center, West Main St., Alden. New members and guests welcome.…
8.07.2026
Dandelion (Taraxacum spp.) are known as a weed nowadays, but this member of the Asteraceae family has been used as an herb and for food throughout much of history. For detailed information about dandelions, see the May-June 2025 issue of Upstate Gardeners’ Journal. A few notes for this recipe: – Make sure you are using true dandelions—for instance, cat's ear…
8.07.2026
Male house Sparrow; photo courtesy Wikicommons CCSA 4.0: Rhododendrites Common Grackle at feeder; photo courtesy Wikicommons CCSA 3.0: Geoff Clarke One common question I receive is how to keep “bully” birds out of feeders and birdhouses. What makes a bird a “bully” tends to be in the eye of the beholder, but usually people are talking about Starlings, Grackles, and…
8.07.2026
Here are two of three cottages tucked away behind the “Disney-esque” quaint cottages of Little Summer Street. Back in 1995, no one knew that Garden Walk Buffalo would take on a life of its own. Jim Charlier, a Buffalo art director and designer who has been involved since the event’s humble beginnings, took an out-of-town friend on the walk that…
8.07.2026
Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop) is a heat-loving perennial herb that brings in the pollinators. Persian Carpet (Mexican) zinnias (Zinnia haageana), a delightful mini-size zinnia that looks terrific in summer bouquets. It’s gearing up to be another steamy summer day, and in temperatures more than seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit, my ambitions far exceed my energy for gardening. I find my habits in…
8.07.2026
Aerial view of the Floating Garden on the Erie Canal in Medina, NY. Photo by Amanda Reis STANDS BY ME APP The idea for the Stands By Me app took root during a bike ride through the back roads of the Finger Lakes. Many farm stands have wonderful things for sale, says app creator Brent Bivona, but often they only…
5.07.2026
Christine Green at the Isabella Stewart Gardener museum in Boston. Photo by Kelly Myers My garden is doing wonderfully this summer. The flowers are stunning due to the extra sun they get since we removed a large diseased maple tree. I made a small little container pond that I cannot get enough of—having coffee in the garden listening to the…
5.07.2026
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Calendar

BUFFALO REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS  African Violet & Gesneriad Society of WNY meets the third Tuesday of the month, September–August, at 7 p.m., Greenfield Health & Rehab Facility, 5949 Broadway, Lancaster. av*****@gm***.com .  Alden Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except July and August) at 7 p.m., Alden Community Center, West Main St., …

Drip, drop, drip

Rain chains are all the rage, and for good reason. These decorative metal chains redirect water from your gutter to the ground instead of your traditional downspout. There are lots of options online and in stores, but you can make a simple one at home.  MATERIALS  Metal shower curtain rings  Assorted glass beads (larger size …

Beech tree diseases

I was dismayed to learn about the beech bark and beech leaf diseases that are threatening these majestic trees. Below is a summary of a recent webinar from the EPA on the beech tree diseases.  Beech trees are “a pillar of the eastern forest ecosystem.” They are foundational trees, prized for their form, structure, dense …

Backyard butterflies

Bee balm, salvia, coneflower, milkweed, and butterfly bush often come up in the conversation about plants for butterfly gardening. There are, however, some other (possibly unexpected) plants you can add to your garden in order to attract a larger number of butterflies and in turn other pollinators. With garden season now in full swing, I …

Touring my habitat garden

I frequently give tours of my suburban yard, but it’s not the typical garden featured on most tours–those “ooh and ah” gardens of flowerbeds constantly in bloom, neatly mulched, surrounded by perfect velvety lawns. My yard is a habitat garden, full of native plants, self-mulched, with a narrow border of good-enough lawn, interspersed with log-lined …

Public gardens are dreamy

When I was fresh out of grad school, I worked for a botanical garden in the education department. I’d gotten a master’s degree and racked up relevant experiences so that I could be a qualified applicant for one of these plum jobs; once I landed it, I thought I’d stay forever.  I love public gardens …

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