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. Plant sale each…
6.05.2026
The Dutch Connection at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY is a February flower display of spring annuals, daffodils, tulips, and more. This annual floral event comes just as Rochesterians are getting weary of cold winter days. Every year thousands of visitors flock to the museum to get a taste of the coming spring. The display is a celebration…
6.05.2026
Photo by Karen Gimson, garden blogger at bramblegarden.com Are you looking for simple ideas to elevate your garden in spring, summer, and fall? With a little creativity, you can highlight garden elements you already possess. By combining flower blooms and foliage from your garden with a watertight container, you can create a floating flower garden. Think birdbaths, a fountain, or…
6.05.2026
Bald Eagle. Photo courtesy Wikicommons CCSA 3.0: Michael Gäbler Birds of prey are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. They are characterized by their strong, hooked beaks and sharp talons and can be found in a variety of habitats, including backyards and cities. Some species are common, while others have more specific habitat requirements and might require a bit of…
5.05.2026
INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 pound asparagus, chopped 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream A pinch each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg Optional: Olive oil for garnish; sour cream thinned out with a bit of milk or water until a drizzling consistency…
5.05.2026
Philadelphus spp. (mock orange) When it comes to pruning your woody plants, timing can be intimidating. Am I cutting the right branch at the right time? Did I take too much, not enough? Did I kill it? We can talk pruning dos and don’ts and there’s scores of literature out there to read. For me, gardening is about relieving stress,…
5.05.2026
A butterfly at the Butterfly Experience. Photo provided by the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. LIVE BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCE RETURNS TO BUFFALO’S BOTANICAL GARDENS The Butterfly Experience will be returning to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens this spring and summer starting on May 16. Hundreds of butterflies will take flight in the Tropical Orchard greenhouse. The live butterfly…
5.05.2026
Christine Green next to Echium wildpretii, “tower-of-jewels,” at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania on a very rainy May day a few years ago.  I just returned from a fabulous tour of the Edward Steichen and the Garden exhibition at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester. To say I was blown away is an understatement. Steichen was a painter, photographer, and a…
5.05.2026
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September/October, 2018 – Upstate Gardeners’ Journal

Birds and Summer Perennials

by Liz Magnanti; photos by Jane Milliman The approaching fall brings with it that magical time when garden centers put their perennials on sale! Now is a great time to get a head start on your garden for next year. Planting in the fall gives the plants a chance to get their root systems growing and can make for more …

Gardening with Kids: Preserving the Bounty

by Valerie Shaw; artwork by Andrew Monrad As the scorching days of summer yield to the cooler, shorter days of early autumn, some of the most wonderful flower displays and veggie harvests are just beginning. The big favorites around here, squash, sunflowers, and tomatoes, are drowning us in their cheerful abundance. If you’re into preserving foods, you may have your shelves …

Shoo Fly

by Cathy Monrad This summer we had an unusual number of flies congregating near our back door. In my search for a homemade fly repellent, I found solutions that included spraying pine scented cleaner, burning coffee grounds, and inserting whole cloves into lemon halves, all of which are purported to offend the olfactory systems of these annoying insects. One method utilized in …

Asian Worms

by Walt Nelson Earthworms, good in the garden, right? Maybe, but not in our natural landscapes. Earthworms have not been native to our temperate zone since the last ice age. Our forest and landscape ecosystems have evolved without them. European colonists inadvertently brought their native worms (Amynthas spp. and Metaphire sp.) to North America. Those …

The Unwanted Guests

story and photograph by Steven Jakobi Autumn is a time for the arrival of a bunch of unwanted guests to the house. In reality, they are more like squatters, moving in for the winter. I am not talking about people but about insects, mammals, and other creatures. Field mice and shrews may inundate the basement and even an enterprising snake or …

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