This Old Tree podcast & radio show
The night chorus: summer owls
Sowing autumn abundance in August
FREE Volume Twenty-nine, Issue Four July-August 2023
A customer recently said that you should never plant anything during a month without the letter ‘R’ in its name. What? You mean I’m done on April 30th?? Wow, how do you possibly adhere to that? We get the logic, sort of, but that would surely leave many plants out of the repertoire, like, we can’t imagine not planting in May, June, July, and yes, even August.
Our motto is, if you have a hose, you can plant it!
This brings us to our next summer point. If you bought it and planted it, the plan should include how you’re watering it. Watering is tricky. It sounds easy enough, but every plant has very individual needs, and when you throw in the weather and soil quality, things can get dicey pretty quick! However, here are a few general and straightforward rules that can help.
• Overhead watering, like sprinklers on a bed mixed with a different blend of plants, will not always provide optimum results. (So get the sprinklers on the lawn thing? All the same plants.)
• Overhead watering means a lot of wet foliage, which can lead to mildews and other issues that, while they may not kill your plant, can make it very unattractive, which is disappointing.
• Watering directly at the soil level is always the best method.
• Thorough, deep waterings done less frequently are always better than little bits of water every day.
• Recovering from brief wilt from dry soil is a much easier recovery for most plants than drowning, so erring on the drier side can often help.
• Please pay attention to your plants; they’re constantly furnishing you with info.
Are we giving up summer planting? Not on your life!! For one, there are not enough days of good weather to cut them short. There are too many plants and not enough hours in the day. There are too many spaces left to fill! If you are with us, we’ll see you soon.
To contact us, call the nursery at 585-637-4745 or email us at kkepler@rochester.rr.com.
45 Year Mission!
It is our greatest desire to provide our customers with top quality, well-grown plant material at a fair and honest price. We will strive to provide an unmatched selection of old favorites and underused, hard-to-find items, along with the newest varieties on the market. We will eagerly share our horticultural knowledge gained from years of education and experience. Lastly, we offer all this in a spirit of fun and lightheartedness.
CORRECTION: In the Michael Warren Thomas profile in the March/April 2023 edition of UGJ, Cornus mas was incorrectly included in a series of native plants. Cornus mas is indigenous to regions of Europe and Asia.
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jane F. Milliman
MANAGING EDITOR: Kimberly Burkard
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Cathy Monrad
TECHNICAL EDITOR: Brian Eshenaur
CIRCULATION & CALENDAR: Kimberly Burkard
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: MICHELLE SUTTON | LIZ MAGNANTI | KATHY LEWIS | LYN CHIMERA
CAROL ANN HARLOS | DEBORAH DENOME | KIMBERLY BURKARD
1501 East Avenue, Suite 201, Rochester, NY 14610 585/733-8979
e-mail: info@upstategardenersjournal.com upstategardenersjournal.com
The Upstate Gardeners’ Journal is published six times a year. To subscribe, please send $20.00 to the above address. Magazines will be delivered via U.S. mail and/or email (in PDF format). We welcome letters, calls and email from our readers. Please tell us what you think!
We appreciate your patronage of our advertisers, who enable us to bring you this publication. All contents copyright 2023, Upstate Gardeners’ Journal.
On the cover: Okra bossom at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff in Derby, NY, by Bonnie Guckin
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Welcome, dear readers, and thank you for picking up this copy of Upstate Gardeners' Journal!
One of the great joys of traveling is seeing plants in their native environs. This spring I went to Morocco, venturing into the High Atlas Mountains. What a thrill! I felt just like Dan Hinkley when, zooming past one in a car, I called out, “Wait! Stop! Dianthus!” and then scrambled up a steep, rocky, sandy, crumbling hillside to reach the tiny thing.
I’m a keen alpine gardener, so there were many treasures to see, including onionweed (Asphodelus spp.), which
I mistook for gaura (which I also just learned is now considered an evening primrose, Oenothera lindheimeri), growing in the driveway of a man we stopped to buy honey from; lots and lots of ice plants, and something I, a few apps, and the people in my plant ID Facebook group couldn’t identify but that I would definitely grow if I knew what it was and how to get it.
No matter how much I see and learn, I really only know a miniscule amount about the plants in our world.
Back home, my own pinks finally in bloom in the rockery, I smile at the memory of the experience every time I look at them.
Have a wonderful summer!
We make the grass greener on your side of the fence.
Sales— Chuck Hoover: 585.261.6370
Offi ce— 585.548.2552
In creating the biweekly This Old Tree podcast and radio show, consulting arborist Doug Still wanted to explore the storytelling aspect of trees and forestry. He says, “There is a deep well of stories to find and draw from around the globe, but they are way under the radar. During my years [2005-2022] as city forester for Providence, Rhode Island, I found that people are also hungry to make emotional and cultural connections with trees. This is no small thing.”
Still has observed that the ability to tell an engaging story—whether about a tree, a person, a community, or a public program—is a powerful tool. Judging from the popularity of the This Old Tree podcast and radio show in its first year, listeners are enjoying the extensively researched content of the program as well as Still’s hosting, including his rich speaking voice, calm manner, and the humor he injects into his interviews and scripts. New listeners to the This Old Tree podcast tend to download the full back catalog—a good sign that the show’s concept is speaking to people; the podcast is currently downloaded by listeners in 60 countries and 49 states. The radio show version of This Old Tree has been picked up by its first station, Classical 95.9 WCRI in Rhode
Island, and Still is working to expand radio distribution.
Still says that he spends approximately 40 hours on each episode, which includes booking guests; traveling to the trees and/or historical sites and interviewing the people knowledgeable about them; writing the script; editing the recordings; and distributing and promoting the podcast. “I love the editing process,” he says. “I’m in the zone and everything else falls away. I’m not a night person, but I find myself editing into the night.” Still says the investigative aspects of the process are reconnecting him with the thrill of research and learning. In making the podcast, he wants listeners to feel like they’re coming along, making these exciting discoveries with him.
At the same time that Still is building the This Old Tree podcast and radio show, he’s training to become a tree dispute mediator, specializing in working with neighbors in conflict, helping them come to their own solutions together. Still recently completed training through the Center for Mediation Rhode Island and is working toward becoming a lead mediator of a team. It will be interesting to see if the insights Still gains in this work get woven— however subtly—into his This Old Tree podcast and radio show.
Horticulturist, garden historian, writer, and storyteller Abra Lee joined Doug Still in this episode to tell the story of the Tree of Hope’s rise to fame, its demise, and its enduring legacy.
LEFT BOTTOM: Tree of Hope near Lafayette Theatre in Harlem
Doug Still, in episode intro: “Picture yourself in Harlem in New York City, and it’s the 1920s. There’s a cultural awakening going on—there’s jazz and dance, theater and literature, big celebrities, and lots of new talent looking for a break. And of course—because this is a show about trees—there’s a tree that becomes a symbol of the Harlem Renaissance. It’s the Tree of Hope, and it was a good luck charm to Black performers looking to make the big time. Horticulturist, garden historian, and storyteller Abra Lee relates the story of The Tree of Hope’s rise to fame, its demise, and its enduring legacy.”
Abra Lee is the author of the forthcoming book, Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Story of Our Country’s Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers (2025). Lee explains that the Tree of Hope was an American elm (Ulmus americana) located on 7th Avenue and 131st Street in Harlem, in the road median, diagonal from the iconic former Lafayette Theater. Lee says, “It was a tree that people gathered under. When I say people, I mean specifically the Black community in Harlem. So, at the prime of the Tree of Hope, it is the Roaring ’20s, the Harlem Renaissance is happening, Black businesses are thriving, and Black communities are thriving.”
Lee goes on, “The Tree of Hope is like any other legend. It’s bigger than itself, and it has many iterations and many names. Some people, the old timers . . . many of them said that the Tree of Hope started off being called the Tree of Wisdom or the Tree of Knowledge. It was no different than when you saw people gather in these open-air spaces outside of Europe and have their symposia and discuss the economy, discuss politics, or gossip. And with [The Tree of Hope], people were able to exchange messages. It was the message board, it was the internet, it was the chatroom, it was the everything for Harlem.” And it also became the good luck charm for Black entertainers performing at—or hoping to perform at—the Lafayette Theater.
What became of the tree, and in what ways does its power to connect and inspire people live on? Hear the full story from the phenomenal Abra Lee in conversation with Doug Still at thisoldtree.show
THIS OLD TREE TEASER: “THE KATSURA AT DUMBARTON OAKS” (EPISODE 14)
A charming old katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japoncium) in the famous Beatrix Farrand–designed garden, Dumbarton Oaks, in Georgetown in Washington, D.C. came to Doug Still’s attention when landscape architect Ron Henderson invited Still to tag along for a special occasion. Mr. Kurato Fujimoto, a Master Gardener from Kenroku-en (one of the three great Japanese landscape gardens), came to lead a team effort to install a series of wooden crutches and braces under the big katsura tree. They would be using an indigenous Japanese propping technique, called hoozue, that promotes the long-term health of old trees and supports long, aging branches.
This was not Still’s first experience seeing the installation of hoozue. Kurato Fujimoto and Ron Henderson were retained by the City of Providence Parks Department in 2022 to buttress the Betsey Williams Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), the 240-year-old tree
The team installing the hoozue (wooden supports) for the katsura tree at Dumbarton Oaks
RIGHT MIDDLE: The katsura tree with lovingly placed hoozue of pressuretreated white pine.
RIGHT BOTTOM: Kurato Fujimoto and Jonathan Kavalier at Dumbarton Oaks in front of the katsura tree with newly supported limbs. Fujimoto is a master gardener renowned for his hoozue skills and Kavalier is the director of gardens and grounds for Dumbarton Oaks.
TOP: Doug Still talked with Margeaux Apple, collections coordinator for the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, about her 2021 inventory of the remaining Moses Cleaveland Trees. She took this marvelous photo of a white oak (Quercus alba) in greater Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery, one of the Moses Cleaveland Trees discussed in the episode. Photo by Margeaux Apple.
INSET: According to the National Park Service, “Following World War II, Cleveland decided on a novel way to mark its 150th anniversary in 1946. Arthur B. Williams of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History headed a committee to find and label 150 ‘Moses Cleaveland Trees.’ They had to be native to Ohio, at least 150 years old, and growing within Cuyahoga County.” Eventually Williams and Co. designated 153 trees. Photo from Cleveland Museum of Natural History archives.
featured in episode one of This Old Tree. The Betsey Williams sycamore has a 57-foot-long branch that stretches out at eye level, a very special feature—but it needed support. Mr. Fujimoto and the City of Providence Parks crew installed two props below it, using reclaimed and notably durable black locust tree wood (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Still says that Fujimoto and Henderson also propped a cherry tree on the campus of Penn State University several years ago, and the week before their Dumbarton Oaks visit, they installed hoozue for two itosakura cherry (Prunus itosakura) trees at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. “I paid a visit to those cherry trees; the work is gorgeous,” Still says. “The technique is most associated with cherry and pine trees—both very important to Japanese culture.”
He goes on, “In the U.S., you won’t see tree supports used very often, except perhaps in orchards to preserve productive old branches on fruit trees. In general, our practices resort primarily to pruning branches and cabling large trunks for support.”
Fujimoto and Henderson would like to see propping used more often in the U.S., and they’re promoting the hoozue technique wherever they can.
Listen to the full story at thisoldtree.show.
Doug Still, in episode intro: “In 1946, 153 ‘Moses Cleaveland Trees’ were chosen as landmark trees to represent the City of Cleveland’s 150-year anniversary. These were trees that were present in the pre-settlement forest. The existence of each one became hazy over time, until a group organized by the City of Cleveland and the Early Settlers Association set out to find them again. Do they still survive?”
While Still usually centers his stories around the symbolism of a single old tree, with the Moses Cleaveland Trees, he was drawn to the idea of designating a collection of heritage trees with a shared name and identity. “As a
group, these arboreal veterans have an extra aura, like they are part of an exclusive club,” he says. “The upside is that they are appreciated across neighborhoods, with special pride shared among residents and landowners. But that regional distribution is also the tree group’s downside, as some trees are more vulnerable to the whims and priorities of any individual landowner, as well as to the lack of any coordinated care. Some just get forgotten. Finding them again is like reuniting them in a way, bringing back their collective power and identity. There’s something really cool about that.”
In the episode, Still talks with retired archaeologist Dr. Roy Larick about wealthy landowner and land surveyor Moses Cleaveland, (1754-1806), for whom the City of Cleveland is named, and he talks with Cambridge University Botanic Garden Collections Coordinator Margeaux Apple about the remaining Moses Cleaveland trees she found in her 2021 inventory.
Apple says, “The data we were given … some of it was really good, but some of it was really sparse— real detective work, like it would say, ‘on Esterbrook playground,’ but there’s no such thing as Esterbrook playground on this spot today.” In those cases, Apple went to the archival maps of the city for help. When she arrived at the historic location of a Moses Cleaveland Tree, there was an obviously ultra-mature tree there, or there wasn’t—either way, it made for a dramatic moment.
Recommended reading for this is Margeaux Apple’s piece, “Have You Heard of the Moses Cleaveland Trees?” on the Holden Arboretum website, and the Moses Cleaveland Tree resources at earlysettlers.org. Meantime, hear more about this juicy detective work at thisoldtree. show.
On warm summer nights with the windows open, the sound of summer filters through the air. Crickets, frogs, and even an occasional owl will fill the night with sound. Of the eight owl species that are typically found in New York, there are three you are most likely to hear in the summer—Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl are year-round residents that are known to call in summer months, not just during their mating season.
Owls are mostly nocturnal birds of prey who are specially adapted to hunt in the nighttime hours. They have fringed feathers, making their flight silent, which allows them to be inconspicuous to the prey they are hunting. Their feet have sharp claws, called talons, that help them grasp their prey. Owls also have very good hearing. Their faces are shaped in such a way that they funnel sound to the sides of their head. This flat round facial structure is called a “facial disk” and is unique to owls. Owls have ears on the sides of their heads—and many times they are offset, with one ear higher than the other. This helps them pinpoint their prey at night. Many species also have what are called “ear tufts,” or “feather tufts,” which are feathers that look like ears on the top of their heads. These are not ears and are only feathers. Their eyes are so large that they are unable to move them in their eye sockets. Instead, they must move their heads to see in different directions. They have vertebrate that allow them to move their heads 270 degrees to accomplish this.
One of the best ways to spot an owl during the day is to look for “whitewash” on the trunks of trees. During the day many owls camouflage very well along the trunk or amongst the branches of a tree. Although the owls themselves are hard to spot, the waste they leave behind leaves a bright white streak. They can also be spotted by finding owl pellets along the bases of trees. Owls swallow their prey whole but cannot digest the whole animal. They must regurgitate the bones and fur of their prey. It is regurgitated in the form of a small pellet. These usually pile up underneath the spots they roost in. Keep an ear for crows, also, because if you hear a lot of crows making a racket, there could be an owl nearby. They are well known for mobbing owls and other birds of prey to chase them away.
At night, usually the best way to find owls is to listen for them. The three you are most likely to hear in our area at this time of the year all have very distinctive calls. The Great Horned Owl and the Barred Owl both have hooting calls, while the Screech Owl has a high-pitched whinny call.
Great Horned Owls can be found in forested areas, wetlands, grasslands and even deserts throughout the
United States. They feed on small mammals, frogs, large insects, birds, and fish, but are also known to go after larger prey like skunks, raccoons, and opossums. They are opportunistic and will eat a variety of prey items. Great Horned Owls can reach a length of two feet with a wingspan of more than four feet long! Like their name suggests, they have feather tufts on the top of their heads which give them their “horned” appearance. They have bright yellow eyes and coloration that varies in browns and grays that camouflages well with trees. Their call is a vocalization that sounds like “Who’s awake? Me too . . .”
Barred Owls are found in wooded areas throughout the Eastern United States and in the far Western U.S. Their populations are strong, and their range is expanding. They eat small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects. They are smaller than Great Horned Owls, with a maximum length of about 20 inches and a wingspan of about 40 inches. They do not have feather tufts and have very dark, almost black, eyes. Their coloration is brown and white, with a breast of horizonal brown streaking. Their call sounds like “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” sometimes interspersed with bursts of hooting.
Eastern Screech Owls are common in any habitat that has trees. They are found in forests, fields, parks, and even backyards. Their diet consists of small mammals, birds, earthworms, insects, and other small animals. They are quite small, about the size of a pint glass, with a maximum length of about 9.5 inches and a wingspan that tops off at two feet. Their coloration can vary, there is a “gray morph” variation and a “red morph” variation. Most Screech Owls seen in our area are gray morphs. They have yellow eyes and feathered ear tufts. Screech Owls are also cavity nesters. They will use old woodpecker cavities and will readily use Screech Owl nest boxes. Screech Owls don’t have a hooting call, but instead have a vocalization that sounds like a horse’s whinny.
To hear what all these calls sound like, I highly recommend downloading the “Merlin” app provided free from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Not only can you listen to the calls of these birds as well as hundreds more, but the app also has a feature that will listen to the birds you are hearing and identify them for you. As the summer goes on the amount of birdsong decreases, but there are still plenty of birds vocalizing well into the fall.
Liz Magnanti is co-owner of the Bird House in Brighton.
INSET: Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus. Photo courtesy WikiMediaCommons: Mary C. Kirby
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July and August are busy months in the garden. Weeding, harvesting, watering, insect control, dead heading, and on and on. What to do first? “Triage gardening” is the answer. Walk through your garden with a notebook or camera and jot down or photograph what needs to be done. Then sit down with a cup of whatever and prioritize chores. That way you don’t miss something important. This approach works any time of year. (This is a great idea! Lyn does this but Carol Ann is impulsive and has five different garden projects going at once.)
Be on the lookout for the Boxwood Tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis). This new invasive insect (first reported in NYS in 2021) can kill boxwoods quickly.
The box tree moth is up to 4 cm (1 1/2 inch) and its wings are white with brown outlines. Eggs are laid on the undersides of boxwood leaves and the pupa develop attached to boxwood leaves. The caterpillars are up to 1 1/2 inch long. They are yellow to lime green with dark stripes and rows of hairs lengthwise along their bodies.
Heavy infestations can defoliate the plant. When the leaves are gone, the bark is consumed, causing girdling and plant death. A good visual ID feature is the webbing the box tree moth caterpillars produce along with lots of frass which masses in the webbing.
Keep a close eye on your boxwood plants and if it is found don’t delay insecticide treatments. More at: aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/alert-boxtree-moth.pdf
Raise the height of your mower to three inches. This shades out sun-loving weeds, cools roots, and cuts down the need for watering.
Weed garden beds! Once well-established weeds are more difficult to remove, and they often drop seeds to make more weed. Once you weed, a good layer of mulch will help hold down the weeds and keep moisture from evaporating as quickly.
Continue removing faded flowers to promote new flower production.
Have autumn crocus corms? Plant about three inches deep now or they will bloom before you get the chance.
Prune back leggy annuals now for better blooms later.
Divide and replant bearded irises.
Protect the fruit (elderberries, raspberries . . .) from birds by using netting. You may wish to share some of the fruit with the birds, though.
Continue harvesting herbs—dry, freeze, and enjoy now. Consider letting some herbs, such as mints, rosemary, and
basil produce flowers for your garden’s pollinators. Keep an eye on your garlic. The leaves begin to brown in July. Take samples of hardneck and softneck to gauge readiness for harvest. (Softneck garlic tends to mature about two weeks before hardneck.)
Plant new leafy greens now for a fall harvest. You can start seedlings in the Brassiaceae family (broccoli, cabbage, collard greens) now to plant out in September. In addition, plant spinach, swiss chard, and escarole for harvest in October.
You can plant tomatoes until the third week of July as the warm soil encourages new growth. Direct your vines so the plants receive maximum sunlight and water. Keep that asparagus bed well weeded. Reduce competition with weeds now for a better crop next April. Keep harvesting eggplant, basil, okra, cucumbers to stimulate the plants to keep producing.
Look closely for insect and disease damage. Use Integrated Pest Management in your approach to minimize damage to pollinator species, other beneficial insects, and the environment. Identify the problem and decide whether anything needs to be done. Contact your local Extension Office for help.
Slug damage? Remove damaged leaves. Use beer in a container at soil level to drown slugs OR put down a piece of wood. Slugs gravitate toward the underside of the wood and can be scraped off the next day. Copper tape around plants will also repel them. There are many products on the market that are not toxic, yet effective at getting rid of slugs and snails. If you hand pick slugs use gloves or a paper towel. The slug slime is extremely difficult to wash off your hands. Kill Japanese beetles by knocking them into a container of detergent water. It not only kills them but makes you feel good as well!
Make sure that there are floating plants in your pond to help fish escape from direct sun. Provide fish caves for protection both now and later in the season. Make sure beneficial bacteria are part of your pond upkeep.
Keep bird baths and fountains clean and full of fresh water. These help not only birds but insects such as bees which use the water for cooling.
Provide puddling stones for butterflies and water for bees and other pollinator species. Shallow containers with pebbles keep them from drowning when sucking up water. Happy Gardening!
ABOVE: Cydalima perspectalis. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Didier Descouens
African Violet & Gesneriad Society of WNY meets the third Tuesday of the month, September–August, at 7pm, Greenfield Health & Rehab Facility, 5949 Broadway, Lancaster. avgswny@gmail.com.
Alden Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except July & August) at 7pm, Alden Community Center, West Main Street, Alden. New members and guests welcome. Plant sale each May. 716-937-7924.
Amana Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except January) at Ebenezer United Church of Christ, 630 Main Street, West Seneca. Visitors welcome. 716-844-8543, singtoo@aol.com.
Amherst Garden Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month (except December, March, July & August) at 10am, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Main Street, Williamsville. New members and guests welcome. 716-836-5397.
Bowmansville Garden Club meets the first Monday of the month (except June, July, August & December) at 7pm, Bowmansville Fire Hall, 36 Main Street, Bowmansville. New members and guests welcome. For more information, 716-361-8325.
Buffalo Area Daylily Society. East Aurora Senior Center, 101 King Street, East Aurora. Friendly group who get together to enjoy daylilies. Plant Sales, May & August. Open Gardens, June–August. Facebook.
Buffalo Bonsai Society meets every second Saturday at 1pm at ECC North Campus, STEM Bldg, 6205 Main St, Williamsville, NY 14221. Two exceptions on the 3rd Saturday: 4/15 and 9/16. buffalobonsaisociety.com.
September 16: ECC north topic TBD October 14: ECC north Les Allen topic Suiseki November 11: ECC north Christine Wilkolaski topic Plant Physiology
East Aurora Garden Club meets at noon on the 2nd Monday of each month, except January. We meet at Nativity Lutheran Church, 970 E. Main Street, East Aurora, NY (just west of the 400 Expressway exit). The club’s objective is to stimulate, create interest and promote education on horticulture, the art of gardening, flower arranging and environmental conservation; and to promote the beautification of surrounding areas. For more information about the club or membership call 716-912-1589.
Federated Garden Clubs NYS – District 8. Nancy Kalieta, Director, nancyk212@aol.com. gardenclubsofwny.com.
Forest Stream Garden Club meets the third Thursday of the month (September–May) at 7pm, Presbyterian Village, 214 Village Park Drive, Williamsville and other locations. Summer garden teas & tours. Ongoing projects include beautification of the Williamsville Meeting House, garden therapy at a local nursing home, youth gardening & Victorian Christmas decorating. eileen.s@markzon.com
Friends of Kenan Herb Club meets the third Monday of the month at 5:30pm at the Taylor Theater. New members are always welcome.
Garden Club of the Tonawanda meets the third Thursday of the month at 7pm, Tonawanda City Hall, Community Room.
Garden Friends of Clarence meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm, September–June, Town Park Clubhouse, 10405 Main Street, Clarence. gardenfriendsofclarence@hotmail.com.
Hamburg Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month at 10am, VFW Post 1419, 2985 Lakeview Rd, Hamburg, NY. June plant sale. Summer garden
tours. Guests are welcome. Contact lonabutler4@ gmail.com.
Kenmore Garden Club meets the second Tuesday of the month (except July, August & December) at 10am, Kenmore United Methodist Church, 32 Landers Road, Kenmore. Activities include guest speakers, floral designs and community service. New members and guests welcome. songnbird@ aol.com.
Ken-Sheriton Garden Club meets the second Tuesday of the month (except January) at 7pm, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 576 Delaware Road, Kenmore. Monthly programs, artistic design and horticulture displays. New members and guests welcome. 716833-8799, dstierheim@gmail.com.
Lancaster Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except January, July & August) at 7pm, St. John Lutheran Church, 55 Pleasant Avenue, Lancaster. All are welcome. Meetings are currently on hold. 716-685-4881.
Lewiston Garden Club meets the fourth Monday of the month. See website for meeting information, lewistongardenfest.com/garden-club.html or contact at PO Box 32, Lewiston, NY 14092.
Tropical Fish Society of Erie County meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm, Lake Erie Italian Club, 3200 South Park Ave, Lackawanna, NY 14218.
Niagara Frontier Orchid Society (NFOS) meets the first Tuesday following the first Sunday (dates sometimes vary due to holidays, etc.), September–June, Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo. niagarafrontierorchids.org.
Orchard Park Garden Club meets the first Thursday of the month except July and December at 11:30am at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4536 South Buffalo St., Orchard Park. Contact Diana Szczepanski at 716674-8970 for membership information. Guests are always welcome.
Ransomville Garden Club meets the third Wednesday or Saturday of the month at 5:45pm, Ransomville Community Library, 3733 Ransomville Road, Ransomville. Meetings are open to all. Community gardening projects, educational presentations, June plant sale. bbonnie2313@gmail.com.
Silver Creek-Hanover Garden Club meets the second Saturday of the month at 11am, Silver Creek Senior Center, 1823 Lake Road (Rte. 5), Silver Creek. edlorrie@yahoo.com, Facebook.
South Towns Gardeners meets the second Friday of the month (except January) at 9:30am, West Seneca Senior Center. New members welcome.
Town and Country Garden Club of LeRoy meets the second Wednesday of the month (except February) at 6:30pm, First Presbyterian Church, 7 Clay Street, LeRoy. New members and guests are welcome. 585768-2712, ritawallace005@gmail.com, Facebook.
Western New York Herb Study Group meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo.
Western New York Honey Producers, Inc. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County, 21 South Grove Street, East Aurora. wnyhpa.org.
Western New York Hosta Society. The WNYHS was formed to encourage members to appreciate Hostas and to provide them with access to quality new varieties. They meet three times a year at The East Aurora Senior Center, 101 King Street, East Aurora NY 14052. wnyhosta.com.
Western New York Hosta Society Breakfast Meetings, a friendly get-together, first Saturday (winter months only) at 10am, Forestview Restaurant, Depew. wnyhosta.com.
Western NY Iris Society meets at the Julia B Reinstein Library, 1030 Losson Road, Cheektowaga, NY at 1:30 pm on first Sunday of each month.
Western New York Rose Society meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7pm. Meetings on July 19. St. Stephens-Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 750 Wehrle Drive, Wmsvl. Check the Facebook page or website for meeting content, wnyrosesociety.net.
Youngstown Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7pm, First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church Street, Youngstown.
BECBG: Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218. 716/827-1584; buffalogardens.com.
CCE/EC: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Erie County, 21 South Grove Street, East Aurora, NY 14052. 716-652-5400 x174; erie.cce.cornell.edu.
DRAV: Draves Arboretum, 1815 Sharrick Road, Darien, NY 14040. 585-547-3341. dravesarboretum@rochester.rr.com.
REIN: Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, 93 Honorine Drive, Depew, NY 14043. 716-6835959; reinsteinwoods.org.
F- Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.
S- Indicates plant sales/swaps.
T- Indicates garden tours.
F T July 8: Annual Open Tour, 1:30–3:30pm. This event is an opportunity for the public to learn more about Draves Arboretum and experience its woody species collections through a guided tour of the grounds. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to start time. $12 admission. DRAV
July 11, August 15, September 12: Open Art Nights, 4–8pm. You will have the entire 30,000+ square foot conservatory full of exotic plants from around the world at your fingertips to create in plein-air for four hours. Registration required. $20/person. BECBG
July 15: Friends of Reinstein Woods Artisan Market, 5–7pm. Celebrate local artists and vendors and the great outdoors! More than 30 WNY-based artists will show off their nature-inspired jewelry, clothes, notecards, and paintings, plus produce and honey from a couple of local farms. Free. $2 donations to Friends of Reinstein Woods appreciated. BBQ chicken and rib meals will be available for sale. Rain or shine event. REIN
T July 15 & 16: Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk, 10am–4pm. Capen by Night: July 15, 8–10pm. Maps at UB Anderson Gallery, 10am–4pm. 1 Martha Jackson Pl. Buffalo, NY, 14214 Maps online: ourheights.org/gardenwalkT
T July 15 & 16: Williamsville Garden Walk, 10am–4pm. Maps available on the day of the walk at Williamsville Village Hall, 5565 Main Street, Williamsville, NY 14221 and Walkablewilliamsville. com. Tour is free and self-guided.
T July 15 & 16: East Aurora Garden Walk, 10am–3pm. Tour is free and open to the public. Maps are available on the days of the Garden Walk at Hamlin Park, at the corner of South Grove and Prospect Street.
July 16: 716 Day, 10am–4pm. Celebrate Western NY with $7.16 admission. BECBG
July 20: Jam in the Gardens, 5–9pm. Farrow with Curtis Lovell. Must be 21+. $50/person, $45/member. BECBG
T July 20 & 21: Open Gardens. See OpenGardensWNY. com for more information.
T July 21, 22, 23: Lancaster Garden Walk 2023, Friday 8:45–11pm, Sat & Sun 10am–4:30pm.
T July 21 & 22: Ken-Ton Garden Tour-Night Lights, 8:30–11pm. kentongardentour.com
T July 22 & 23: Ken-Ton Garden Tour-Day Tour, 10am–4pm. kentongardentour.com
T July 22 & 23: East Side Garden Walk, 10am–3pm. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (map). Free, self guided. The East Side Garden Walk encourages visitors and neighbors to walk, drive, or bike Buffalo’s East Side, learning about the resilience of this community. Visitors meet its gracious gardeners, experience its historic neighborhoods, and marvel at its wideranging architecture.
July 22: AM I BIRD NY, 10am. Search for the birds that call Reinstein Woods home for the summer and start the I BIRD NY challenge. Registration required. REIN
July 22: Woods Walk: Nature Guide’s Choice, 11am. Join a guided nature walk through the woods. No registration required. Event repeats on August 19. REIN
F July 22: Dinosaur Terrarium Workshop, 2–3pm. Create your own miniature dinosaur world with this fun new class just for kids! $25/child, $22.50/ member. BECBG
July 26: Going Batty!, 8pm. Bats are amazing animals but are often misunderstood. Separate fact from fiction and learn about the only true flying mammals. Registration required. REIN
July 27: Succulent Garden Workshop, 6–7pm. Design a unique succulent container garden while learning more about these exciting low-maintenance plants. $40/person, $36/member. Repeats on August 12 at 2pm. BECBG
T July 27 & 28: Open Gardens. See OpenGardensWNY. com for more information.
T July 29 & 30: Garden Walk Buffalo, 10–4pm. America’s largest garden tour! More than 300 creative and gracious gardeners are looking forward to seeing you! Visit GardenWalkBuffalo.com. Free.
July 29: Jewels of the Sky, 10am. On this guided walk search for ebony jewelwings and tiger swallowtails as well as other dragonflies and butterflies that may be in flight. Registration required. REIN
August 3: Hats and Hydrangeas, 11am–1pm. Gift gathering luncheon. $75/person. BECBG
August 5: Woods Walk: Beginning of the End, 1pm. Are you ready to move into another season? Look for the beginnings of fall here in the woods. No registration required. REIN
August 11: Courses in the Conservatory: A Progressive Dinner, 5pm, 6:30pm, and 8pm. Registration required. $125/person. BECBG
August 12: Fern Foray, 10am. Become familiar with the fabulous ferns that fill the forest floor with feathery fronds. Registration required. REIN
S August 12: Annual Public Plant Sale, 11am–2pm. Hosted by WNY Hosta Society, Buffalo Area Daylily Society, and WNY Iris Society. Sale of quality hostas, daylilies and iris. Free. Lake Eire Italian Club, 3200 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218. Contact Mike Shadrack, H8staman@aol.com with questions.
F August 18: Family Forest Friday, 10am. Who lives on the forest floor? What flies in the forest canopy? Answer these questions and more on this interactive family nature quest. Registration required. REIN
August 18: Pollinator Sip & Paint Fundraiser, 6:30–8:30pm. Join Master Gardeners for a fun evening “Painting with the Pollinators.” Tickets to this event are $25/each and includes painting supplies and one drink. Registration is required. Call 716-6992377 or email cattaraugusmg@cornell.edu. Cornell Cooperative Extension Cattaraugus County, 28 Parkside Drive, Ellicottville, NY 14731.
August 19: Days of Play, 10am–3pm. A day full of adventure, exploration, learning, and fun under the magnificent glass dome! BECBG
F August 19: Stories in the Woods, 10am. Enjoy hearing a nature story followed by a guided walk in the woods. For children ages 3–7. Registration required. REIN
August 23: New York State Arborists Regional Educational Seminar, 4pm. DRAV
T August 26: Urban Farm Day, 10am–3pm. Discover the region’s blossoming urban agricultural community and food system partners. Hear the stories of local growers and the groups that help bolster our local food community. Free. Information at urbanfarmday. com.
September 12: I’m for the Birds, 6:30–8pm. Presented by Carol Ann Harlos. CCE Erie Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes: $15/class, 3 classes/$45. 3 classes/$40 for Master Gardeners. CCE Powerhouse. CCE/EC
September 16: Orchid Repotting Event, 5–7pm. Niagara Frontier Orchid Society is sponsoring this repotting event at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens’ Administration Building.
SAVE THE DATE …
September 20: Heirloom Gardening, 6:30–8pm. Presented by Peggy Koppmann. CCE Erie Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes: $15/class, 3 classes/$45. 3 classes/$40 for Master Gardeners. CCE Powerhouse. CCE/EC
September 30: Shrinking Your Lawn: Benefits and Strategies, 10–11:30am. Presented by Lyn Chimera. CCE Erie Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes: $15/class, 3 classes/$45. 3 classes/$40 for Master Gardeners. Parkside Lodge. CCE/EC
October 7: Shinrin-Yoku with Debra Denome, 1–4pm. $35/person. DRAV
F October 7 & 8: Honey Harvest Festival, 9am–3pm. Live demonstrations of honey harvesting, honey taste contest, free seminars. Masterson’s Garden Center, 725 Olean Rd., East Aurora, NY 14052. mastersons.net
Adirondack Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society (ACNARGS) Meetings are open to all. Check the current newsletter on the website for meeting location: acnargs.org or Facebook.com/acnargs.
Auraca Herbarists, an herb study group, usually meets the second Tuesday of the month at noon, Cornell Botanic Gardens, Ithaca. Brownbag lunch at noon followed by the program and herb of the month. Field trips during the growing season. All are welcome. Contact: Pat Curran, pc21@cornell.edu.
Elmira Garden Club meets the first Thursday of the month, April–December, at 6pm, 426 Fulton Street, Elmira. Annual plant sale, workshops, monthly meetings, local garden tours and community gardening services. Karen Coletta, 607-731-8320, Facebook.
Finger Lakes Native Plant Society meetings are usually on the 3rd Tuesday of the month Sept-May. flnps.org, info@flnps.org.
Windsor NY Garden Group meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 10am, members’ homes or Windsor Community House, 107 Main Street, Windsor. windsorgardengroup.suerambo. com.
CBG: Cornell Botanic Gardens, 1 Plantations Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Inquire ahead for meeting locations. 607-254-7430; km274@ cornell.edu; cornellbotanicgardens.org.
July 15: Talks & Treks: Plants and Pollinators, 10am. Max McCune, a horticulturist at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, will lead a walk to discover local wildflowers and the vast network of pollinators and other wildlife they support. Location: Roy H. Park Preserve (south entrance), Dryden. Email info@ fllt.org to register, providing your name and email address. Finger Lakes Land Trust, 202 East Court St. Ithaca, NY 14850. 607-275-9487, fllt.org.
July 16: Exploring the Trees of the Arboretum, 2–3pm. learn about the wide diversity of tree species in the F.R. Newman Arboretum and why this diversity is so important to humans. Repeats October 15. $12/ admission. Registration required. CBG
July 27, August 24: Birds and Blooms, 9–10am. Join guides from the Botanic Gardens and the Lab of Ornithology for combined bird walk and plant walks this summer. $12/admission. Registration required. CBG
7th District Federated Garden Clubs New York State, Inc. meets the first Wednesday of the month. 7thdistrictfgcnys.org.
African Violet and Gesneriad Society of Rochester meets the first Wednesday of the month (except in summer), 7–9pm, Messiah Church, 4301 Mount Read Blvd., Rochester. All are welcome. Meetings are on hold until further notice. Stacey Davis, 585-4265665, stacey.davis@rit.edu, avgsr.org.
Big Springs Garden Club of Caledonia-Mumford meets the second Monday evening of the month, September–November, January–May. New members and guests welcome. 585-314-6292, mdolan3@rochester.rr.com, Facebook.
Bloomfield Garden Club meets the third Thursday of the month at 11:45am, Veterans Park, 6910 Routes 5 & 20, Bloomfield. Visitors and prospective new members welcome. Marlene Moran, 585-924-8035, Facebook.
Bonsai Society of Upstate New York meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Brighton Town Park Lodge, Buckland Park, 1341 Westfall Road, Rochester. 585-334-2595, Facebook, bonsaisocietyofupstateny. org.
Canandaigua Botanical Society meets for in-person botanical events. See website for event schedule. canandaiguabotanicalsociety.blogspot.com
Conesus Lake Garden Club meets the third Wednesday of the month (April–December) at 7pm, Chip Holt Nature Center, Vitale Park, Lakeville. Welcoming new members. Contact Dottie Connelly, 585-703-1748.
Country Gardeners of Webster Do you like to dig in the dirt, smell the roses, learn about the birds and bees, take a walk in the park, eat, drink, and be merry, or live in Webster? Then the Country Gardeners of Webster would love to have you join them! They meet the second Monday of the month. Contact Elaine at 585-350-8270 to try this fun-loving club out.
Creative Gardeners of Penfield meets the second Monday of the month (except July & August) at 9:15am, Penfield United Methodist Church, 1795 Baird Road, Penfield. Visitors welcome. Contact 585385-2065 or 09green17@gmail.com if interested in attending a meeting.
Fairport Garden Club Member club of Federated Garden Clubs of NY State. Meets 3rd Thursday evening of the month (except January & August), members’ homes. Educational topics through speakers, workshops or local tours. Accepting new members. fairportgc@gmail.com, fairportgardenclub.com.
Finger Lakes Daylily Society members garden in west-central NY, covering an area from Batavia to Syracuse and the Southern Tier. Meetings are held in Rochester or the Canandaigua area. There are generally four regular Saturday meetings held in February, March, May, and September. Visitors and prospective new members are welcome to attend. Contact Deb Lawrence for information, binxers1@ yahoo.com.
Friends of Ellwanger Garden meets all season long on Tuesday mornings. To volunteer at the garden, please contact Cindy Boyer at 585-546-7029, x12 or cboyer@landmarksociety.org.
Garden Club of Brockport meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7pm, Jubilee Church, 3565 Lake Road, Brockport. Learn gardening tips from knowledgeable speakers, make garden ornaments through our hands-on classes and explore beautiful local gardens. For more info call or email Kathy, 585431-0509 or katyd5950@gmail.com.
Garden Club of Mendon meets the third Tuesday of the month, 10am–1pm, Mendon Community Center, 167 North Main Street, Honeoye Falls. Work on community gardens and gather new ideas in a casual, social environment. 585-624-8182, joanheaney70@gmail.com.
Garden Path of Penfield meets the third Wednesday of the month, September–May at 7pm, Penfield Community Center, 1985 Baird Road, Penfield. Members enjoy all aspects of gardening; new members welcome. gardenpathofpenfield@gmail. com.
Gates Garden Club meets the second Thursday of the month (except July & August) at 6:30pm, Gates Town Annex, 1605 Buffalo Road, Rochester. New members and guests welcome. 585 247-1248, scece6@yahoo.com.
Genesee Region Orchid Society (GROS) meets the first Monday following the first Sunday of the month. Meetings in December, January, and February will be virtual. It is likely that meetings from March–May will be in person at the JCC. Please see the website for information, geneseeorchid.org.
Genesee Valley Hosta Society meets the second Thursday of the month, April–October, at Eli Fagan American Legion Post, 260 Middle Road, Henrietta. 585-889-7678, sebuckner@frontiernet.net, geneseevalleyhosta.com.
Greater Rochester Iris Society (GRIS) meets Sundays at 2pm, dates vary. St. John’s Episcopal Church Hall, 11 Episcopal Ave. Honeoye Falls, NY. Public welcome. 585-266-0302, thehutchings@mac.com.
Greater Rochester Perennial Society (GRPS) meets the first Thursday of each month at 7pm, Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 1200 South Winton Road, Rochester, except in summer when it tours members’ gardens. Lectures being held virtually and garden tours are being scheduled. See website or Facebook for updates. cap704@ frontiernet.net, Facebook, rochesterperennial.com.
Greater Rochester Rose Society meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm on Zoom Jan., Feb., and Mar. Email j.chorder@gmail.com for meeting link. Questions: 585-694-8430. Facebook: Greater Rochester Rose Society.
Henrietta Garden Club meets the 2nd Wed, except May-August and Dec. at 6:30pm. Guests and nonresidents are welcome. Handicap accessible. Call 585-483-0734. Lower level of the Henrietta Town Hall, 475 Calkins Rd, Henrietta. sites.google.com/ site/henriettagardenclub
Holley Garden Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 7pm, Holley Presbyterian Church. 585638-6973.
Hubbard Springs Garden Club of Chili meets the third Monday of the month at 6:30pm at the Chili Community Center, 3237 Chili Ave., Rochester. dtoogood@rochester.rr.com.
Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53 meets the third Thursday of each month (except December and February) at 10am, First Baptist Church, Hubbell Hall, 175 Allens Creek Road, Rochester. 585-3016727, 585-402-1772, rochesterikebana@gmail.com, ikebanarochester.org.
Kendall Garden Club meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm, Kendall Town Hall. 585- 370-8964.
Klemwood Garden Club of Webster meets the 2nd Monday of the month at 7pm (except January & February) in members’ homes or local libraries. Accepting new members. 585-671-1961.
Lakeview Garden Club (Greece) meets the second Wednesday of the month (except January & February) at 7pm, meeting location varies depending on activity. Meetings may include a speaker, project or visits to local garden-related sites. New members always welcome. Joanne Ristuccia, rista1234@gmail.com.
Newark Garden Club meets the first Friday of the month at 1pm, Park Presbyterian Church, Newark. Guests are welcome.
Pittsford Garden Club Pittsford Garden Club meets the third Tuesday of the month at 10:30am at the Spiegel Center on Lincoln Avenue in the Village of Pittsford. The club usually meets in Room 18, but ask at the desk. Masks are required at all times in the building unless requirements change. New members are always welcomed. May 21 plant sale, location TBD. Look for signs in the village.
Rochester Dahlia Society meets the second Saturday of the month (except August & September) at 12:30pm, Trinity Reformed Church, 909 Landing Road North, Rochester. Visitors welcome. See website for up-to-date information concerning meetings & shows. 585-865-2291, Facebook, rochesterdahlias.org.
Rochester Herb Society meets the first Tuesday of each month (excluding January, February & July) at 12pm, Potter Memorial Building, 53 West Church Street, Fairport. Summer garden tours. New members welcome. rochesterherbsociety.com.
Rochester Permaculture Center meets monthly to discuss topics such as edible landscapes,
gardening, farming, renewable energy, green building, rainwater harvesting, composting, local food, forest gardening, herbalism, green living, etc. Meeting location and details: meetup.com/ rochesterpermaculture.
Seabreeze Bloomers Garden Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month (except January) at 7pm, location varies depending on activity. Meetings may include a speaker, project or visit to local gardenrelated site. Monthly newsletter. New members welcome. Meetings are currently cancelled; contact Bonnie Arnold with any questions. Bonnie Arnold, 585-230-5356, bonniearnold@frontiernet.net.
Stafford Garden Club meets the third Wednesday of the month (except December & January) at 7pm, Stafford Town Hall, 8903 Morganville Road (Route 237), Stafford. Plant auction in May. All are welcome. 585-343-4494.
Victor Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of the month (except January & February) at 6:30/6:45pm. New members welcome. Meeting and location details: victorgardenclubny2.com, victorgardenclub.org.
Williamson Garden Club. On-going community projects and free monthly lectures to educate the community about gardening. Open to all. 315-524-4204, grow14589@gmail.com, growthewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com.
BANC: Burroughs Audubon Nature Club, 374 Cromwell Drive, Rochester, NY 14610. 585-2040812, BANCrsvp@gmail.com, bancny.org.
BGC: Broccolo Garden Center, 2755 Penfield Road, Fairport 14450. 585-424-4476; broccolotreeandlawn.com.
CBS: Canandaigua Botanical Society, See website for event schedule and details. canandaiguabotanicalsociety.blogspot.com
CCE/GC: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Genesee County, 420 East Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020. 585-343-3040, ext. 132; genesee.cce.cornell.edu.
FRUIT: Fruition Seeds, 7921 Hickory Bottom Road, Naples, NY 14512. petra@fruitionseeds.com, fruitionseeds.com
F- Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.
S- Indicates plant sales/swaps.
T- Indicates garden tours.
O- Indicates online event.
July 8, 20, August 6: Daylily Garden Open House, July 8 & August 6, 1–6pm and July 20, 3–7pm. You may view the garden from the road or you may walk through the garden. Please call 585-461-3317 ahead of time if you have any questions. Cobbs Hill Daylily Garden (a National Daylily Display Garden), Charlie and Judy Zettek, 1 Hillside Avenue, Rochester 14610.
July 14: Fantastic Ferns of Wolf Gull, 10am. Bruce Gilman, retired FLCC naturalist, will lead a walk to discover the plants and topography of Wolf Gull. Registration required. BANC
T July 15: Stunning Gardens by Ordinary People, 11am–4pm. Self-guided tour of seven gardens in the Brockport area. Reservation required. $25/person, to benefit children’s STEM program. Information and reservations at seymourlibraryfoundation@gmail.com.
F July 17–21: Dirt Fingernails Garden Camp, 9am–3pm. Dirty Fingernails Garden Camp is an immersive, entertaining, and empowering day camp for children ages 7 to 13. Located on the Fruition Seeds Farm in Naples, NY, this camp embraces the values of Fruition Seeds and encourages campers to learn to grow vegetables as well as themselves. FRUIT
T July 22: Tour Burroughs Audubon Nature Club Sanctuary, 10am. 301 Railroad Mills Road, Pittsford, NY. CBS
TF July 28–30: LotusFest 2023, 9am–5pm. Enjoy the largest collection of blooming lotus outside of China. Free. Bergen Water Gardens & Nursery, 7443 Buffalo Rd Churchville, NY 14428. bergenwatergardens.com/events/2023-07-28
July 30: Nourish: Community Tomato Tasting, Sharing & Seedkeeping, 12–3pm. Taste all kinds of tomatoes, save tomato seeds, and bring home all the tomato abundance you’d love! Free. FRUIT
August 3: Garden Talk: Growing Healthy Plants in a Changing Environment, 12–3pm. Learn tips on maintaining your existing plantings using Integrated Pest Management and how to choose new or replacement plants best suited to your particular site. Free. Registration required. CCE/GC
August 11–13: Pollinator Palooza, 10am–3pm. Join them for a summer celebration of pollinators. Native plants support birds, bees, butterflies, and other insects that are critical for a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem. Amanda’s Native Garden has a variety of plants that are host to native insect species. Pollinator Palooza will feature pollinator-friendly plants on sale, information on native plants & pollinators, kids activities, and games for a prize! Join them in celebrating and supporting pollinators by planting native plants. Amanda’s Native Garden, 8030 Story Rd, Dansville, NY 14437. 585-750-6288; amandasnativeplants.com.
T August 12: Tour of Butterfly Effects Native in Geneva, NY, 10am. CBS
August 12: Miniature World of Mosses, 3–4:30pm. Join naturalists Carol and David Southby to look for mosses, learn the basics about their structures, and identify some of the common ones that are right at our feet. BANC
August 12: FLX Fermentation Fest at Cumming Nature Center. Join Petra Page-Mann of Fruition Seeds for a Kraut Mob from 10am–2pm and a Seed Saving + Fermentation Workshop from 2–3pm. FRUIT
T August 19: See(d) the Change: Fruition Originals
Farm Tour & All You Can Eat Melon Party, 12–4pm. Revel at Fruition! Farm tours on the hour as well as abundant melon for all to enjoy. There will be tasting and making selections for many of Fruition’s original varieties—heirlooms of tomorrow—as a community. Free. FRUIT
August 22: Garnet-rich Sands of Northeastern North America, 6:30pm. Fred Haynes, retired geologist and active sand collector, will share his interest in garnet-rich sands. Sand collectors (arenophiles) love heavy mineral sands and garnet is one of the more common minerals found in heavy mineral sands. BANC
T August 26: Tour of Native Landscaped Garden Property in Naples, NY, 10am. CBS
August 26: Learn How to Make Hypertufa Pots, 10–11:30pm. Make beautiful garden containers that will last for years with the wonderful Hyper Tufa technique. Each student creates their own pot to take home. Ages 14 and up. $35/person. BGC
T August 27: Fruition’s Joy & Solidarity Supper + Concert with Benny Bleu. Join Fruition for a joyous and delicious evening of song and feasting on the farm! 3pm, free farm tour. 4pm, free supper. 6–8pm, Americana/Blues/Folk Music. $15–30 donation for
the musicians. FRUIT
September 7: Garden Talk: Fall Garden Cleanup and Pollinators, 12–1pm. Stop! Don’t bee in a rush to clean up your garden this fall. Learn how fall cleanup can affect your beneficial insect populations. Free. Registration required. CCE/GC
September 9: Leaf Sand Casting, 10–11:30pm. Join “J” in making a sand casting from hosta or similar leaves to serve as a small bird bath or tray. Will need to return 2 days later after product dries. Ages 14 and up. $35/person. BGC
September 16: Transform: Make Your Own Fire Cider & Sauerkraut, 12–4pm. As seasons change, make food and medicine together! Harvest fire cider ingredients as well as Mermaid’s Tale cabbage for sauerkraut. FRUIT
S September 16: Fall Garden Gala, 10am–1pm. Join the Genesee County Master Gardeners for their annual Fall Garden Gala. Plant sale featuring a selection of perennial plants and houseplants, Chance Auction, and free soil pH testing. CCE/GC
African Violet & Gesneriad Society of Syracuse meets the second Thursday of the month, September–December and March– May. Pitcher Hill Community Church, 605 Baily Rd., North Syracuse. 315-492-2562. jimviolets@verizon.net
Baldwinsville Women’s Garden Club meets the first Thursday of each month except January at St Marks’ Lutheran Church in Baldwinsville at 7pm. The club plants the village flower barrels, raises money for the village flower hanging baskets, maintains the Pointe Garden, donates Arbor Day trees to schools, and gets involved in village improvement projects. Perennial sale yearly on Memorial Saturday morning in the village. See more information at Facebook, Women’s Garden Club of Baldwinsville.
Bonsai Club of CNY (BCCNY) usually meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm, Pitcher Hill Community Church, 605 Bailey Road, North Syracuse. 315-436-0135, lnewell1@gmail.com, cnybonsai.com.
Central New York Orchid Society meets the first Sunday of the month, September–May, St. Augustine’s Church, 7333 O’Brien Road, Baldwinsville. Dates may vary due to holidays. 315633-2437, cnyos.org.
Fairmount Garden Club meets the third Thursday of the month (March–November) at 6:30pm, Camillus Senior Center, 25 First Street, Camillus. Speakers & community projects. All are welcome tooley.susan@ yahoo.com. July 20, 6pm: Summer Picnic, Erie Canal Park, Camillus.
Federated Garden Clubs NYS–District 6. 315-4814005, dist6fss@gmail.com.
Gardening Friends Club meets the third Tuesday of the month, March–December, at 6:30pm, Wesleyan Church, 4591 US Route 11, Pulaski. 315-298-1276, Facebook: Gardening Friends of Pulaski, NY, VicLaDeeDa@frontiernet.net.
Gardeners in Thyme (a women’s herb club) meets the second Thursday of the month at 7pm, Beaver Lake Nature Center, Baldwinsville. 315-635-6481, hbaker@ twcny.rr.com.
Habitat Gardening in CNY (HGCNY) meets the last Sunday of most months at 2pm. Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool. HGCNY is a chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes; wildones.org. Free and open to the
public. hgcny.org and ourhabitatgarden.org. Subscribe to the free e-newsletter by emailing info@hgcny.org.
Home Garden Club of Syracuse usually meets the first Tuesday morning of the month. Members are active in educating the community about gardening, horticulture & floral design and involved with several civic projects in the Syracuse area. New members welcome. homegardenclubofsyracuse@gmail.com, homegardenclubofsyracuse.org.
Koi and Water Garden Society of Central New York usually meets the third Monday of each month at 7pm. See website for meeting locations. 315-4583199, cnykoi.com.
The Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse meets the third Thursday of every month at 7pm in the Reformed Church of Syracuse,1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse, NY. Meetings feature guest speakers on a variety of gardening and gardening-related topics. Members maintain gardens at Rosamond Gifford Zoo and Ronald McDonald House and host annual flower shows. Regular club meetings for the rest of this year will take place in the months of April, May, August, September, and November. See facebook.com/MWGardenClubOfSyracuse for more information on each month’s meeting and member tours/events. Email mwgardenclubofsyracuse@ gmail.com for more information.
Southern Hills Garden Club meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month, February–November. Meetings will take place at the LaFayette Firehouse, 2444 US Route 11, LaFayette NY 13084 and start at 7pm, unless otherwise stated. Occasional off site meetings typically have an earlier start time. Guests are welcome and membership is open to anyone interested in gardening. For information regarding meetings or membership, contact Cathy Nagel, 315-677-9342 or CEN42085@aol.com. July 18, 5:30pm: Little York Plantation Tour, Little York Plantation, 6088 NY-281, Little York, NY 13087. September 19, 7pm: Sue Finger (American Orchid Society Representative) will present “Orchid Culture,” LaFayette Firehouse, 2444 US RTE 11, LaFayette.
Syracuse Rose Society meets the second Thursday of the month (except December) at 7pm, Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse. Enter from Melrose Avenue. Club members maintain the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose Garden, Thornden Park, Syracuse. Public welcome. syracuserosesociety.org.
LYP: Little York Plantation, 6088 NY-281, Little York, NY 13087. 607-749-4861, 315960-3228. info@LittleYorkPlantation.com, littleyorkplantation.com.
F- Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.
S- Indicates plant sales/swaps.
T- Indicates garden tours.
O- Indicates online event.
T Every Tuesday: What’s in Bloom Walking Tour, 9 am. Join staff members for a walk through the nursery to see what is in bloom. Wear comfortable walking shoes. LYP
F July 8–9: Family Emporium Weekend. There will be a range of activities designed for kids such as a yoga class, a scavenger hunt, an archaeological dig, and painting rocks. There will also be art vendors from around Central New York. LYP
July 12–13: Garden Show Emporium Weekend
There will be a “Great Flower Arranging Show” competition, contests, displays, art vendors from around Central New York showcasing their products, food, and music. LYP
July 15: Fern Walk at Clark Reservation, 10am–12pm. Friends of Clark Reservation SP in Jamesville, NY are hosting a fern walk with Mike Serviss. See website for details and to register (required): friendsofclarkreservation.org/events/fern-walk-withmike-serviss-1
August 12: Medicinal Properties of Herbs Class, 2pm. Take a stroll with Beth Hill of Beth’s Natural Way around Little York Plantation’s herb gardens, where she will be giving insight on the medicinal advantages of herbs. LYP
August 13: Fall is for Planting Class, 1pm. The fall is the perfect time of year to plant. Learn what to consider planting in autumn and their respective benefits.
LYP
September 5: The Men and Women’s Garden Club of Syracuse Fall Flower Show. The club will hold its fall flower show at Chuck Hafner’s Nursery, 7265 Buckley Rd, North Syracuse, NY 13212.The show is open to public exhibitors. A $5.00 fee allows as many
PURE, NATURAL, LOCAL HONEY. Award-winning small scale apiary by Lake Ontario. SeawayTrailHoney.com 585-820-6619
PAPERBARK MAPLE. World’s most beautiful Maple. 4 feet to 6 feet. Specimens to 9 feet. Fifteen varieties deer-proof ferns. Hardy Mimosa, Dawn Redwood, Paulonia trees. European Ginger, Hostas, Mexican Sunflower. Call Howard Ecker 585671-2397 for appointment. Grower for 68 years in Webster.
DAYLILIES. Daylilies are outstanding, carefree perennials. We grow and sell over 225 top-rated award-winning varieties in many colors and sizes in our Rochester garden. We are also an official national daylily society display garden. We welcome visitors to see the flowers in bloom from June to September. Call 585/461-3317.
entries as you like. A show schedule is available on the club’s Facebook page. Set up time is 9–11 am with judging to follow. The show is open to public viewing Saturday afternoon and Sunday, September 10th. For additional information, contact show chairman Ed Stoudemire at erstoud@gmail.com.
Get your club or event listed here for free! Send your submissions to kim@upstategardenersjournal.com.
Deadline for Calendar Listings for the next issue (SepOct 2023) is August 11, 2023.
See: 8 acres of gardens
Over 2000 hosta varieties
Rare trees & shrubs
• Unusual perennials
Restroom & picnic tables
*Hundreds of hosta and other plants for sale
Rt. 20, Sheridan, NY
Open most days 11AM–6 PM Sundays 2 PM–6 PM 716 792-7581 or 969-1688
E-Mail: rblydell@gmail.com Web: www.eaglebaygardens.net/index.html
It’s the final week of July and tomatoes ripen as swallows swoop above seven-foot pole beans reaching for the sky. Abundance and beauty abound!
Amid the extraordinary abundance of summer, let’s sow the gifts of autumn. Now through mid-August we’re prepping beds and sowing carrots, beets, watermelon radish, more cilantro, the start of cool-season lettuces and—my favorite–lusciously sweet compact peas. These seeds have nourished our ancestors for countless generations and may well nourish us through next spring—and for generations to come.
They break down nicely into four categories:
Fall compact peas are the best peas, which you know as soon as you take your first bite. As cold turns starch to sugar, fall peas are far sweeter and more tender than any pea in summer. And, because the days are getting short and the nights cold, I always seem to appreciate them more.
Full-size peas are, alas, not an option. More than twice the height, their maturity dates are also notably longer. Compact (also known as ‘dwarf’) peas will surround you
with much more reliable abundance. Not to mention, they’re a breeze to manage by comparison, since the trellising is optional.
Here in Zone 5 on our farm in the Finger Lakes, midAugust is the final call for tucking peas in the ground to harvest their luscious pea pods. Their leaves, tendrils and flowers are also delicious, though. You’ll enjoy your peas in many ways for many weeks!
Early August is the final call for full-size, full-flavor roots to mature before frost in western New York. This will be our fourth succession of carrots from our first sowing in late April. We’re planting carrots this week as well as beets, kohlrabi, and the glorious watermelon radish. Smaller salad radishes we’ll sow in September, but early August is ideal for sowing watermelon radish, which struggles to thrive when sown in spring. Though it’s not a root, we’re sowing fennel, as well. Fennel and watermelon radish are similar in their love of cooler weather, growing most sweet and tender as the days grow short.
Carrots and beets are very rewarding, though they are far from the easiest vegetables to grow. Here are a few tips: T he straightest, smoothest roots are grown in rich, loose soil.
Maintain consistent moisture to provide even, abundant and early germination. Here’s how we do it: spread a layer of row cover directly on your freshly sown bed, gently watering them in (watering row cover and all). Be sure to keep your row cover moist, effectively raising the temperature of the soil, and provide ample, even water to optimize your germination. Once your seedlings are an inch tall, remove the row cover.
T hin your roots as soon as their first true leaves appear.
Continue to thin as the weeks go by, enjoying tender, baby roots as you make space for your longest, widest roots. (See fruitionseeds.com for our tutorial on carrot thinning.)
The world is your oyster when you love greens as much as I do. Nearly endless options abound. And hooray! Greens don’t require tons of fertility, so don’t hesitate to plant lettuce where you just harvested lettuce. Options abound!
Spinach: Though we resist planting spinach (Spinacea oleracea) until summer’s heat is waning at August’s end, it’s always a perfect time to sow Asian spinach (Brassica rapa). Both heat tolerant and cold hardy, we savor Asian spinach in all the ways we do classic spinach, both raw and cooked.
Baby salad mix: Any time between mid-April and midSeptember is a perfect time to sow mesclun and lettuce mixes to harvest as baby greens. Now is no exception.
Lettuce heads, now that’s a different story! And early August is a unique time: try sowing both heat-loving lettuces (‘New Red Fire’) and cold-loving lettuces (‘Winter Density’). You’ll enjoy eating them both. By the second week of August, we’re sowing the seeds of the cool-season rather than heat-loving summer lettuces.
Kale: Indeed, we’ve been growing kale all season. Why plant more? If your plants have stopped producing,
September 16 September 17
1-5 9-11
Bristol’s Garden Center 7454 NY-96, Victor
Annuals • Perennials • Hanging Baskets
Herbs • Vegetable Plants • Mulch • Stones
11170 Maple Ridge Rd., Medina NY 14103
585-798-4247 • RobertsFarmMarket.com
Open Mon–Sat 9–6
Check out harringtonsgreenhousesny.com and Faceboook for current events.
We have a great selection of sun & shade annuals and perennials, shrubs and containers.
HARRINGTON’S 4653 North Byron Rd. Elba, NY 14058 585/757-2450
Come visit us at COTTAGE GARDENS and see all the color and forms of our daylilies—more than 4100 cultivars
4540 East Shelby Road Medina, New York 14103
RETAIL & AHS DISPLAY GARDEN
Open July 5th – 30th Closed Mon., Open Tues.–Sun. 10am–5pm Or by appointment
email: cglilies@rochester.rr.com
Phone 585-798-5441
Web: http://www.daylily.net/gardens/cottagegardens
We welcome garden tours • Gift Certificates available
harvest what is left, bring the stalk to the compost, and plant a new row with a touch of fresh compost, ready to thrive. Also, kale planted now will have a greater chance of living through the winter, becoming the first greens you eat as the snows melt.
Swiss Chard: Like kale, we’ve had Swiss chard growing since April. However, some years the leaf miners are atrocious. If their populations have gotten out of control, I always sow a fall succession in early August.
Herbs: We succession-sow cilantro and dill every three to four weeks for fresh, tender leaves all season and early August is no exception. We’re also sowing our final succession of Genovese basil because all our earlier plantings are going to seed and we never seem to tuck enough pesto in the freezer. And did you know cilantro is frost-hardy? Our September sowings often winter over, pleasing us all winter and into the spring.
Enjoy every moment of summer and happy planting, friends!
Raised in the Finger Lakes, Petra Page-Mann co-founded Fruition Seeds in 2012, sharing organic seeds, knowledge, and inspiration to surround us all with beauty and abundance for generations to come. Find seeds and resources at 7921 Hickory Bottom Road in Naples.
Imagine walking through fields of daylilies in bloom.
Got old balls? Well here is the project for you!
I saw this idea for DIY garden orb online at empressofdirt.net. Melissa J. Will, a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt, described creating garden spheres with items such as bowling balls or lamp globes, flat glass gems or marbles, and silicone sealant.
The Empress is leery of using old sports balls due to possibility of deflation, but I took a chance on using an old basketball because my son received two new balls as gifts, and his old one still held air. And it was free, which is my kind of price range. I also used a different adhesive—an indoor/outdoor waterproof and UV-proof glue that worked well for another project
The amount of gems, adhesive, and filler (if you use it), will vary with the size of your sphere, so it's always best to over-buy and return the unopened materials to elimnate wasted time and gas running to the store mid-project.
Sphere of your choosing
Multi-surface spray paint
Lots of glass gems, marbles, or pennies
Indoor/outdoor waterproof and UV proof adhesive such as Aleene’s Ultimate Multi-Surface Adhesive
Removeable poster putty
Fill-ins such as pebbles or glass bits used as vase filler
(optional)
Stand for ball such as the smalled ring cut off a tomato cage
1. Clean and dry sphere completely.
2. Paint and let dry completely. Tip: use the stand to hold the ball steady to paint half. Let dry completely, then flip over and paint the other side.
3. This is the fun part: start gluing your gems, marbles, or pennies on the ball! Tip: Glue only six or eight pieces on at a time to the top of your sphere, and let the glue dry for 10 minutes before turning ball to add more.
4. When you get to a point where there is about a 3 by 3 inch area left to fill in, dry-fit your gems using poster putty to temporarily secure them to the ball. Once you are satifiied, remove putty from each gem and glue on one at a time.
5. Optional: fill in any gaps between gems with glue and add filler bits. Again, work in small sections and wait 10 minutes before turning ball.
6. Let ball completely dry for at least 24 hours before displaying in your garden.
When I was young, we would visit my greataunt Elise, “Tante Elise,” as we called her. My aunt, mother, grandmother, sisters, and I would make a once- or twice-a-year visit. For kids, this was not a fun trip. There was nothing to do—my great aunt never had children and her home was not child friendly. And neither was she. The high point of the trip was getting to sample her “pulva kuchen.” It was a dense, rich, poundcake-like quick bread that made the whole trip worthwhile. My grandmother tried to get the recipe from Elise many times to no avail. And as far as I know, Elise shared it with no one and took its secret to the grave.
Recently I had a couple of opportunities in the garden to remember people who have passed on and the story of my great-aunt’s lost recipe came on the heels of those memories.
First of those memories includes a couple year search for irises that my mom had in her gardens. I remember those irises from my youngest memories. My mom loved her flowers and moved some from our old house to the new house. I loved their spicy-sweet fragrance and yellow blooms. When we emptied the house after she passed, life was hard and I never thought to collect a few of those irises. In the years since, I have missed them and regretted the lost opportunity.
In looking through images, I was able to figure out that they are an heirloom miniature tall bearded (MTB) iris from the 1850s named ‘Sans Souci’ (or ‘Honorabile’). Every so often I would look for places that sold this variety and usually I looked at the wrong time of the year and they were sold out. This year, I managed to get some from a small grower in Wisconsin. I also picked up a purple MTB from the same grower as my mom used to also have a matching MTB purple iris. I can’t wait for blooms to remember that distinctive fragrance and flower—and I can’t wait to remember my mom along with it.
This spring I had to move some “volunteer” garlic (“Niawanda,” or Polish walking garlic) in my vegetable garden. This is something that I originally bought from the late Remy Orlowski (The Sample Seed Shop) and I
couldn’t help but remember her. Though she lived locally, we never met in person, but we chatted online—originally in a plant identification forum that had people from around the world in it. I never made it to her tomato tasting events, but I did buy seeds from her, kept in touch, and always looked forward to the bonus seeds she would include in every order. They were interesting and I loved trying them. I thought of her again as seeds, she no doubt lovingly put into her hand-labeled envelopes, made it into soil as part of my spring sowing. Unlike with my mom’s irises, I had the opportunity at hand to remember Remy through her seeds and garlic.
And so, I go back to Elise. If I had that kuchen recipe, I would think of her every time I made it. And I would share the recipe along with her name with others. And so, I encourage gardeners, both young and old, to:
Share your plants
Share your seeds
Share your plant memories
And carry on family traditions by giving what was given to you with the people you love and care about
And likewise, ask for cuttings, seeds, and divisions while your loved ones are still here as they can also share the names, history, and interesting memories of those plants so your gardens will always be filled with memories.
For a truly refreshing and deliciously unique beverage, add equal parts fresh apple and pineapple juice to this tea after it’s brewed. If you are partial to a more lemon-y taste, add one part lemongrass or lemon verbena for added zest.
3 parts hibiscus flowers
2 parts rose hips (organic)
1 part orange or tangerine slices (organic)
1/10 part cinnamon chips
Honey or maple syrup (optional)
Editor’s note: Please note that “hibiscus,” when talking about herbal teas, means the flowers (calyx) of a specific plant, Hibiscus sabdariffa or “roselle.” Do not substitute flowers of various ornamental hibiscus varieties. They will not be flavored like the wonderfully tart, lemony, and ruby-red roselle, plus, purchased ornamental plants may have been treated with chemicals that are not safe for consumption. Local health food, tea, and spice shops will carry dried roselle and you may order it from Mountain Rose Herbs: mountainroseherbs.com
WikimediaCommons: Invertzoo
Place all ingredients in an appropriate-size jar, cover with water, stir, and set in the sun for several hours. Strain and sweeten with honey or maple syrup, if desired. Serve iced.
Roselle are beautiful plants that start very easily from seed. They grow in very warm, frost-free locations, so early indoor seed-starting is necessary in our area to have a chance at harvesting from them before the weather turns too cold. (They are hardy in zones 9-10.) Or, if you winter somewhere much warmer, see if you can grow them there.
