Upstate Gardeners' Journal Sept-Oct '10

buffalo - ithaca - rochester - syracuse

Dahlias at the center Q&A – Emerald ash borer Green roofs

FREE

Volume Sixteen, Issue Five September-October 2010

upstate gardeners’ journal - 3200 east avenue - caledonia, new york 14423

SARA’S GARDEN

Perfect Companions

An enduring partnership, each unique in its individual composition, yet consisting of the same elements. For centuries, people have chosen and gathered their favorite of these elements and brought them together to create their own enduring vision of these two perfect companions.

Important Announcement There has been a change in the dates of our last stonewall seminar of the season. The class will now be held

October 16th & 17th

to accommodate a special guest!

John Shaw-Rimmington of the DSWA.ca has graciously arranged for Norman Haddow, Scottish Master Craftsman, to join us.

There is space for 10 students in this class offered at the nursery. A wonderful weekend with two of the most insightful teachers on the art of stonewall construction.

Friday, Oct. 15—Student dinner with John & Norman Saturday, Oct. 16—First class day, 9 - 5. At 7 pm there will be an evening presentation by John & Norman at the Clarkson Historical Society (this event is free and open to the public).

Sunday, Oct 17—Second class day, 9 - 5 Please check out John’s website (DSWA.ca) and Norman’s blog (wallswithoutcement.blogspot.com) Please call or email for reservations: kkepler@rochester.rr.com or 585-637-4745 30+ 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.

Sara’s Garden Center | 389 East Ave. | Brockport 14420 | 585-637-4745

Contents Ear to the Ground.......................................................5

Publisher/Editor: Jane F. Milliman Art Direction: Dean S. Milliman Technical Editor: Brian Eshenaur CALENDAR EDITOR: Debbie Eckerson Proofreader: Sarah Koopus Contributing Writers:

What to do in the garden In September and October.............................................6

Lyn Chimera | Carol Ann Harlos | Michelle Sutton Gary Raffel | Ruth E. Thaler-Carter | Christina Le Beau

Dahlias at the center The gardens of Beverly and Bob Hillman...............10-12

Maria Walczak: 716/432-8688

Western New York Sales Representative:

You ask...the experts answer................................... 14 Calendar.................................................. 16-19, 25-32 Green roofs A trend sprouting around Upstate New York........20-22 Bee real..................................................................... 34 Join the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal Saturday, October 2, 2010 for a tour of Sonnenberg Gardens in autumn.

Plus, stops at Bristol’s Garden Center and The Apple Farm.

See page 7 for details.

3200 East Avenue, Caledonia NY 14423 phone: 585/538-4980; fax: 585/538-9521 e-mail: info@upstategardenersjournal.com upstategardenersjournal.com The Upstate Gardeners’ Journal is published six times a year.

To subscribe, please send $15.00 to the above address.

Magazines will be delivered via U.S. mail and or email (in PDF format). We welcome letters, calls and e-mail 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 2010, Upstate Gardeners’ Journal.

Never miss another issue! Get the UGJ delivered to your door six times a year for just $15.00. It’s our area’s guide to everything gardeners want to know about. To give a gift, simply enclose a note with the gift recipient’s info. We’ll send a notice and start the subscription.

SUBSCRIBE!

WE HAVE BACK ISSUES! Copies are $2.00 each, which includes 1st class postage.

Name_______________________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________ City___________________________________State______Zip_ _______________ Subscriptions_______________x $15.00=_ ________________________________ Back issues ________x$2.00=_ __________________________________________ Check enclosed for_ ___________________________________________________ S-O ‘10

Thank you 3200 East Avenue Caledonia, NY 14423 585/538-4980 UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 3

ORGANIC LAWN CARE

Safe for your family, neighbors and pets We offer a complete 5 step organic lawn care program that will replace your traditional lawn care program. It’s 100% proven and safe!

Certified—Fully Insured

585-346-5110

Is your lawn in extremely poor condition?

We have solutions for this too!

Call us to set up a FREE on-site consultation or comprehensive lawn analysis today.

Trust * Quality * Service * Value

www.joshlandscape.com

For the Pride of Your Landscape

Ear to the ground Well done We’d like to congratulate UGJ friend Diane Rivers of 100Birdhouses.com, whose “quilt-style” wooden bird houses are featured in the current issue of MaryJanesFarm magazine.

check us out online We didn’t have a lot of space in this issue for our usual news and tidbits, but we’re always updating online, especially on facebook, where we can carry on conversations with our readers that benefit everyone involved.

Find us at upstategardenersjournal.com, upstategardener.blogspot. com and facebook.com/gardenersjournal.

— Jane Milliman, publisher

Bee in the Garden

Large Selection of Hardy Trees & Shrubs

Over 3 acres of fresh hardy nursery stock from the common to the hard to find.

• GIFT SHOP •

Annuals • Perennials • Fertilizer Seed • Bulk Mulch • Bagged Mulch • Stone Large Selection of Fine Pottery

Something for Everyone...

Woodstock Chimes Ibis & Orchid Floral Vases & Candles Garden Tools & Gloves Mailbox Covers & Yard DeSign Grilling Accessories, Cookbooks & Sauces....

LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION

by Clover Lawn & Landscape

DELIVERY & PLANTING SERVICES AVAILABLE Genesis EP-310 assorted Models now on Display

Located at

MILEAGE MASTER CENTER “The Grillmaster’s Mecca”

2488 Browncroft Blvd.

586-1870 HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:00am-5:00pm; Sat. 9:00am-4:00pm

Rochester’s Only Big Green Egg Dealer Become an EGG head today!

CLOVER

NURSERY & GARDEN CENTER

Est. 1927

www.CloverNursery.com Monroe County’s Oldest Nursery Located near Ellison Park • Open 7 Days a Week

485 LANDING ROAD NORTH • 482-5372 UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 5

Almanac

What to do in the garden In September and October

Fall is a wonderful time for gardening.

Catch up on your garden notes for next year’s garden. Record your successes and disappointments.

The preparation you do in the fall can make your gardening chores easier in the spring.

than 10-12 grubs per square foot you may want to treat for them. First identify what type of grub you have so you know the proper treatment. Contact your Cooperative Extension for help in identification and treatment options.

Perennials:

Vegetables & Herbs:

Remove and discard all diseased plant material.

Do not place in compost pile as some fungal spores can winter over in plant debris and soil and could re-infect plants next season.

Disinfect your pruner after working on diseased plants before moving to a new plant. A quick spray with Lysol or a dip in a 10% Clorox solution works well.

You can leave the seed heads of astilbe, black-eyedSusan, cone flower, daisy etc. intact to provide food for the birds and for winter interest.

Divide any perennials that have become overgrown, have diminished bloom or formed a “doughnut” shape with a bare spot in the center while there is still enough time for their roots to settle in for the winter.

Anytime after the first frost through late October is a good time to plant garlic.

Pick off the tomato blossoms that won’t have time to develop so the nutrients will go into the tomatoes already growing on the vine.

Plant cover crops such as peas or clover as you harvest your vegetables. This will reduce the need for weeding and will add nitrogen to the soil.

Try potting up some of your garden herbs and bring them in the house for fresh herbs during the winter.

Bulbs:

Garden Maintenance: Continue weeding to prevent their seeds from overwintering and having a head start in the spring.

Keep plants well watered to prepare them for winter. The deeper the roots go the more easily the plants will withstand the winter.

Watering trees and shrubs is as important as watering your perennials. If it’s a dry fall make sure trees and shrubs are well watered until the soil freezes.

Begin planting spring bulbs. You will get better results if you plant when there is a month of 40 degree or above soil temperature (mid Sept. – mid Oct. in our area).

This allows the bulbs to set strong roots and produce better blooms.

Fertilize bulbs when you plant them using compost or 5-10-10 fertilizer. Cover the planting area with 2-3 inches of compost.

With some bulbs it’s difficult to tell the top from the bottom. The skin is loose at the top and attached at the bottom. If you can’t tell, plant them sideways!

To deter moles, voles and squirrels, ring the planting area with a mixture of soil and gravel or put chicken wire between the bulbs and soil surface.

Plant bulbs 2 to 3 times as deep as their height.

Naturalizing varieties need to be planted a little deeper.

Lawn:

Over-seed bare spots in the lawn. Filling in bare spots helps prevent weeds in those places next year.

September is the best time to fertilize your lawn and to seed a new one. A top-dressing of good compost is an ideal and natural fertilizer.

Choose high quality seed appropriate for your site and remember to water regularly to keep the soil moist.

In early September check your lawn for grubs by lifting up about a square foot of sod. If there are more

6 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

Miscellaneous:

Dig and store summer blooming bulbs, caladium and elephant’s ears before frost; tuberous begonias, cannas, and dahlias after the foliage is blackened by frost.

Bring in tender perennials such as scented geraniums and rosemary and any annuals you want to overwinter BEFORE you have to turn on the furnace. This cuts down on the shock of moving inside.

Add color to the autumn garden by planting mums, kale, flowering cabbage, and pansies.

Plant trees and shrubs now. At this time root development occurs and helps to establish the plants for their place in the garden in the spring.

Fallen leaves are one of the most wasted natural resources the home gardener has. Small leaves like linden or birch trees can be spread on gardens directly.

Larger leaves can be shredded or run over with your lawn mower before spreading. Excess leaves can be composted for use next spring. They decompose faster if shredded first. Avoid using leaves from black walnut or butternut trees, without composting first as they can be toxic to someplants.

Begin bringing in houseplants that lived outdoors all summer. Wash them off with a good spray of water.

Check for diseases and insects before them bringing inside.

Begin to get Poinsettias ready for December flowering. They need fourteen hours of total uninterrupted darkness and ten hours of bright light.

Lyn Chimera and Carol Ann Harlos, Master Gardeners, Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension

Travel with us to

Sonnenberg Gardens

Saturday, October 2, 2010, please join the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal in our continuing tradition of an autumn tour of the beautiful upstate New York countryside.

Only $72/person. Sign up today.

To register, go to UpstateGardenersJournal.com or complete and return the form below.

Please list additional guests on back of page or on separate sheet.

Call 716-432-8688 or 585-538-4980 for more information.

Departing Buffalo in our luxury motorcoach, we’ll travel first to Victor, NY, for some shopping at Bristol’s Garden Center, a destination in itself. From there it’s on to gorgeous Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, where we’ll be treated to a special tour highlighting the arboretum’s many magnificent historic trees. After a delicious lunch on the grounds we’ll have enough free time to re-visit favorite garden areas, tour the mansion, taste and buy fabulous New York State wines, and simply stroll and enjoy the day.

On our way home we’ll stop at The Apple Farm in Victor for pastries, cider, doughnuts, honey, maple syrup, wagon rides and of course pick-your-own apples.

Coach departs from Eastern Hills Mall in Buffalo.

Name_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone____________________________________________ # of tickets________X $72 = __________ (Please enclose check or money order) Please mail to: Upstate Gardeners’ Journal, 3200 East Ave., Caledonia, NY 14423

largest selection of “rare & unusual” JAPANESE MAPLES DWARF CONIFERS BAMBOO—PLANTS AND FENCING PERENNIALS & MORE CARVED GRANITE GARDEN FEATURES

WHERE EAST MEETS WEST

www.orientalgardensupply.com orientalgardens@aol.com

448 west bloomfield road

in pittsford 585 586 3850 open 4/17 daily 9 - 4 Thursdays ‘til 8 after 6/30 closed Sundays other times by appointment

Fill Your Garden With Color...

Come See Our Selection

Family owned and operated, Heimiller Greenhouses was established in 1981 and is a growing tradition among Western New York gardeners.

Come See Our Selection of Late Blooming Annuals & Perennials!

Hardy Garden Mums • Hibiscus Miniature Sunflowers • Asters Montauk Daisies Early Fall is a good time to plant your Spring Perennials Open Daily

FREE

4.5” Winter Survivor Pansy with $2000 purchase — one coupon per customer Good until 9/30/10 or while supplies last.

3038 Ewings Rd, Newfane, NY 14108

(716) 778-0026

www.HeimillerGreenhouses.com

For the Love of Gardening!

The Artful Gardener A Fun Selection of Ornament & Decor for Your Home and Garden

Exciting New Items Arriving this Fall Include: Hand-Made Ceramics, Recycled Metal Yard Art and Wall Decor From Haiti, Gorgeous Candle Lanterns, Whimsical Items to Make You Smile, Books, Garden Inspired Gifts and of course...

We Always have a Beautiful Selection of Frost-Proof Pottery!

Stop in and See What's New!

727 Mt. Hope Ave., Rochester (Between Robinson and McLean, Parking Lot in Back)

2722 Clinton Street between Harlem & Union (Gardenville) West Seneca, NY 14224 (716) 822-9298 Open year ‘round

Fresh From Our Greenhouses

• Garden Mums • Fall Bulbs • Icicle Pansies • 60 Varieties of Foliage Plants

• Pumpkins, Hay Bales, Gourds & More • Cacti & Herbs Year-Round

A Part of Gardenville Since 1922

Professional Garden Design with 25 Years Hands-on Experience Store Hours: Tu, Th, Fri 11-6 Wed, Sat 9-5 Sundays and Design Consultations by Appt.

585-454-2874

Open garden

Dahlias at the center

The gardens of Beverly and Bob Hillman

by Michelle Sutton

I ABOVE: An arrangement of dahlias

invite my husband along to meet the dahlia lady in the Ellis Hollow community of Ithaca, New York. “We’re going to learn a lot about dahlias,” I promise. But Beverly Hillman, her husband Bob, and their gardens turn out to be more multifaceted than I could’ve imagined.

10 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

She is an equestrian and artist who builds her own patios and stone walls and grows much of her own food. Her dahlia-based arrangements raise significant funds for nonprofit organizations like the Ellis Hollow Community Center, the Garden Conservancy, Judy’s Day at Cornell Plantations, and Hospicare of Ithaca (the latter via the Ithaca Garden Club). He is a large animal veterinarian who specializes in theriogenology—the reproductive side of things—and is certified in animal acupuncture.

In 1994, Bob trained in Atlanta, Georgia with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society; students studied human acupuncture texts and then learned to transpose the techniques to large and small animals. He chairs Ithaca’s Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club, of which he and Beverly are longtime members. Both were raised on farms doing hard physical work. As a girl, Beverly was known to disappear on her horse for the day, a wild child left to explore. She showed at dog obedience competitions and helped raise and train the family thoroughbreds for dressage. She is now nearly 70 and Bob is 80, and to this author’s eye, they show no outward signs of wear.

Dahlias are at the center of this story, however, because they represent the Hillman generosity of spirit and their horticultural skill. Their first dahlias were a purchase from the Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club annual auction. The Hillmans bid on a box, not knowing what varieties they were coming into. They also sought out tubers from Candor, New York grower and hybridizer Roger Miller and were gifted a box from him. “Roger would use cheesecloth and umbrellas over his show dahlias so their colors wouldn’t bleach out in the sun,” says Beverly. “He was a real master.” The Hillmans donated to the American Dahlia Society in his honor and eventually attended an ADS meeting. “These people get up at 4 a.m. to drive to dahlia shows hours away. It was a real eyeopener to see their level of commitment,” she says.

There were early mistakes in overwintering the dahlias: the basement was too warm and they put the tubers in vermiculite, which proved unsuitable because it holds moisture against the tubers and causes rot. Their own garage was the right winter

temperature—40 to 50 degrees—but the space was already allotted to the bushels and bushels of winter squash and potatoes from their large vegetable garden. Eventually, Beverly intuited that her daughter Denley’s 1830 Interlaken house basement, with its stone walls, was just the right temperature and humidity, rather like the perfect root cellar. Now the overwintering and spring unveiling process is streamlined, but very time consuming.

Beginning in mid April, the tubers are brought out of their winter storage in Interlaken and are divided to produce two to four new plants. The tubers are then potted up, the pots are lined up on a huge farm wagon (a step up from the unruly sheep gurneys they started out with) and wheeled in and out of the garage each day of spring. This past spring was cold, so the Hillmans added a heater in the garage, to which the dahlias clearly responded. Beverly says, “When Bob comes home for lunch, he is like a hen with a clutch of eggs, looking at them all to see what they need. The plants all get individual treatment in terms of water and fertilizer.”

Once the tubers sprout, they are unforgiving: the one time the Hillmans went away for the weekend, for their son-in-law’s graduation from Georgetown, they came back to etiolated (light starved/yellow) plants.

Yet, who can they leave the hundreds of plants in the care of when the system is so precise? The Hillmans refrain from traveling for six weeks each spring. The dahlias are then planted, usually the first week in June, in manure-rich beds with a light incorporation

and topdress of Osmocote. They survive on that until there are flowers. Beverly then fertilizes them lightly with 20-20-20. In terms of planting, the Hillmans have learned not to push the date. One year a June frost nearly wiped the plants out were it not for the tense 5 a.m. watering of the foliage that sloughed off the ice.

In the fall, the Hillmans harvest the dahlias before the first frost, so that they can see the flowers’ colors and label the tubers accordingly. “It’s so sad to dig them up while they’re still blooming,” Beverly says, “but if we wait until after frost, they turn black and I lose track of colors.” The Hillmans let the tubers dry for a day and then coat them in fungicide, label them with white surgical tape, and store them their daughter’s basement in cardboard boxes with holes in them. Several times a winter they check on them, remove any rotting tubers, and mist them ever so lightly.

The question arises, what makes it worth this much effort year after year?

The dahlias are the jewels in Beverly’s arrangements, which she uses for her own house but also to raise money for nonprofits and to lift spirits. Ithaca Garden Club friend Bea Szekely says, “When I was receiving treatment for breast cancer in the summer of 2007 and was laid low, Beverly’s dahlias and wonderful arrangements were restorative. She gave me some tubers as well and those flowers are in my house this summer, a reminder of summer’s beauty.”

Beverly’s particular talent is integrating foliage form her gardens with the dahlias in surprising

INSET: Beverly Hillman

Dividing Dahlia Tubers Dahlia tubers, like potatoes, are swollen, fleshy, underground stems bearing buds from which new plant shoots arise.

How to divide dahlia tubers, according to the American Dahlia Society: Cut into the stem, along the edges of the tubers, to retain a portion of the stem with the tuber.

Take care not to break the narrow portion of the tuber between the shoulder (crown) at the stem and the main body of the tuber.

Noteworthy in the Hillman Gardens -A Lord and Burnham greenhouse with brick floor and attached pergola covered in trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) and Wisteria. The pergola was modeled after the one in the Cornell Plantations Botanical Garden.

-The Hillmans put up their own vegetables and fruit for winter including potatoes and squash that keep until May, frozen vegetables of all kinds, applesauce from their orchard apples, and strawberry jam.

-It is hard to imagine that the Hillmans started with not a single garden or tree on the property—it was all open pasture.

-A beautiful mixed shrub, perennial, and annual border beyond which is a picturesque, three-acre, sloped horse pasture -A ‘Gold Rush’ dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) suggested by Lansing landscape architect Rick Hedrick -A series of the durable new Accolade elms (Ulmus x ‘Accolade’, a cross of Chinese and Japanese elms) whose trunks are wrapped in plant tape and Tanglefoot sticky plant barrier to try to keep the yellow-bellied sapsuckers from destroying them -A ‘Twombly’s Red Sentinel’ Japanese maple (Acer japonicum) -Numerous plants that are poisonous to animals—plants like comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)—planted for educational purposes. Each year, about 60 students from the Cornell Vet School come to learn about them and at reunions decades later, the alumni recall their day at the Hillman gardens.

-The integration of kale, blueberries, and other foods with the dahlias -An enormous, showy patch of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 11

“ I can recall Beverly’s efforts to provide the best possible post-harvest care for her beautiful blooms when she was cutting large numbers for a luncheon or other event. This was trickier than it might seem because there is so much conflicting information out there about post-harvest dahlia care and each cultivar responds a bit differently. It certainly required getting up very early to harvest when the dahlias were most turgid. Recommended harvest techniques required dipping the cut stems in boiling water and that had us keeping the kettle on in the kitchen and dashing across the dew-soaked grass and down the hill (chased by one of her playful poodles) with the once-boiling water. Newspapers and towels were sometimes used to protect the heads of the flowers from the steam. All of that might be a job under any circumstances but when there are dozens and dozens (maybe even hundreds) of dahlias that are to be cut, dipped, and then put into flower food and into the coolest place we can find ... the job could easily become a chore except for Beverly’s love of the dahlias and her desire to make them last as long as possible for those she was sharing them with.”

—Friend Gretchen McDaniel

LEFT: Dahlias in the Hillman’s garden RIGHT: Dahlias mixed with blueberries and phlox

ways: hosta leaves, smokebush (Cotinus) stems, Ligularia, and even pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) get conscripted. With the use of a preservative and proper changing of the water and recutting stems, she gets five days out of each arrangement.

Beverly has also supplied arrangements to master stone craftsman Milan Croata for his new Freeville restaurant, the marvelous Water Wheel Café.

Milan in turn is helping her with new steps leading to the brick patio she is re-laying. He owns Tile-Tec International, specializing in stone and tile flooring and interior designs. The Water Wheel Café shows off his stunning talent.

12 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

And of course, Beverly provides flowers and plants to friends and her expanding family. While at the Hillmans’, I caught a glimpse of their sixth and newest grandbaby. This was an affirmation of Beverly’s graciousness—that she took the time to participate in an interview when family was visiting.

It was a visit ostensibly about dahlias, but I learned about many things that have now become ongoing sources of curiosity. As my husband said of Beverly when we left, “I could have listened to her all day.”

Michelle Sutton (formerly Buckstrup) is a horticulturist in the Mid-Hudson Valley: www.michellejudysutton.com.

Looking for Work?

See the benefits of sod at www.BataviaTurf.com

or call today

800-333-1472 For the finest grown Kentucky bluegrass and Tall Fescue sod along with all of your infield needs, call Batavia Turf today

If you love the green world, and are looking for education in a field with lots of opportunity, consider applying to the Rochester Landscape Technicians Program. RLTP is an employment program for men and women in the field of landscaping and horticulture. Job opportunities include work in: tree and lawn care, parks and grounds maintenance, nursery and retail sales, golf course maintenance, interior landscaping, greenhouse maintenance, construction landscaping, and equipment operation Since beginning in 1991, RLTP has achieved a better than 85% job placement rate for graduates of the Landscape Technicians Certificate program.

Our students’ starting wages have averaged 20-25% above minimum wage. RLTP is currently recruiting applicants for its 2011 education program, to begin in early January. The program includes twelve weeks of classroom instruction, field trips, hands-on demonstrations and job placement assistance. There are multiple opportunities for interaction with a variety of employers within the green industry.

For more information on this program call 585/242-7590.

10

Space is limited.

1 9 60 - 2 0

The Rochester Landscape Technicians Program, Inc.

16 Edmonds Street, Rochester, NY 14607 Marci Muller, Executive Director

Fall Patio Pots . Mums Ornamental Peppers Winter Pansies

COU TOSS O DS C

OF MARILLA

FLORIST & GIFTS

Enjoy the Colors of the Season...Fall has arrived in our store!

Mischler’s Florist and GREENHOUSES

Featuring:

118 South Forest Road

• Custom Fresh & Silk Arrangements • Home Décor & Gift Items include: • Furniture • Wall Art • Lodge • Jewelry • Primitives • Signs/Stitcheries • Garden Stakes/Statuary • Wind & Willow Dips & Soup Mixes

(between Main and Wehrle)

Williamsville, NY 14221

Your Fall Decorating Headquarters for Inside and Out Full-service Florist . Delivery Available 716.632.1290 Toll-free 877.363.1879 www.mischlersflorist.com

“We’re Growing for You”

Not Your Average Flower Shop...

Come Visit Marilla’s “Best Kept Secret”

Hours: Mon-Fri 9 - 5:30 Saturday 9-3 Closed Sunday

Make sure you save the date FALL OPEN HOUSE Sept 24th - 26th

700 Two Rod Rd., Marilla, NY 14102 (716) 937-4407

20 % off

Any one regular priced item with this coupon

Questions and answers

You ask... the experts answer

This issue’s guest expert is Gary Raffel, certified arborist, licensed New York State pesticide applicator and Vice President of Genesee Tree Service in Macedon. We asked him a few questions about the emerald ash borer invasion.

Q: Will the emerald ash borer really kill my tree, or is this a false alarm?

A: EAB will indeed kill trees. It has no doubt verified this in all the other states and provinces that it has visited. If the borer infests a tree, the feeding patterns of the larvae coupled with a one to two year development cycle are a deadly combination.

Q: Will the borer kill my mountain ash?

A: No. Mountain ash is of the Sorbus genus. EAB is host specific to trees in the Fraxinus genus, true ash trees.

Q: How will I know if my tree is infested?

A: It is difficult to know for sure if your tree is infested. Often when symptoms arise the tree is damaged to the extent that treatment is at best less effective and at worst a lost cause. The first symptom might be notching of the leaves from the adult feeding, however this may be difficult to see, and not solely diagnostic of EAB—other leaf feeders may be at work. The canopy of infested trees will begin to show die back and thinning. This sparse appearance and general decline is due to the larvae feeding inside the tree, prohibiting or slowing the uptake of water and nutrients. Sprouts may begin to grow from beneath the areas on the trunk where larvae are feeding. When the adult beetles emerge, chewing their way out, they create a “D” shaped exit hole; though small and hard to see, is another sign of the pest’s presence.

14 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

Q: What are my options for dealing with the borer?

A: Options are somewhat limited and those available have varying levels of efficacy. First, as with many decisions the decision maker needs to run a cost/benefit recognizing that treatment will most likely be ongoing into the foreseeable future. This will be costly and should be considered weighing against the particular contribution the ash tree in question adds to the landscape. Other questions are “How close am I to the last known infestation site?” and “How important is the tree?” These are questions that need to be pondered and answered by the decision maker, certainly a certified arborist can help with some of the above but when it comes to tolerance of risk and contributions to the landscape, which many may very well be intrinsic, only the homeowner/landowner can answer.

The two best products available to us are imidicloprid, which is marketed under various trade names (Merit, Bandit, Pointer, etc.), and can be delivered to the tree via soil or trunk; the other product is emamectin benzoate and is marketed under the trade name Tree-Age. This product can only be delivered via trunk injections with specialty equipment by a NYS licensed pesticide applicator. These are both systemic treatments—this means the tree moves the product through its vascular system. Each option has its positives and negatives. The decision often comes down to a dollars and cents one. The best control, according to research out of Michigan State, is TreeAge. It costs more than imidicloprid but is effective for two years as opposed to one. Imidicloprid is legal for homeowners to apply, but only as a drench, and studies have shown inconsistent results on mature trees with that method.

Q: How much does treatment cost?

A: A homeowner could expect to pay $9-$12 per diameter inch for Tree-Age. The multiple delivery options and trade names of imidicloprid make it difficult to state an average cost.

Q: Are there any public or university programs that subsidize treatment costs?

A: No. These institutions are neck deep in trying to develop a game plan for the millions of state, federal, and municipally owned trees.

Q: Do I have to treat my tree now or can I wait until spring?

A: At this point in time I am advising waiting until spring.

For more information, visit emeraldashborer.info and ashborercontrol.com.

From the garden

Fall Flavors Fried Green Tomatoes Serves 4 to 6 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup flour, divided 1/2 cup cornmeal 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 medium size green tomatoes cut into 1/3-inch slices Vegetable oil Salt to taste

1. Combine egg and buttermilk: set aside.

2. Combine 1/4 cup flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan.

3. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

4. Pour oil to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a large skillet (cast-iron is ideal); heat to 375°. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels or a rack. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

Note: Sliced onion rings may be substituted.

Tangy Gazpacho Serves 10 2 pounds green tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped 1 green tomato cut into small wedges for garnish 1 seedless cucumber, unpeeled and coarsely chopped Unpeeled cucumber finely diced for garnish 1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped 1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted and peeled 1 small jalapeño, stemmed and seeded 2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons mint leaves, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a blender, combine half each of the coarsely chopped green tomatoes, cucumber and onion with the avocado, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice and 1 cup of cold water and puree until smooth. Transfer the puree to a large bowl.

2. Add the remaining coarsely chopped green tomatoes, cucumber and onion to the blender along with the 2 tablespoons of mint, the cilantro and 1/4 cup of olive oil and pulse to a chunky puree.

3. Add the puree to the bowl and stir well.

4. Refrigerate the soup until well chilled, about 1 hour.

5. Season the gazpacho with salt and pepper and ladle it into chilled bowls.

6. Garnish the cold soup with the tomato wedges, diced cucumber, mint leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Note: A combination of red and green tomatoes may also be used.

Recipes courtesy marion morse, allyn’s creek garden club

The Best-Kept Secret in North Chili!

Unique & Unusual Bird Feeders & Houses Split Rail Fencing • Railroad Ties Pet/Equine from A - Z • Lawn Fertilizer & Seed Pasture & Plot Mixes • Straw Wood Pellets • Coal

15 OFF %

Family Run for Over 65 Years!

any bird house or feeder

Not valid with any other sales or discounts

Get more coupons! Visit our Web site www.HigbieFarmSupplies.com and register for our mailing list

3440 South Union Street • North Chili, New York Exit 4 off 490 on Rt. 259, under the bridge north of railroad tracks, between Buffalo Rd. & Chili Ave.

585/594-8300 Open year-round. Closed Sundays & Mondays.

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 15

Calendar BUFFALO REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS 8th District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Inc. Judy Tucholski-Zon, District Director: 716/8362573. gardenclubsofwny.com.

African Violet and Gesneriad Society of WNY meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm, Depew High School Cafeteria, 5201 Transit Rd., Depew. 716/6528658. avgswny@verizon.net. gesneriadsociety.org/ chapters/WNY. Garden Friends of Clarence meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, September – June, Town Park Clubhouse, 10405 Main Street, Clarence. gardenfriendsofclarence@hotmail.com.

Hamburg Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of every month at noon, summer garden tours, 3921 Monroe Avenue, Hamburg. 716/648-0275.

Niagara Frontier Pond & Koi Club meets the second Friday of each month at 7 pm, St. Agatha’s Church Maguire Hall, 51 Alamo Place, Buffalo. nfkpc.org.

Western New York Herb Study Group meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo.

Western NY Hosta Society, contact for meeting dates and location. 716/941-6167. h8staman@aol.com.

Western NY Rose Society meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm, St. Stephens-Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 750 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville. wnyrosesociety.org.

Williamson Garden Club. On-going community projects; free monthly lectures to educate the community about gardening. Open to all.

315-524-4204. grow14589@gmail.com. growthewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com.

WNY Iris Society meets at members’ homes. Next meeting: September 12, 2 pm. Guests welcome.

Registration required. Maria: 716/632-8069. mrgerbracht@verizon.net.

Youngstown Garden Club meets the third Wednesday of every month at 7 pm, First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church Street, Youngstown.

CLASSES / EVENTS • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

Ongoing through September 26: In the Garden: The Art of Botanical Illustration. Throughout history, botanical illustration has been both an art form and a tool to share knowledge. This exhibit showcases treasures of the library’s rare book collection, flora portrayed in the ever-changing beauty of nature or sorted into scientific categories to impart order. Free.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo.

Ongoing through October: Celebrate Fall. Pumpkins in all sizes, comical scarecrows, farm animals, wheelchair accessible paths. Berner Farms Market and Greenhouses, 11210 Clinton Street, Elma.

716/681-0455.

September 4: Landscape Design, Developing the Backyard Living Area, 10 am. Gary Sokolowski, NYS Certified Nursery Professional, will share ideas on creating an outdoor living area by adding new plantings, patios and water features. Strategic planning can provide privacy, fragrance, color, sound and increase useable space. Free. Registration required. MENNE September 4: Flowers and Fruits, 10:30 am. Take a walk 16 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

Frequent Hosts BECBG: Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218. $8 adults; $7 seniors & students; $4 kids 3 – 12; free members and kids under 3. 716/827-1584; buffalogardens.com.

MENNE: Menne Nursery, 3100 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, NY 14228. 716/693-4444; mennenursery.com.

REIN: Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, 93 Honorine Drive, Depew, NY 14043. 716/6835959; dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html.

in the woods to learn about the bounty of the season.

Registration required. REIN September 8: The Wonderful World of Herbs, 7 pm.

Speaker: Master Gardener and freelance writer Carol Ann Harlos. Hosted by Youngstown Garden Club. First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church Street, Youngstown.

September 11: Fall Garden Fair, 9 am – 4 pm.

Classes, vendors, food, auction. 9:30: Peeking at Private Gardens, Inspiration from the 2010 National Garden Festival with Sally Cunningham. 10:45: The Farm to Table Movement, shopping & eating, fresh & local with Christa Glennie Seychew; cooking demo

by Nickel City Chef JJ Richert. 12:30: Auction. 1:30: Hydrangeas, Selection and Care with Joan Mariea or Fall Decor Demo, Mary Gurtler and Mary Trifunovic.

2:45: Organic Lawn Care, Al Festauitti or Easy & Accessible Gardening, Ruth Brown and Linda King.

Pre-registration by September 7: $8 per lecture; 4 for $28. Walk-in: $10 per lecture. Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. 716/6494684. lockwoodsgreenhouses.com September 11: A Perfect Lawn, 10 am. Jack Bryant, owner of Preferred Seed, will discuss ways to restore an existing problem lawn or begin a new lawn from scratch. Learn how to beat moles, mice and grubs and to prepare your lawn for winter survival. Free.

Registration required. MENNE September 11: Fall Decorating Ideas, 2 pm. Welcome autumn with the latest colors and styles in silk and dried flowers and foliages. Add blooming plants to pottery and baskets, adorn a table setting with fresh flowers. Free. Registration required. MENNE September 11: Honey Bees. Presented by Keenlan Darling, Beekeeper. USA Bird Supply, 11163 Main Street, Clarence. 716/407-3118.

September 16: What Makes a Cottage Garden?, 9:30 – 11 am. Learn design fundamentals of cottage gardening, planning, plants, conditions, and more.

Lecture and a walk through the cottage garden. $30. Registration required. Lana’s The Little House.

716/965-2798. info@lanasthelittlehouse.com. lanasthelittlehouse.com.

September 16 – 19: Fall Barn Sale, 10 am – 5 pm.

13245 Clinton St., Rte. 354Alden. 716/937-7837. chickencooporiginals.com.

September 18: Fall Hosta Forum – It’s a Small World After All, 8 am – 4 pm. Bob Solberg, “The Evolution of Minis;” Ran Lydell, “The Seven Dwarf Conifers;” Dennis James, “Dwarf Companions for Containers & the Garden;” Kathy and Mike Shadrack, “Little Hostas, Collecting and Growing.” Vendors, auction.

Lunch included. $45 WNY/WPA members; $50 nonmembers. Riverside Inn, Cambridge Springs, PA. 716/941-6167.

September 18: Autumn Splendor in the Perennial Garden, 10 am. Plants featured in this class are good additions for fall and winter viewing, including ornamental grasses. Learn how the addition of a new plant or two, along with some timely maintenance on existing plants, will get your perennial garden in shape for months to come. Free. Registration required. MENNE • September 18: Fall Festival, 10 am – 4 pm. Nature activities, exhibits, live animals, food, music. Take a guided tour through the woods and learn the history of Reinstein Woods. Nature crafts for kids including making leaf art, binoculars, and walking sticks.

Donation requested. REIN September 18: Creating Dish Gardens, 2 pm.

Demonstration includes construction of several types of indoor miniature gardens as well as tips on plant selection and maintenance. Free. Registration required. After class option: make your own container garden. Includes container, soil and plants to create a 10” dish garden. $30. Registration required. MENNE September 18 – October 3: Botanicals: An Alternate View. Photography exhibit of work by Michael Mandolfo. Michael states: “my interest lies in exploring nature and creating photo illustrations that invite the viewer to look at everyday objects in a new way.” BECBG September 19: Fall Container Gardens, 1 pm.

Demonstration will show which plants work together for easy care, color and long lasting interest. Tips on soil, drainage, plant combinations and fertilizing will be covered. Free. Registration required. After class option: make your own container garden.

Includes soil. Select and purchase plants; purchase or bring your own container. $8. Registration required.

MENNE September 24 – 26: Fall Open House. Refreshments, sampling, special savings. Fall decor, plants, foliage.

Country Crossroads, 700 Two Rod Road, Marilla.

716/937-4407.

September 25: Pressed Flower Creations, 10 am. Fran Petersen will share how she makes stationery, cards, bookmarks and more using pressed flowers. Fran grows and preserves all the flowers and foliages she uses and will share tips on which flowers to use and how to achieve the best results. Free. Registration required. After class option: try your hand at making a pressed flower creation to take home. Supplies included. Donation to charity. Registration required.

MENNE September 25: Worm Composting, 10:30 am. Take home a worm composting starter kit. For adults and kids age 10 and older. Per kit: $2 members; $4 nonmembers. Registration required. REIN September 25: Harvesting & Using Herbs, 12 pm.

Master Gardener Lee Schreiner will discuss harvesting herbs at their peak and preserving them for future use. She will also discuss using herbs in preparing a variety of foods. Free. Registration required. MENNE September 25: Bonsai: Timely Tips, 2 pm. Join Peter Martin, experienced Bonsai technician, for this demonstration covering essential seasonal information along with the basics of Bonsai care including watering and fertilizing. Free. Registration required. MENNE September 25: Gala at the Gardens – Victorian Ivy, 7 – 10 pm. Special exhibits and food honoring the ivy collection and Victorian architecture. $100.

Registration required. BECBG • September 25 – 26: Old Thyme Family Fun Fall Festival, 12 – 4 pm. Food, games, classes, demonstrations. MENNE September 25 – October 3: Victorian Week & Ivy Show, 10 am – 5 pm. Enjoy the biggest public ivy collection in the world. Presented in part by the Western New York Ivy Society. BECBG

design • create • maintain

Buffalo and Erie County

Botanical Gardens 105th Mum Show Oct 23 - Nov 14

stOnewOOd and waters

Landscape Craftmen

Victorian Week

TREE SALE

Contact us @ 585-533-1510

Sept 25 - Oct 3

Great prices on a Variety of Trees!

Poinsettia Show Nov 26 - Jan 2

• Coralburst Crabapple • Snow Fountain Crabapple • Weeping Cherry • Crimson King Maple • Red Maple-Autumn Blaze • Cleveland Select Pear • Tardiva Hydrangea

2” cal.

2” cal 2” cal.

2” cal.

2 1/2” 2” cal.

30” hd.

$90 $100 $100 $90 $150 $120 $90

Many more including: Oaks, Sugar Maples, Redbuds, Serviceberry

Orchid Show

Cash and Carry Pricing

Oct 16-17

www.buffalogardens.com

1346 Pittsford Mendon Rd. Mendon, NY 14506

Variety is the spice of life.

Apples Mums Pumpkins Cornstalks Pond Closing Supplies Call to schedule a one-on-one appointment to learn the proper closing techniques for your landscape water feature.

Ulbrich's Garden Center 11500 Broadway Alden NY 14004

716.937.7742

Calendar BUFFALO continued

introduce lesser-known bulbs such as snowdrops, scilla, fritillaria and allium. Free. Registration required.

MENNE

• September 26: Sunday Afternoon Kids’ Activities, 12 – 2 pm. Ages 3 – 12. Garden-related activities.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Free with admission. BECBG

• October 2 – 23: Kids’ Watercolor Classes, three Saturdays, 9 – 10:30 am. Ages 5-12, all abilities.

Supplies included. $30; $11 per class. Registration required. BECBG

September 26: Perfect Preserving, 1 pm. Joyce Gallagher will share how to make preserves, canned goods and frozen vegetables. She will also discuss sterilization techniques, share recipes and gift ideas.

Free. Registration required. MENNE

October 3: Victorian Tea, 11 am – 1 pm. Victorian history, short presentation on ivies and tussie mussies. Includes light lunch of finger sandwiches, scones, fruits, dessert and teas. $20 members; $22 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG

October 2: See Sonnenberg Gardens in Glorious Autumn. Please join the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal in our continuing tradition of an autumn tour of the beautiful upstate New York countryside. Departing Buffalo in our luxury motorcoach, we’ll travel first to Victor, NY, for some shopping at Bristol’s Garden Center, a destination in itself. From there it’s on to gorgeous Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, where we’ll be treated to a special tour highlighting the arboretum’s many magnificent historic trees. After a delicious lunch on the grounds we’ll have enough free time to re-visit favorite garden areas, tour the mansion, taste and buy fabulous New York State wines, and simply stroll and enjoy the day. On our way home we’ll stop at The Apple Farm in Victor for pastries, cider, doughnuts, honey, maple syrup, wagon rides and of course pickyour-own apples. as we visit. Coach departs Eastern Hills Mall, Buffalo. $72. UGJ, 3200 East Ave., Caledonia 14423. 716/432-8688. 585/538-4980. upstategardenersjournal.com.

October 2: Breathtaking Bulbs, 10 am. Ben Langeveld of Netherland Bulb Company will share how to select, plant and care for spring blooming bulbs. He will also

October 4 – November 1: Monday Morning Watercolor, four Mondays, 8:45 – 10:15 am. Classes are stylized to meet the needs of beginner and experienced painters. $54 members, $15 per class; $60 non-members, $16 per class. Registration required. BECBG October 6: Orchids 101, 10 am. Presented by Joe DiDominico, President Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. $10 members; $12 non-members. Registration required. BECBG October 7: Dried Hydrangea Wreath, 6 – 8 pm.

Fashion a wreath approximately 12 – 16” using dried hydrangeas. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 nonmembers. Registration required. BECBG October 9: Preparing Roses & Perennials for Winter, 10 am. Sally Cook will share information on the proper times and ways to transplant, divide, prune, feed & mulch your perennial or rose garden. She will also discuss deterring critters from eating perennial plants.

Free. Registration required. MENNE October 9: Soil Testing, 10 am – 1 pm. Have your soil tested by members of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Bring in a dry soil sample to be tested and get advice on what to add to your

  

soil for needed improvements. Sample may have to be left due to time constraints. Free. Registration required. MENNE October 9 – 10: Fall Festival. Adams Nurseries, 5799 Genesee Street, Lancaster. 716/683-4885; adamsnurseries.com.

October 9 – 24: Stunning Orchids. Twin City & Buffalo Museum of Science Photography Clubs exhibit orchid photography. BECBG October 14: Nature in Western New York’s Future, 7 pm. Join Gerry Rising, State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, as he discusses how wildlife and plants are influenced by our changing climate and weather. Light refreshments. $10 members; $12 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG October 16: Putting Your Pond to Sleep, 10 am. Rich Groblewski will discuss simple steps to preserve the beauty of your water features and the delicate ecosystem of your pond. Includes advice on maintaining plants, fish, liner and pumps. Free.

Registration required. MENNE October 16: Scarecrow Fest, 10 am – 3 pm. Over 100 decorated scarecrows. Roberts Farm Market, in conjunction with Medina Lions Club. 585/798-3358.

October 16: Fall Tree ID, 10:30 am. View the colors of fall and learn how to identify local trees. Registration required. REIN October 16: Creating a Birdscape, 2 pm. Lana Bilger will introduce trees and shrubs that offer shelter, nesting sites and food for birds. Free. Registration required.

MENNE October 16 – 17: Orchid Show, 10 am – 4 pm. Presented

by Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. Displays, judged competition, demonstrations, vendors. 716/835-2132.

BECBG

FARM MARKET & NURSERY, INC. 

  

     



 

  18 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

5353 W. Lake Rd. • Burt, NY 14028

716-778-5733

MUMS FRESH PRODUCE

FLOWERING SHRUBS PERENNIALS Group tours On-site container planting instruction

PRESENT THIS AD TO RECEIVE

10% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE CHECK OUT OUR INCREDIBLE WEB SITE:

ZEHRSONTHELAKE.COM

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

October 21: Go Organic, 9:30 – 11 am. Learn the whys and hows of organic gardening. Topics to be discussed include garden construction, layout and maintenance. $30. Registration required. Lana’s The Little House. 716/965-2798. info@lanasthelittlehouse. com. lanasthelittlehouse.com.

October 21: Orchids 101, 6:30 pm. See description under October 6. $10 members; $12 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG October 23: Orchids, 2 pm. Free. Registration required.

MENNE October 23 – November 14: Chrysanthemum Show, 10 am – 5 pm. BECBG October 24: Sunday Afternoon Kids’ Activities, 12 – 2 pm. See description under September 26. Free with admission. BECBG

York. Hosted by the Orchard Park Garden Club. Fox Run, 20A & California Roads, Orchard Park.

• November 6 – 20: Kids’ Watercolor Classes, three Saturdays, 9 – 10:30 am. See description under October 2. $30; $11 per class. Registration required.

BECBG November 8 – 29: Monday Morning Watercolor, four Mondays, 8:45 – 10:15 am. See description under October 4. $54 members, $15 per class; $60 nonmembers, $16 per class. Registration required.

BECBG November 9: Pine Cone Wreath, 6 – 8 pm. Welcome the holiday season with an all-natural fall wreath that will last for several years. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 non-members. Registration required. BECBG

October 27: Orchids 102, 10 am. Presented by Joe DiDominico, President Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. Visit the orchid growing houses. $10 members; $12 non-members. Registration required.

BECBG

ITHACA

October 30: Winterize Your Landscape: Outdoor Demonstration, 10 am. Free. Registration required.

MENNE

Adirondack Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society (AC/NARGS), usually meets the third Saturday of the month at 1 pm. acnargs.blogspot. com.

November 4: Beer, Bratwursts & the Buffalo Meridian, 5:30 – 7 pm. Join Ed Dore as he takes on a whirlwind tour of the countries (and their beers) of the theme of The Buffalo Meridian. Enjoy a bratwurst, chips and pickles as you learn about and taste these different brews. $12 members; $15 non-members $15.

Registration required. BECBG November 4 – 7: World of Christmas Open House.

MENNE November 6 – 7: Standard Flower Show, 12 – 5 pm.

Theme: Celebrating Our Town.....Orchard Park, New

REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS

• Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

Ongoing through October 28: Trumansburg Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 4 – 7 pm. Fresh locally grown produce, naturally-raised meats, eggs, flowers, herbs, local crafters, live music, dinner. New community-build timber-frame pavilions. Village Park,

Open Daily 9 am - 7 pm • Sundays 9 am - 6 pm

We’re One of the Largest Growers of Fall Garden Mums in WNY From Table Top to Super-Sized 14” Pots Our best seller

9” pot Mums

or Ornamental Kale

$6.99 ea. Or 4/$25.00 1 gallon pot perennials ... $7.99 ea.

Or Save big .... 5 for only $25.00 !

Stop in for Family Fun !

Live Farm Animals & Comical Scarecrows Enjoy Fresh NYS Apples - Grapes - Pears

Hundreds of Pumpkins Large & Small ...and so Much More

CP: Cornell Plantations, 1 Plantations Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. Inquire ahead for meeting places. 607/254-7430; km274@cornell.edu; cornellplantations.org.

Trumansburg, corner Rts. 96 and 227. 607/387-3892. deirdre@mclallenhouse.com. trumansburg-ny.gov.

September 9 – November 11: Joy of Botanical Illustration, nine Thursdays, 6:30 – 9:30 pm (no class September 23). Hands-on class offers an introduction to painting the flora of the Plantations’ botanical garden while also guiding intermediate and experienced painters to greater breadth of skills. From plant observation and drawing, to plant perspective, composition and color mixing, explore black and white, color pencil, pen and ink, and go into greater depth with watercolor. $180 members and Cornell students; $200 non-members.

Registration required. CP September 10 – 19: Perennial Sale. Week-long event.

Bakers’ Acres, 1104 Auburn Rd.,Groton. 607/5334653; bakersacres.net.

CLASSES / EVENTS

Market & Greenhouses 11210 Clinton St., Elma, NY 14059 716/681-0455

Frequent Hosts

September 18: Plant Health Care for the Home Landscape, 9 – 11:30 am. Class will tour the botanical gardens and focus on cultural and mechanical techniques with consideration for the least toxic approaches to pest management. Herbaceous, woody and vegetable plants will be covered.

Appropriate for all levels. Instructor: Donna Levy, Cornell Plantations plant health care coordinator. $5.

Registration required. CP CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

Birchcrest Tree and Landscape Even The Most Avid Upstate Gardeners Call Us For Professional Plant Health Care.

We have the special training, licensing and insurance to care for your valuable landscape plants organically or traditionally.

585-671-5433

www.birchcrestlandscape.com UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 19

Seasonal stakeout

Green roofs

A trend sprouting around Upstate New York

by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

T

ABOVE: Rooted cuttings offer an economical alternative to traditional green roof production practices.

Photo courtesy MotherPlants.

he trend toward green roofs is growing and taking root in Upstate New York among both homeowners and businesses.

That’s right – you can have a green roof even if you live in a house with a pitched or steep roof. Some garden resources are even making green roofs the core of their businesses.

Homeowners may be surprised to learn that they can have green roofs, which are often assumed to be doable only on flat surfaces. “Green roofs can be done with all kinds of steepages – they are commonly done in Scandinavia with steeply pitched roofs – but the steeper the roof, the more expensive it will be and the more work is involved,” said Marguerite Wells, owner/president of MotherPlants, a nursery in Ithaca that is “dedicated to growing plants for green roofs.” Her company participated in creating the first green roof in Rochester, on a private home; recently installed a green roof at a building at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and is working on new projects at Cornell University.

What will work

The key to a successful green roof, according to Wells, is to “make sure your roof can take the weight, which is

20 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

a question for an architect or engineer.” In Upstate New York, it is especially important to consider weight that could add to snow loads: “In general, homes are built to support snow load and not much else.”

Another “critical ingredient” is that the roof must have waterproofing, not just shingles. “It must be watertight like a swimming pool, in the same way ice dams are a problem in this climate,” Wells said. “You can’t have water back up under shingles. The [roof material] doesn’t have to be monolithic – it can be painted on or rolled on – but it has to be totally tight as a drum.”

The roof also has to be four to five inches deep in soil before plants are installed, she noted. Once the green roof has been installed, it will require maintenance as soon as the plants are in place. “It will have to be watered and weeded until the plants are established,” said Wells.

The specialized subset of plants that work are ones that are “super heat-tolerant and drought-tolerant,” according to Wells. “There are many to choose from: sedums or variants, grasses, allium, delosperma.” Be aware that “your favorite garden plants, such as hostas, just don’t work on a green roof.”

Most of MotherPlants’s green roof plant materials have fully developed root systems and start growing as

soon as installed; depending on how they are spaced, they will fill in and create a complete mat of vegetation.

Unrooted cuttings are another option – they take less time to install and are less expensive to buy and ship than plugs, but need more watering and time for establishing.

Early spring is the best time for planting.

Green roofs need special growing media rather than topsoil, according to the company’s website – somewhat lighter weight, better-drained and capable of supporting good growth without letting harmful substances leach into runoff water. MotherPlants uses crushed-brick–based and expanded-shale–based media.

A homeowner’s option

One problem for homeowners interested in green roofs can be the expense, since most companies prefer to do large commercial projects, but there are moreaffordable alternatives. “It’s worth doing all the research first and doing your homework,” said Wells. “If you put plants up on the roof and something goes awry, it’s going to be a mess. I like to encourage do-it-yourself because it’s so much cheaper and there is enough expertise building up in Upstate New York if you do enough asking around – you can find the resources you need.”

Green walls offer another angle on the trend – one that may be more doable for homeowners.

Waterford Tilling of Rochester created a green wall at the entrance to Rochester’s 2010 Xerox International Jazz Festival this past summer. “My involvement (in green roofs) began in 2007,” said owner Pietro Furguile. “I had attended a week-long conference in Toronto, hosted by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, originally as research for GardenScape.” That led to creating a green wall for the 2008 GardenScape that won “best display” and other awards, and the Jazz Festival project.

“Like nothing else, (the green roofs concept) has captivated my interest,” Furguile said. “I really like this way of gardening.”

“Sustainable with Jazz,” Waterford’s festival green wall, was 9’ tall and 9’ wide with two cubes serving as the focal point. “It’s a dynamic thing – it’s kind of eerie to see it growing vertically,” said Furguile.

The festival green wall used a variety of perennials and tropicals, but “you can grow any herbaceous plants on a living wall, including vegetables,” noted Furguile.

A green wall is “definitely more appealing to homeowners and home gardeners,” said Laurie Broccolo, CEO of the Broccolo Group, who has the Rochester area’s first green wall and roof, created by MotherPlants. She has done green projects for noted local gardener Jerry Kral and Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo, and is working on new commercial green roof projects in Medina and Williamson.

LEFT: Green roof plants growing in gravel, which closely approximates the conditions of their alpine homes, at MotherPlants in Ithaca.

RIGHT: Chives are in bloom on the roof and sedums are in the green wall panels in the green roof and wall at the home of landscape professional Laurie Broccolo. Photo provided by Broccolo Landscape Group, Inc.

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 21

also can extend the life of a flat roof by two or three times, he noted.

Where the trend is headed

ABOVE: The 9'-tall x 9'wide living green wall at Rochester’s 2010 International Jazz Festival, created by Pietro Furguile of Waterford Tilling. Photo

by Pietro Furguile.

Resources agreenroof.com waterfordtilling.com broccologroup.com Beyond-the-Basics.com MotherPlants.net greenroofs.org (Green Roofs for Healthy Cities) greenroofs.com

Why green a roof

Because Upstate New York is so very green, many businesses and homeowners may not see green roofs as necessary; they are more prevalent in dense urban settings where heat islands are more common.

However, the benefits of green roofs are proven, according to Furguile and others involved in the region’s landscaping activities. They save money by reducing utility costs, absorb sound, transpire oxygen and cool their immediate areas, filtrate stormwater; can serve as heat shields for buildings, and have more esthetic appeal than traditional roofing. On the other hand, they may be seen as somewhat cost-prohibitive.

At Cornell University in Ithaca, green roofs are part of campus-wide efforts to reduce costs and improve sustainability, according to Cornell’s Pawprint newspaper: “As Cornell becomes more sustainable – and cuts costs – Cornelians will see fewer lawns and more meadows on campus and more green roofs and functional plantings.” Green roofs already can be found on Kroch Library, the Cornell Store, Weill Hall, Mann Library and several West Campus buildings.

The library’s Susan A. Henry Garden Terrace has 2x2-foot edging trays with “sedum plant varieties growing in lightweight gravel, which reduce weeds and mimic the rocky alpine environment native to sedum. The plantings insulate the building from heat, limit sun and heat damage, extend the roof’s life, and reduce water runoff.”

Green roofs and walls also can capture rainwater and be used to grow vegetables, noted Broccolo.

FoodLink, a Rochester-area charity, has a green wall it uses to grow and harvest edible garden products.

Noel Will of Beyond the Basics, a Buffalobased company that is one of only two U.S. certified Liveroot brand green roof installers, agrees that “the benefits are not simply visual – they include lowering heat and cooling costs, and filtering out things in runoff before they get to Lake Ontario.” A green roof

22 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

Opinions differ on the scope of the green roof trend. George A. Irwin, founder and CEO of Green Living Technologies LLC in Rochester, says there is “not much going on in green roofs at this time and zero business in Rochester,” primarily due to political issues and price points, although they are “very popular in major cities” and his company operates in eight countries. As a result, his company is looking at reducing costs but focusing more on education and less on being a vendor of green roofs. “We’re providing training and know-how so people can do their own green roofs,” and offering several do-ityourself green roof and wall systems for homeowners.

Cost factors may be why green roofs may not be as popular in upstate New York as elsewhere, according to Will. His company did a green roof for an “Extreme Makeover” house in Buffalo, but the project came about almost by accident. He volunteered to help with the nonprofit project and found that the organizer wanted a green roof rather than simple sweat equity in the project.

That project may help promote green roofs in Buffalo.

Furguile expects green roofs to increase in popularity and visibility as more businesses and homeowners understand the advantages of such gardening techniques. “The Rochester market has been slow to react, especially given the fact that we have a plethora of environments that are ideal for green roofs and walls, but I think (the trend) will increase,” he said. He has gotten calls from the arts community, for instance, in part because green walls and roofs are seen as esthetically pleasing. Landscape design, build and maintenance companies are increasingly likely to see these as solutions to outdoor situations, he added.

“I don’t expect this to be a full-time business, but demand and inquiries are increasing,” said Broccolo.

“Green roofs or walls are a component of environmental, sustainable landscaping as architects, developers and engineers are looking for new business and ways of stormwater control.” The retail market is likely to be more active in green walls than roofs, she predicted.

The eye of the beholder

Broccolo noted that the landscape and garden industry tends to think of “green” in terms of environmental sustainability – as a general concept – rather than a literal color. For that reason, a green roof might actually be more red or yellow. “People expect green roofs to actually be green, but the one we did at the zoo is actually red, because of the various sedums we used. We may have to request most green in the plant mix.”

And no, that green roof does not have to be mown, even if it includes hardy grasses!

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is a freelance writer/editor (www. writerruth.com), currently based back in her hometown of Rochester, NY, after working in St. Louis, DC and Baltimore for many years. Her mother’s garden was the marvel of the Home Acres neighborhood and she applies her inherited green thumb to “greening” her apartment.

FREE Flower Bulbs 10 Tulips or 5 Daffodils with any purchase MUMS! $1.00 OFF any MUM purchase of $5 or more

Raspberry Swirl Sandstone Exclusively at Johnson’s

Perennials 25% off (Mums excluded) No quantity limit

Use for wallstone, accent boulders, patio stones, water features—new

All Coupons expire 11/1/10 and cannot be combined with any other coupons or offers

a

a

a

Open House

Join our Garden and E-Club for weekly updates on specials and seminars

September 18th Great Fall Sales Hot Dogs, Refreshments a

a

a

Hydrangeas, Arbors Benches & Bird Houses

Full Landscape Design & Build Services Open Daily Year-Round

124 Pittsford-Palmyra Road, Macedon, NY 14502 (585) 223-1222 www.waysidegardencenter.com

Thank You! See You Next Year in Buffalo!

The National Garden Festival blossomed this year, and 2011 will be even better!

Get all the dirt at

NationalGardenFestival.com

LLenroc Landscaping, Inc. 11753 East Main St. East Aurora, NY • (716) 652-8969

johnsonsnurserycenter.com

In bloom.

Mums have been wowing us with their beauty for centuries.

You can’t go wrong with a classic that has that kind of staying power.

L UCA S G R E E N H O U S E S Grown right. Here.

23 Pannell Circle Fairport, NY 14450 (585) 223-8951 Fax (585) 486-1551 Hours: Closed Mon, Open Tu-Sun 9-5 www.lucasgh.com

Bring Excitement to Your Garden!

Use Ecologically Sound, Sustainable Native Plants

Amanda’s Garden has the plants you need to create a native, earth-friendly garden full of eyecatching perennials. Whether you’re looking for pollinator-friendly plants, luscious colors or want to make your landscape more sustainable we have the perfect plants for you.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH 9 AM TO 4 PM Classes, Vendors, Food, Auction, Plenty of Parking Exciting Topics! Peeking at Private Gardens, Farm to Table Movement, Hydrangeas, Fall Décor Demo, Organic Lawns and Easy & Accessible Gardening Reservations requested. Call 716-649-4684 or visit lockwoodsgreenhouses.com for details

Amanda’s Garden

Native Perennial Nursery Specializing in Woodland Wildflowers For free catalogue and information, contact: Amanda’s Garden • 8410 Harpers Ferry Road, Springwater, NY 14560 (585) 750-6288 • amandasgarden@frontiernet.net

amandagarden.com

Lisa’s

GREENHOUSES 316 Stoney Brook Rd. Orchard Park, NY 14127 716/655-2232

Your Seasonal Favorites • Fall Mums • Pansies • Ornamental Cabbage • Kale • Pumpkins/Fall Decor

The closer to the greenhouse, the fresher the plants

Lockwood’s

Greenhouses

4484 Clark St, Hamburg, NY 14075

To Gardening Health and lots of fruit for your labor We carry fertilizer and products for insect, disease and weed control Many choices, including organic

Please Visit...Rosy’s

Come Grow with Me! 1349 Nine Mile Point Road, Webster, NY 14580 585/872-0120 www.HarrisGardens.com

Calendar ITHACA continued September 18: Super Tufa Planter Class, 10 am – 12 pm. Create your own planter, three shapes to choose from. List of supplies provided upon registration. $28.

Registration required. Bakers’ Acres, 1104 Auburn Rd. (Route 34), Groton. 607/533-4653. bakersacres.net.

September 25: Home Grown Garlic, 10 am – 12 pm.

Participants will gain hands-on experience planting garlic and receive four different kinds of garlic to take home to plant or eat. Rain or shine. Instructor: Glenn Bucien, Cornell Plantations gardener and garlic grower. $5. Registration required. CP October 2: Forest Farming at the MacDaniels Nut Grove, 1 – 4 pm. Forest farming involves cultivating various non-timber forest crops beneath the canopy of an established forest. The crops grown at MNG include shiitake mushrooms, ginseng and other medicinals, fruits, nuts and ornamentals. Learn about and practice inoculating a shiitake log, harvesting nuts from tall trees, and container production of ornamentals. Tours at 1:30 and 3:30. Instructor: Ken Mudge, associate professor of horticulture, and CU students. Free. CP October 9: Apple Harvest, 11 am – 3:30 pm. Fresh-made cider doughnuts, pony rides, u-pick apples, story reading, Cheryl the clown, wagon rides, chicken BBQ, face painting, fresh apple pies and more. Bakers’ Acres, 1104 Auburn Rd. (Route 34), Groton. 607/5334653. bakersacres.net.

October 19: Honeybees in the Garden, 7 – 8 pm. Learn how to help the honeybee by discovering which bee-friendly plants to include in your garden designs.

Presentation will focus on garden-worthy flowers that bees like for both nectar and pollen sources.

Instructor: Liz Kyle, volunteer educator and gardener.

Free. Registration required. CP

ROCHESTER REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS African Violet Society of Rochester meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, St. John’s Home, 150 Highland Avenue, Rochester. Everyone welcome. Bob or Linda Springer, 585/413-0606; blossoms002@yahoo.com.

Bonsai Society of Upstate New York meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at the Brighton Town Park Lodge, Buckland Park, 1341 Westfall Road, Rochester. 585/426-6548; bonsaisocietyofupstateny. org.

Fairport Garden Club meets the 3rd Thursday evening of each month (except August and January).

Accepting new members. fairportgc@gmail.com; fairportgardenclub.org.

Garden Club of Brockport meets the second Wednesday of every month at Fire Station #3, 191 West Avenue, Brockport. 585/636-4312.

Genesee Region Orchid Society (GROS) meets every month from September through May at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester, on the first Monday following the first Sunday of each month (dates sometimes vary due to holidays, etc.). The GROS is an Affiliate of The American Orchid Society (AOS) and of The Orchid Digest Corporation. geneseeorchid.org.

Genesee Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society (GVC NARGS) meets the second Wednesday of each month, April - November, at the Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester. 585/924-1739; kpvansco@rochester. rr.com; gvnargs.blogspot.com.

Genesee Valley Hosta Society meets the second Thursday of January, March, May, September & November at Monroe County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

585/538-2280; sebuckner@frontiernet.net.

Genesee Valley Pond & Koi Club meets the first Friday of the month at 7 pm, Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester. bobwheeler58@ gmail.com.

Gesneriad-dicts of Western New York, a chapter of the Gesneriad Society, meets the first Wednesday of each month, September – May, at 6:30 pm, St. John’s Home, 150 Highland Avenue, Rochester. Bob or Linda Springer, 585/413-0606; blossoms002@ yahoo.com.

Greater Rochester Iris Society meets Thursdays at 7 pm; Fall meetings: September 23, October 28.

Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

Greater Rochester Perennial Society (GRPS) meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm, Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, except in summer when it tours members’ gardens. laburt@rochester. rr.com. rochesterperennial.com.

Greater Rochester Rose Society holds monthly meetings, June rose show, garden adventures.

133 Torrey Pine Drive, Rochester. 585/621-8780; tbrooks@rochester.rr.com.

Henrietta Garden Club meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (except July and August) at 7 pm at Henrietta Town Hall (lower level, door facing the library). Open to all interested in gardens, flowers, and sharing information about plants. henriettagardenclub@gmail.com.

Holley Garden Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, Holley Presbyterian Church.

585/638-6973.

Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53 meets the 3rd Thursday of each month (except December and February) at 10 am, First Baptist Church, Hubbell Hall, 175 Allens Creek Road, Rochester. 585/8720678; 585/586-0794.

Rochester Dahlia Society meets the second Saturday of most months at 1 pm, Trinity Reformed Church, 909 Landing Road North, Rochester, except in the summer, when it tours members’ gardens. Visitors welcome. 585/249-0624; 585/865-2291; gwebster@ rochester.rr.com Rochester Water Garden Society meets the third Monday of the month, 7:30 pm, at members’ homes. 585/672-5857; RWGS@rochester.rr.com; sunkissedaquatics.com.

Valentown Garden Club meets the third Tuesday of each month; time alternates between noon & 7 pm.

Victor. Kathleen Houser, president: 585/301-6107.

CLASSES / EVENTS • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

Ongoing September 7 – September 30: Garden Tours of the Historic Landscape, 11:30 am Tuesday – Saturday; 3 pm Sunday. See historic photographs and learn about the landscape during George Eastman’s residency, 1905 – 1932. Landscape Architect Alling Deforest designed the gardens to be in bloom from April through October. Included with museum admission. GEH

Frequent Hosts BRI: Bristol’s Garden Center, 7454 Victor Pittsford Road, Victor, NY. 585/924-2274; bristolsgardencenter.com CCE/GC: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Genesee County, 420 East Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020. 585/343-3040; counties.cce.cornell.edu/ genesee.

GAN: Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, NY. 585/742-1690; ganondagan.org.

GEH: George Eastman House, 900 East Avenue, Rochester. 585/271-3361 x224. eastmanhouse. org.

IBA: International Bonsai Arboretum, 1070 Martin Road, West Henrietta, NY. 585/334-2595; internationalbonsai.com.

LET: Letchworth State Park Interpretive Program, 1 Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY 14427; 585/493-3625.

RCGC: Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester, NY 14620. 585/473-5130; rcgc. org.

TAS: Thousand Acre Swamp Sanctuary, 158l Jackson Road, Penfield. 585/425-9561.

WAY: Wayside Garden Center, 124 Pittsford-Palmyra Road (Route 31), Macedon, NY 14502. 585/2231222 x 100; trish@waysidegardencenter.com; waysidegardencenter.com.

Program Enrollees; $10 all others. Registration required. Carol MacNeil: 585/313-8796; crm6@ cornell.edu. Monroe and Livingston counties.

September 10 – 12: North American Bonsai Symposium, 8 am – 5 pm. Lecture, demonstrations, workshops, exhibit, vendors, auction. Holiday Inn Airport, 911 Brooks Avenue, Rochester. IBA September 11: Gathering of Gardeners, 8 am – 4 pm.

Speakers, vendors, book signing, raffle. Featuring Bill Hendricks of Klyn Nurseries and C.L. Fornari, garden writer and speaker. Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum & Science Center. $48; $11 optional lunch. Presented by Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Monroe County.

585/461-1000 x225. gatheringofgardeners.com.

September 11: Plant Sale, 9 am. Presented by Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Orleans County Fair Grounds, Rt. 31, Albion. 585/798-4265.

September 11: Fall Propagation of Herbaceous Perennials, 9 am – 12 pm. Learn which perennials are best divided near the end of the growing season plus it’s a good time to collect seeds to start for next year’s garden. Participants will take home a plant to add to their garden. $25 members; $30 non-members. Registration required. GEH September 11: Do-It-Yourself Garden Design Clinic, 10 am. Create your own garden design with instruction then determine how much and what to do yourself. Participants will complete at least one ready-to-plant design. Free. Registration required.

WAY

September 7: Tomato Preservation, 6 – 8 pm. Learn how to preserve home grown tomatoes to enjoy them all winter long. $10. Registration required.

CCE/GC

September 11: Pressure Canning, Soups & More, 2:30 pm. Learn how to safely preserve your harvest.

Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

585/798-4265.

September 8: Fern Walk, 10 am. Meet: Silver Lake Outlet Bridge, one mile north of Perry entrance on Main Park Road. 2 hours; 1 mile. LET

September 12: Bonsai Open House & Sale, 1 – 4 pm.

IBA

September 9: NYS Dry Bean Tour & Field Meeting, 4:45 – 8:00 pm. The Western bean cutworm is big news as it moves into NYS from the Midwest.

Presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Sponsored in part by DEC. $5 Cornell Vegetable

September 13: City of Rochester Fall Garden Talk, 7 – 8 pm. Topics covered will be based on participants’ questions, plants brought for identification, and materials brought by Rochester City Horticulturist Michael Warren Thomas. Free. Registration requested but not required. RCGC UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 25

Calendar ROCHESTER continued September 14: From Pot to Potential—A Walking & Learning Tour, 10 am. Tour Wayside’s grounds to see the mature size of many perennials, shrubs and trees. Question & Answer session. Refreshments.

Free. Registration required. WAY September 14 – 15: Ready, Set, Play! Flower Show, 3 – 5 pm Tuesday, 10 am – 5 pm Wednesday. View floral arrangements with children’s toy themes and numerous horticultural exhibits. Presented by the Rochester Garden Club. Free. Strong National Museum of Play, One Manhattan Square Drive, Rochester. 585/263-2700.

September 14 – 30: Basic Professional Floral Design Certificate, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30 – 9 pm. This program has been developed to prepare students for employment in the floral industry; no prior experience required. Instructor Alana Miller is a professional floral designer and teacher with over 30 years experience in the industry. This 15-20 hour, three-week comprehensive program will guide students through the basic principles and techniques of floral design. Each intensive class will include lecture and hands-on workshop.

Styles discussed will include round, triangular, vase, symmetrical, elongated, corsages, and more.

Students will create one or two arrangements to take home in each class. Top-quality flowers and materials included. Bring scissors, wire cutters and floral knife. $395 members; $495 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC September 15: Fall Propagation of Herbaceous Perennials, 1 – 4 pm. See description under September 11. $25 members; $30 non-members.

Registration required. GEH September 15: From Pot to Potential—A Walking & Learning Tour, 1 pm. See description under September 14. Free. Registration required. WAY September 15: Introductory Bonsai Course.

Five Wednesdays, 7 – 10 pm. Learn aesthetic appreciation and fundamentals of Classical Bonsai Art in this course designed for students who have had no bonsai experience. Major emphasis on theory and techniques of bonsai design, pruning, wiring and potting. Each lesson will consist of slide lecture, demonstration and workshop. Five bonsai will be created by each student by the end of the course. Taught by William N. Valavanis, bonsai artist and educator. $85. Includes instruction, handouts, screened soil. Tools, plant material, containers, wire, textbooks available for purchase.

IBA September 16: From Pot to Potential—A Walking & Learning Tour, 10 am. See description under September 14. Free. Registration required. WAY September 18: Thousand Acre Fall Work Day, 9 am.

Volunteer to help keep Thousand Acre Swamp’s trails in good condition. Bring gloves, boots, rakes, and shovels if you have them. Refreshments provided. Free. TAS September 18: Fall Pruning, 9 am – 12 pm. Learn the steps to pruning shrubs that bloomed on new growth this year. $25 members; $30 non-members.

Registration required. GEH September 18: Introductory Bonsai Course. Five Saturdays, 9 am – 12 pm. See description under September 15. $85. IBA September 18: Beyond Mums & Pumpkins, 10 am.

Learn the many options available to expand color and interest in the fall and winter garden.

Refreshments. Free. Registration required. WAY September 18: Harvest Gala, 10 am – 1 pm. Presented

by Genesee County Master Gardeners. Plant sale, chance auction, soil pH testing, gardening advice, refreshments. CCE/GC September 18: Mushroom Foray, 10 am – 2 pm.

Annual fall gathering of the Rochester Area 26 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

Mycological Society. Public welcome. Meet: Parade Grounds Shelter. LET September 18: Dahlia Show, 1 – 6 pm. Presented by Rochester Dahlia Society. Show flowers will be sold September 19, 9:30 – 11 am. Perinton Square Mall, corner Routes 31 and 250, Perinton.

September 18: Beyond Mums & Pumpkins, 3 pm. See description under September 18. Free. Registration required. WAY September 19: Fungi with Fun Guys, 2 pm. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon walk while discovering and identifying mushrooms and other fungi. Leaders: Dave Wolf and Don Wolf. TAS September 19: ‘Bringing in the Harvest’ Dinner and Dance, 4 – 8 pm. Enjoy a romantic evening at Warner Castle, stroll the gardens with wine and hors d’oeuvres. The Sunken Garden, commissioned in 1932, is still a highlight of the Castle grounds; designed by landscape architect Alling DeForest, its curved staircases and artistic iron grillwork lead down to grass parterres outlined in DeForest’s signature pattern. The Courtyard Garden behind the Castle has been recently rehabilitated to echo DeForest’s hand. A seasonal dinner will be followed by dancing to the Zydeco beat of Li’l Anne and Hot Cayenne. $45. RSVP by September 9. Dance only, 6:30 pm, $15. RCGC September 20: Dehydrating & Drying Foods, 6:30 pm. Learn how to preserve your harvest. Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. 585/5894265.

September 20: Introductory Bonsai Course. Five Mondays, 7 – 10 pm. See description under September 15. $85. IBA September 20 – 25: Birch Bark Canoe Making Workshop, 10 am – 4 pm. Learn hands-on the skills and knowledge needed for building a traditional birch bark canoe from master birch bark craftsman Daniel Pinock Smith. $295 members; $350 nonmembers. Registration required. GAN September 22: Fall Pruning, 1 – 4 pm. See description under September 18. $25 members; $30 nonmembers. Registration required. GEH September 22: Perennial Surprises & Hidden Treasures at Michael Hannen’s Nursery, 5:30 – 7:00 pm. Enjoy a guided tour highlighting the current standouts; 700-800 different plants, all of them hard to find and unusual. $10 members; $15 non-members. Registration required. RCGC September 22: Putting Your Garden to Bed, 7 – 8 pm. Master Gardener Dar Hawkins will share tips on getting your garden ready for winter. There are many things that can be done now to help ensure a successful garden next year. Free. Woodward Memorial Library, Wolcott Street, Leroy. 585/7688300.

September 25: Year End Garden Maintenance, 9 am – 12 pm. Learn how to get your garden ready for the snow and cold northwest winds to have the best chance of spectacular flowers next spring. $25 members; $30 non-members. Registration required. GEH September 25: Entertaining Flowers – Demonstration & Luncheon, 10 am. Tasha Tobin, presenter.

Hosted by Allyn’s Creek Garden Club. $50 demonstration & luncheon; $35 demonstration only. Special workshop with Tasha Tobin, 1:30 – 3:30 pm: $100 includes container and flowers.

Send check, payable to Allyn’s Creek Garden Club, to Anne Ralph, 75 Whitestone Lane, Rochester, NY 14618-4114, no later than September 18. Paula Sherwood: 585/385-5807. Eisenhart Auditorium, Rochester Museum and Science Center, 657 East Avenue, Rochester.

September 25: Auction Bash at Michael Hannen’s, 10:30 am. Tour Michael Hannen’s Upper Monroe Neighborhood gardens, filled with a unique collection of plants, followed by an informal plant auction. Bring snack to share, optional. $5; includes

free plant. RCGC September 25: Natural Dying Workshop, 11 am – 2 pm. Learn the history and techniques of natural dying using plants, flowers and other natural materials. Practice dying wool and yarn; everyone will take home their dyed samples plus recipes and herbs to practice with. Class will take place at Arleen Oliver’s studio, East Avon. $32 members; $42 non-members. Registration required. RCGC September 26: From Pot to Potential—A Walking & Learning Tour, 2 pm. See description under September 14. Free. Registration required. WAY September 27: Planning for an Awesome Autumn in the Garden, 6 – 8 pm. Join Master Gardener Pam Conklin as she explores which plants to add to the garden for color and texture in the fall landscape.

Includes handouts. $10. Registration required by September 22. CCE/GC September 28: Putting Your Garden to Bed, 7 – 8:30 pm. Learn how to: Fertilize and rejuvenate your lawn; extend your harvest; prepare new or existing beds for better spring gardens; correct drainage; reduce disease and pest carryover; plant trees and shrubs; divide and transplant perennials; plant spring-flowering bulbs; save tender bulbs over the winter; bring in house plants and herbs; prune appropriate plants (and which not to prune now); protect plants from extreme cold, desiccation, snow damage, and frost heaving; protect against mice and rabbits; prepare tools and equipment for storage; establish a compost bin to recycle leaves and garden wastes. Presented by Ken Harbison, Ontario County Master Gardener. $5 per family. Registration required. Cornell Cooperative Extension Ontario County, 480 North Main Street, Canandaigua. 585/394-3977 x427; nea8@cornell. edu.

September 29: Edible Plant Walk, 10 am. Meet: Snake Hill Overlook, Main Park Road, between Great Bend and Wolf Creek. 2 hours; 1 mile. LET September 29: Year End Garden Maintenance, 1 – 4 pm. See description under September 25. $25 members; $30 non-members. Registration required.

GEH October 2: Home Gardening Classes, 9 am – 12 pm. Master Gardeners of Monroe County will be teaching classes on general fall preparation for lawns and gardens and home composting. $10 adult; $5 ages 8 – 16; free for children 7 years and younger. $15 groups of three or more. Registration required. Cornell Cooperataive Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

585/461-1000 x225; mycce.org/monroe.

October 2: Mushroom Walk, 10 am. Meet: Highbridge parking lot. Bring lunch. 3 hours; 1 mile. LET October 2: Dahlias, 10 am. Join Mary Feasel to learn techniques for over wintering and planting your dahlias next spring. Free. Registration required.

WAY October 2: The Good, the Bad and the Powerful: Native Plants and Healing Seminar, 10 am – 2:30 pm. Join Amy Stewart, author of “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities,” and Jan Kahehti:io Longboat, Mohawk Elder and Keeper of Earth Healing Herb Gardens and Retreat Centre at Six Nations for an in-depth look at the power of the plant world.

These two experts will provide a point-counter point look at specific botanicals and which can harm and which will heal. Book signing. Box lunch available. Registration required by September 24. $30 members; $35 non-members. Victor Town Hall, 85 East Main Street, Victor. GAN • October 2: Great Pumpkin Contest Weigh-In, 11 am. Event will showcase the giant and mini pumpkins 4-H’ers have been growing. J&L Feed and Farm Supply, 28 Maple Ave., Corfu. CCE/GC • October 2 – 3: Fall Festival, 10 am 4 pm. Crafts, kids activities, refreshments, fall harvest items and décor, specials throughout the store. BRI

H.A.Treichler & Sons “We Grow Our Own” A Family Tradition Since 1854

We Have Mums!...Mums!...Mums!

All sizes to 14” and hanging basket mums ...and many varieties of winter pansies

Miracle Gro

Cayuga Landscape Ithaca, NY

Visit our 30 Acre Nursery & Garden Center Superior Nursery Stock • Native and Deer Resistant Plants Horticulturally Trained Staff • Planting Service

Scotts

Don’t forget our Senior Discount every Wednesday!

Open Monday - Saturday 9 am - 6 pm Sunday 9 am - 5 pm

2687 Saunders Settlement Rd. (Rte. 31), Sanborn

2712 N. Triphammer Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-3000 www.cayugalandscape.com

100Birdhouses.com

Ebenezer

716/731-9390

greenhouses

COME TO THE GROWER:

GARDEN MUMS

Thousands to choose from 9” mums $6.99 each or 5/$30.00 also 5” & 12” sizes

Functional and Handmade

by Diane Rivers; adorned with antiques and unusual objects.

The store contains much more than birdhouses.

Antiques, flea market items, handmade purses and aprons. Windchimes, Americana, quality country prints, primitive furnishings and LOTS of angels.

61069 State Route 415 (Bet. Avoca and Cohocton), Wallace, NY 607-566-2219

email: crossmyheart@stny.rr.com

Store Hours :Jan-Mar 31: Thu, Fri, Sat 10-5 April thru Dec 31: M, Th-Sat 10-5; Sun Noon-5

HARDY ASTERS • WINTER PANSIES ORNAMENTAL KALE & CABBAGE

WE GROW OUR OWN! Don’t Forget!

...as always, we have a large selection of

NEW YORK STATE APPLES

1347 Union Rd., W. Seneca, NY 14224

(716) 674-2608 Open Every Day

Calendar ROCHESTER continued

credits available; 11 ISA CEU. $80 members; $100 non-members. Registration required. RCGC

October 4 – 5: Hypertufa Garden Trough Workshop, 7 – 9 pm Monday, 7 – 8 pm Tuesday. Alana Miller will guide participants through the creation of their own hypertufa planter. Hypertufa troughs are suitable for a wide range of plantings: dwarf conifers, small flowering shrubs, succulents, tiny creepers—any plant that appreciates good drainage. Leave out the drainage hole to make a water garden. Materials included. $65 members; $75 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC October 6: Basics of Shade Gardening, 7 – 8:30 pm. Master Gardener Laurie Burtner will discuss how to evaluate the kind and level of shade you have, techniques and plant materials that work best in shade. $22 members; $32 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC

October 9: Brush Hour, 10 am. Enjoy autumn’s show of color and add to your knowledge of trees and shrubs. Leaders: Frank Crombe and Rick Iuli. TAS October 9: Do-It-Yourself Garden Design Clinic, 10 am. See description under September 11. Free.

Registration required. WAY October 9: Winterizing Your Roses, 10 am – 12 pm.

Presented by members of Greater Rochester Rose Society. Meet by fountain, Maplewood Rose Garden, corner of Lake and Driving Park Avenues, Rochester. Free. Rain or shine. Sponsored by City of Rochester. 585/428-6770; cityofrochester.gov.

October 9: Ikebana Exhibit & Demonstrations, 10 am – 5 pm. Presented by Ikebana International Rochester Chapter. Three demonstrations: 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm.

Barnes and Noble, 3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester.

October 7 & 9: Tree Identification – Leafy Trees, 6 – 9 pm Thursday; 10 am – 12:30 pm Saturday field trip.

Learn how to distinguish the common and not-socommon trees of our region using characteristics like leaf shape, arrangement of leaves on the twigs, and the shape and arrangement of buds. Instructor: Carol Southby. 3 CNLP Credits available; 5.5 ISA CEU credits available, 3 for lecture, 2.5 for field trip. $45 members; $55 non-members. Registration required. RCGC

• October 9 – 10: Fall Festival, 10 am – 4 pm. See description under October 2. BRI October 10: Durand Eastman Park Arboretum Tour, 2 pm. Tours conducted by Community Forester Volunteers of Monroe County Cooperative Extension. Moderate hills and wooded trails.

Approximately 2 hours. Free; donations accepted to support the Master Gardener Program of Monroe County. Meet: kiosk on Zoo Rd. next to park offices lot.

October 7 – November 20: Tree Identification Certificate – Trees Up Close and Personal. Useful for both amateur and professional gardeners wishing to identify plants in their own or a client’s garden, and for those who would like to know more about the plants they see on a walk in the woods. Includes “Leafy Trees” October 7 & 9, and “Conifers” November 18 & 20. Receive a Tree Identification certificate upon completion. 6 CNLP

October 12: Fall Cleanup – Preparing for Winter, Getting Ready for Spring, 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

Landscape designer Andrew Freeman will discuss cleaning up the garden: what to do and when, which plants should be left until spring, winterizing the garden, planning and prepping for spring plantings. $22 members; $32 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC

30% OFF

ANY REGULARLY PRICED PLANT ORDER

Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Expires 10/30/10 Not valid with any other discounts.

Shop

WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER!

* Complete Landscape Design & Installation * 6 Acres of Quality Nursery Stock * Our Knowledgeable Staff Eagerly Awaits All Your Gardening Questions!

Call Us Today!

s ’ y r e a NURSERY F 3170 Ridge Rd. Rt. 104 Ransomville, N.Y. 14131

Mon.-Fri. 8-6; Sat. 8-5; Sun. 10-5 28 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

(716) 791-4680

October 13: Ikebana Demonstrations and History, 11 am. Presented by Ikebana International Rochester Chapter. Three demonstrations plus a narrative on the history and culture of Ikebana. Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Avenue, Rochester.

October 13 – December 15: Botanical Drawing, eight Wednesdays, 1 – 3 pm. Deb VerHulstNorris, a horticulturist with a B.S. in Fine Arts, will teach participants to draw plants and flowers in accurate detail. Drawing skills will be developed by closely observing the structure and textures of the plants and flowers. Explore the use of graphite pencils, with colored pencil added to give depth and definition. No previous experience needed. Students 16 years and older welcome. $99 members; $120 non-members. Registration required. RCGC October 14: Landscape Solutions, 6 – 8 pm. Roberta Terbuska, Master Gardener, will discuss how to deal with shade, slopes or other challenging areas in the garden. Includes handouts. $10. Registration required by October 8. CCE/GC October 14 – December 16: Botanical Drawing, eight Thursdays, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. See description under October 13. $99 members; $120 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC October 16: Intermediate Professional Floral Design Certificate – Bouquets, 9:30 am – 3 pm. For those who have completed the Basic Professional Floral Design program or have floral shop experience.

Instructor Alana Miller is a professional floral designer and teacher with over 30 years experience in the industry. Styles covered in this intermediate program will include vegetative, landscape, botanical, Biedermeier, and bouquets. Students will take home all arrangements created during class. Bring floral tools. $150 members; $225 nonmembers. Registration required. RCGC

Carved Rocks Choose from our selection or bring your own design. We will carve it deep into the stone. They are used for doorstops, addresses, garden, pet memorials, and room decor. Smallest $12.50 handsized rocks with one name make excellent gifts.

505 FILLMORE AVENUE TONAWANDA 716-743-8007

October 16: Autumn Tree Tour of Durand Eastman Park, 10 am – 12:30 pm. Durand-Eastman Park contains many rare specimens of both native and exotic origin. Join arborphile and tree expert Jim Atwater to enjoy the fall foliage and some lateblooming species. Be prepared for a moderate walk over hilly terrain. $15 members; $22 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC

herbaceous plants from seed, with special attention to native plants and plant communities and their use in restoring natural areas. Topics discussed will include how and when to collect seed of various native plants, seed treatments, storage and stratification techniques, planting methods, and strategies to improve germination and survival under natural conditions. Samples of seeds will be available for hands-on demonstration. $28 members; $38 non-members. Registration required.

RCGC

• October 16 – 17: Fall Festival, 10 am – 4 pm. See description under October 2. BRI October 17: Durand Eastman Park Arboretum Tour, 2 pm. See description under October 10. Community Forester Volunteers of Monroe County Cooperative Extension.

October 19: Advanced Floral Design Workshop – Corsages and Boutonnieres, 7 – 9 pm. Floral designer Alana Miller will cover fast new techniques and products available for pin-ons and wristlets. All flowers and materials provided. Students will take home their designs. Bring floral tools. $35 members; $45 non-members. Registration required. RCGC October 20 & 23: Learning to See – Designing for Your Home and Landscape, 7 – 8:30 pm Wednesday; 10:30 am – 12 pm Saturday. Landscape designer Larry Grossman of Grossman’s Garden & Home in Penfield will guide participants through the process of designing landscape plantings to complement and highlight the architecture of your home and site. Wednesday classroom session will use images of students’ homes and landscapes to develop the principles; Saturday the group will go outside to practice, using Warner Castle as an example. $25 members; $35 non-members.

Registration required. RCGC October 21: Collecting and Growing Seed of Native Trees, Shrubs and Forbs – An Easy Way to Restore Native Vegetation, 6 – 9 pm. Jim Engel will cover general propagation of woody and

October 23: It’s a Beautiful Fall at Michael Hannen’s Nursery – What do I Divide Now?, 10:30 am – 12 pm. Michael will explain which plants in the garden to cut down now, which to leave up for winter interest, how to identify new buds and shoots that plants are creating for next year. In addition, he will discuss which plants are happily divided in fall and demonstrate how to divide them. $15 members; $18 non-members. Registration required. RCGC • October 23 – 24: Fall Festival, 10 am – 4 pm. See description under October 2. BRI • October 24: Family Fall Hike, 10 am. Look for signs of fall in the Swamp on this hike paced for families.

Leader: Jean Squire-Gefell. TAS October 24: Durand Eastman Park Arboretum Tour, 2 pm. See description under October 10. Community Forester Volunteers of Monroe County Cooperative Extension.

October 27: Low-Maintenance Trees and Shrubs to Jazz up Your Landscape, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Learn what can be done with some tried and true favorite shrubs as well as new introductions. Designer and RCGC director Christine Froehlich will share ideas to go shopping with in this slide-lecture. $22 members; $32 non-members. Registration required. RCGC October 30: Advanced Floral Design Certificate –

Largest grower of perennials and herbs in Central New York 20 Display Gardens to View

Sympathy Arrangements, 9:30 am – 3 pm. For those who have completed the Intermediate Professional Floral Design program or have floral shop experience. Instructor Alana Miller is a professional floral designer and teacher with over 30 years experience in the industry. Sympathy arrangements continue to be a major part of the floral business. Focus will be on free-standing easel sprays, large one-sided arrangements for visitation, and altar, religious, and theme wreaths. Students will take home all arrangements created during class. Bring floral tools. $150 members; $225 nonmembers. Registration required. RCGC October 30: Putting the Garden to Bed, 10 am – 12 pm. RCGC Executive Director Christine Froehlich will cover what to divide in fall and how to do it, recordkeeping, why and how to cut things back, what to leave up for winter interest and wildlife, fall fertilization, cleaning and putting away tools and equipment. Outdoor demo class. $22 members; $32 non-members. Registration required. RCGC October 31: Durand Eastman Park Arboretum Tour, 2 pm. See description under October 10. Community Forester Volunteers of Monroe County Cooperative Extension.

November 6: Thinking like a Seed – Master Class with Ellen Hornig of Seneca Hills Perennials, 9:30 am – 12:15 pm. Ellen Hornig will talk about perennial seeds and their germination strategies. Plus handson workshop using an assortment of seed Ellen will bring from her own plants. Participants will sow several different perennials to take home. $35.

Registration required. RCGC November 6: Gourd Birdhouses Workshop, 10 am – 2 pm. Learn how to turn a gourd into a natural haven for your feathered friends. Hands-on, supplies included. Bring lunch. $25 members; $30 nonmembers. Registration required. GAN

Welcome the Night! with

by

Niggli Associates, Inc. 585-426-5940 Low Voltage Landscape and Architectural Lighting Systems Design/Consultation, Sales, Installation and Service

Apple Harvest Sat. Oct. 9, 11 am - 3:30 pm A Family Fun Day; Call for Details U Pick Apples Nursery Open Monday-Friday 8-5 Saturday & Sunday 9-5 After Oct. 31, Open by Chance or Appointment Mail: 1104 Auburn Rd., Groton, NY 13073 (Rte. 34 in N. Lansing bet. Ithaca & Auburn) Tel: 607-533-4653 email: info@bakersacres.net www.bakersacres.net

Certified Low Voltage Lighting Technician by the AOLP

Winner of an Award of Excellence from the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 29

EAT

L CA LO

harrington’s

EAT

Produce

FR ESH

7550 Lewiston Rd., Oakfield, NY • 585/948-8055 5282 Clinton St., Rd., Batavia, NY • 585/343-0805 Open 7 days—10 am - 6 pm Always the freshest produce Mums, pumpkins, corn stalks, fall décor.

and

harrington’s

Greenhouses

4653 North Byron Rd., Elba, NY • 585/757-2450 For our large selection of perennials, mums & shrubs

BADDING BROS. FARM MARKET

1000s of pumpkins Fresh Produce Scarecrow Village for kids Fall decorating supplies Hayrides on weekends in October Bring Your Family and Your Camera 10820 Transit Rd., E. Amherst, NY 14051 (716) 636-7824 Come Visit Us!

We are a perennial nursery that takes pride in growing healthy, beautiful plants.

There is nothing better than taking a little piece of our garden home to your garden!

Much More Than Just Herbs!

1147 Main St., Mumford

One mile north of the Caledonia monument • 585/538-4650

Calendar ROCHESTER continued November 10: Winter Pruning, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The best time to prune many woody plants is during late winter or early spring, before new growth begins. Lois Dannenberg, IPM specialist with Broccolo Tree & Lawn Care, will discuss the howto’s of winter pruning: why prune now, correct techniques, which woody plants benefit most from winter pruning, and proper timing. $22 members; $32 non-members. Registration required. RCGC November 13: Do-It-Yourself Garden Design Clinic, 10 am. See description under September 11.

Free. Registration required. WAY November 13: Outdoor Holiday Lighting Workshop, 10:30 am – 12 pm. Michael Hannen will show how to fix old strings of lights and get them ready to hang. Class will go outside for a hands-on session on how to string lights in the landscape, including necessary tools, cord adapters and how to secure them, styles of hanging, and more. $22 members; $32 non-members. Registration required. RCGC

SYRACUSE REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS: African Violet Society of Syracuse meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, September – June. Membership open to all interested in the culture, care and propagation of African violets. Visitors welcome. Andrews United Methodist Church, 106 Church Street, North Syracuse. 315/492-2562; jimviolets@msn.com; avsofsyracuse.org.

Central New York Orchid Society meets the first Sunday of the month, September – May, St. Augustine’s Church, 7333 O’Brien Rd., Baldwinsville. Dates may vary due to holidays.

315/633-2437; cnyos.org.

Frequent Host

Gardeners in Thyme (a women’s herb club) meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, Beaver Lake Nature Center, Baldwinsville. 315/635-6481; hbaker@twcny.rr.com.

Habitat Gardening Club of CNY (HGCNY) meets the last Sunday of most months at 2 pm. LeMoyne College, Falcone Library, special activities room, Syracuse. 315/487-5742; hgcny.org.

Koi and Water Garden Society of Central New York usually meets the third Monday of each month at 7 pm. See web site for meeting locations.

315/458-3199; cnykoi.com.

Men’s (and Women’s) Garden Club of Syracuse meets the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave., Syracuse. Enter from Melrose Ave. 315/4640051.

Syracuse Rose Society meets the second Thursday of every month (except December and February) at 7:30 pm. Public welcome. Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse. Enter from Melrose Ave. Club members maintain the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose Garden, Thornden Park, Syracuse. syracuserosesociety.org.

Classes / Events • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

September 7 – November: Yoga for Gardeners, 6 pm Monday & Tuesday; 8:45 am Wednesday.

BWNC: Baltimore Woods Nature Center, 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus, NY. 315/673-1350; baltimorewoods.org.

Cultivate a strong body and mind and nourish the spirit. Registration required. Taught by Vicky Hilleges, certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher and owner of Pippi’s Perennials, 12 Sherry Lane, Kirkville.

315/656-0842; hilleges@twcny.rr.com; pippis.net.

September 12: Customer Appreciation Day, 10 am – 4 pm. Perennial Gardening Seminar, 10 am.

Enjoy discounts, refreshments & display gardens throughout the day. Pippi’s Perennials, 12 Sherry Lane, Kirkville. 315/656-0842; hilleges@twcny. rr.com; pippis.net.

September 18: Changing Colors, 10 – 11:30 am.

Sustainable home landscape techniques featuring natural and organic products, trees, shrubs, perennials & edibles. Bring photos of your landscape challenges. NYS Certified Landscape Professionals will answer your questions. Demos, herbal tea, autumn treats, door prizes. Rain or Shine. Sollecito Landscaping Nursery, 4094 Howlett Hill Road, Syracuse. 315/468-1142; sollecito.com.

September 19: Garden Tour & Plant Sale, 11 am – 4 pm. Enjoy a day walking 25 acres of themed gardens including a bell garden, evergreen maze, Koi ponds. Self-guided. Rain or shine. Proceeds benefit Baltimore Woods Nature Center. $5 advance; $10 door; children under 8 free. Free, plant sale only. Sycamore Hill Gardens, 2130 Old Seneca Turnpike, Marcellus. BWNC

Chicken Coop Originals A country gift, garden & herb shop featuring hand-painted primitives, country artwork, herbal wreaths & arrangements, oldtiques & collectibles, pine trees, herbs & perennials in season Painting, wreath-making & pine arrangement classes Fall Barn Sale Sept 16-19 Christmas Open House Nov 18-21, 26-28

We are open Thursday-Saturday, 10-5

13245 Clinton St., Rte. 354 Alden, NY 14004

Open Most Sundays in November & December 716-937-7837

www.chickencooporiginals.com

other days by chance

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”—Joshua 24:15

VISIT OUR WEB SITE

upstategardenersjournal.com • Get current with our blog, Ear to the Ground • Check our calendar for up-to-date event listings • Check our index for articles you may have missed • Subscribe, renew and order back issues using your credit card • Find out where you can pick up a copy THE BEST RESOURCES FOR YOUR GARDEN ONLY AT

upstategardenersjournal.com

DAVID L. FRANKE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

585 343-8200 Design and Management of Distinctive Landscapes 4423 N. Bennett Heights, Batavia, NY 14020 UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 31

Calendar SYRACUSE continued

• October 25: Home School Expedition: Tree Life Leaf Art, 10 – 11 am. Explore the woods to observe and identify different trees. The various structures of a tree, their function, life cycles, growth requirements, and how trees adapt to the seasons will be discussed.

Includes take-home craft. For students K–2; must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registration required. $8 members; $12 non-members. BWNC

September 24 – 25: Make and Take Rain Barrel Workshop. Build your own rain barrel to collect rain and water your gardens. Cornell Cooperative Extension, 315/424-9485.

September 25 – 26: Bonsai Show, 11 am – 5 pm Saturday; 12:30 – 4 pm Sunday. Presented by Bonsai Club of Central NY. Exhibit of members’ bonsai, vendors, demonstrations, raffle, bring your bonsai for advice. Free. Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip Street, Liverpool.

& BEYOND

Frequent HostS KING: The King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, NY. 518/585-2821; fortticonderoga. org.

October 5: Habitat Gardening for Life, 7 pm. By providing habitat for wildlife and using earth-friendly landscaping practices, we can help create a healthy planet for future generations as well as reconnect with the natural world. Literature and merchandise available. Free. Fayetteville Free Library, 300 Orchard Street. 315/488-7877.

PINE: Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center, the best remaining example in the world of an inland pine barrens. 195 New Karner Road, Albany, NY. 518/456-0655; albanypinebush.org.

October 7: Butterfly Hike, 10 am. Join butterfly expert Robert Michael Pyle. Rain or shine. Registration required. $10 members; $20 non-members. BWNC

• Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

October 8: Butterfly Hike, 10 am. See description under October 7. Rain or shine. Registration required. $10 members; $20 non-members. BWNC

September 7: Herbs & Wild Medicinal Plants of Fort Ticonderoga, 1:30 – 3 pm. Join herbalist Nancy Wotton Scarzello for this tour of the herb garden, grounds and field edges. Learn about identification, the traditional and folkloric uses of herbs and wild plants, and ways they are still used today. $15.

Registration required. Rain date September 8. KING

October 12: Attracting Wildlife, 10:30 am. Walk the Backyard Wildlife Trail with John Weeks as he reveals ways to make your backyard more wildlife friendly.

Registration required. $5 members; $8 non-members.

BWNC

September 12: Discover the Pine Bush, 1 – 2 pm. Learn about an inland pine barrens. Experts will guide this one mile hike over rolling sand dunes. Wear sturdy walking shoes, long pants and bring drinking water. $2 per person; $5 per family. Registration required.

PINE September 14: Introduction to Herbal Preparations, 2 – 4:30 pm. Using fresh herbs harvested from the Fort’s gardens, learn the proper ways of making teas, herbal oils for massage, salve and lip balm. Includes handson demonstration, handouts and products to take home. $25. Registration required. KING

Classes / Events

October 2 – 3: Orchid Show and Sale, 11 am – 5 pm Saturday; 10 am – 4 pm Sunday. Presented by Central New York Orchid Society. Beaver Lake, 8477 East Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville. Parking fee. 315/6332437; cnyos.org.

September 12: Naturalist Hike, 11:30 am – 12 pm. Join a volunteer docent for a 30 minute guided hike to learn about this inland pine barrens. All ages. Free.

Registration required. PINE

September 18: Naturalist Hike, 10:30 am. See description under September 12. Free. Registration required. PINE September 25: Brilliant and Bristly Buckmoths, 11 am – 12 pm. The buckmoth is uniquely dependent on the scrub oak that thrives in this sandy fire-dependent ecosystem. One-mile walk. Bring binoculars. $2 per person; $5 per family. Registration required. PINE September 26: Discover the Pine Bush, 1 – 2 pm. See description under September 12. $2 per person; $5 per family. Registration required. PINE October 2: Plant Sale & Harvest Market, 10 am – 2 pm.

A selection of perennials from the King’s Garden will be available for sale, including some newer varieties.

Harvest Market features vegetables and fruits, including pumpkins, picked fresh from the garden.

KING October 11: The King’s Garden closes for the season.

Reopen June 1. KING

3rd Anniversary Gathering

Friday, Sept. 17th & Saturday, Sept. 18th 10am - 5pm Sunday, Sept. 19th, noon - 5pm

In preparation, we will be closed during regular business hours on Thursday, Sept. 16th.

We’re celebrating our third anniversary by thanking YOU with many in-store specials. Shop our fall décor, primitive antiques & local merchandise. Enjoy Fireside Coffee® and baked goods while you shop.

“The Shop Where You’ll Never Leave Empty-Handed”

381 Main St., Elma NY 14059 • 716/668-2655 (1/2 Mile from Clinton & Transit roads)

Regular Store Hours: Weds-Sat 10-5, Thurs. ‘til 8, Sun 12-5

Garden Center • Shrubs • Trees • Perennials

Landscape Design • Planting • Walks/Patios • Maintenance

Country Corners Nursery 6611 Rtes. 5 & 20 Bloomfield (585) 657-7165

32 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

CLASSIFIEDS 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.

STONE. For sale: field stone, medina sandstone, landscape boulders.

Architectural salvage. Stone $60 per ton. Call 585/478-5970.

Der Rosenmeister HEIRLOOM & MODERN ROSE NURSERY Leon Ginenthal OWNER

190 Seven Mile Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850

607-273-8610

www.derrosenmeister.com

d

e r

r

o s e n m e i s t e r Visit

Eagle Bay Gardens 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 PLEASE, call for an appointment

716 792-7581 or 969-1688

Greenhouse Invites gardeners and friends to our bountiful harvest of fall decorating needs including colorful mums, pumpkins and corn stalks 2250 Transit Rd., near Seneca St. West Seneca, NY 14224 716-677-0681

Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center Fall is for Planting!

Trees—Shrubs—Perennials

We Have Hardy Mums!

E-Mail: ranbl@fairpoint.net

Nature in WNY’s Future with

Seneca

Gerry Rising

Nature Watch columnist in The Buffalo News

October 14 @ The Botanical Gardens Lecture, Q&A Session, Reception

3646 West Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 Store: 585/343-8352 Office: 585/948-8100 pudgieslawnandgarden.com

Unusual Ornamentals

Trees, Shrubs, Grasses, Perennials

Holmes Hollow Farm

2334 Turk Hill Rd, Victor, NY 14564 • (585) 223-0959 tree4u@frontiernet.net • www.holmeshollow.com

Tickets: $10 Members, $12 Non-Members 716.827.1584 ext. 291 - www.buffalogardens.com Sponsored by: The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Erie County, 8th District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State

Directions: from Turk Hill turn on Whisperwood, go 100 yds, turn R on gravel rd, L past greenhouse and down hill.

Roberts

Producers of Concrete Garden Statuary Bird baths, urns, figurines, fountains,

Annuals • Perennials • Herbs Vegetable Plants • Mulch • Stones Apples & Apple Cider

28 North Main Street Franklinville, NY 14737

Farm Market

11170 Maple Ridge Rd., Medina NY 14103 585-798-4247 Open Mon - Sat 9 - 6, Sun 10 - 4

tables, benches & more Specialists in unusual Patina Finish and vintage molds Unique handcrafted leaf impressions Wholesale inquiries welcome See our website for show schedule

ph: (716) 676-5167

gardenstatuary@yahoo.com www.heartoffranklinville.com Please Call for Hours

Heart eart of of Franklinville ranklinville A Antiques ntiques,, G Gifts ifts,, G Garden arden S Statuary tatuary

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 33

Rooted

Bee real

by Christina Le Beau

B

ABOVE: North American Honey Bee

ecause I’m a writer, I tend to look for opportunities that can only be described as “experiences I can share with my daughter, but also write about.” Part education, part entertainment, part social and journalistic experiment. That sort of thing.

So it was with the “Vanishing of the Bees” movie trailer during National Honey Bee Awareness Day in August. In a shamelessly deliberate attempt to create one of these opportunities, I sat down with my 6-year-old in front of the laptop, clicked play, and watched with her as beekeepers and nature-loving academic types talked about colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that is, quite literally, making honey bees vanish.

As you’d imagine, the trailer was compelling, the kind of teaser that tweaks heartstrings and makes you curse the travesty of industrial agriculture. (Well, aside from a very strange opening moment, in which an animated bee emerges from the mouth of a boy who may be sleeping or may be dead. It’s not clear. I must be missing the artistic point. Or something.)

My daughter knows her bees. She tracks them in action in the garden, has seen both demonstration hives and working hives, and watches rapt during “The Magic School Bus” episode where the kids turn into bees and busily gather nectar, pollinate plants and make honey.

34 | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2010

She’s a bonafide flower lover, fruit and veggie eater, and honey worshipper who understands that bees make her sweet world go around. So when the trailer was over, I figured I’d give a little kid-friendly lesson on the agricultural and food crisis that will ensue if bees keep disappearing. I’d translate talk of pesticides and other toxins, use analogies, ask how she’d feel if – like bees in the traveling hives used for commercial pollination – her home kept moving. I’d be all teach-y and stuff.

But before I could ask what she thought, Tess looked me square in the eye and said: “If I were a bee, I’d leave, too. I’d find somewhere warm and safe and cozy with lots of flowers. And I’d stay there until they made the world better again.”

Then, for good measure: “And we should plant lots of flowers that bees like.” (You know, in case the bees want to live with us.)

To be fair, she’s heard all kinds of eco talk from us before (OK, incessantly). And part of her comment echoed an expert in the trailer. But still. What struck me was that she delivered her conclusion without prompting. And that little triumph was proof to me that she’s getting it, that maybe all these “experiences I can share with my daughter, but also write about” are paying off (even the ones as contrived as watching a bee movie trailer on bee awareness day).

So in honor of kids and their amazing capacity for empathy and intellect (greater, perhaps, than the so-called adults who make the decisions that got us in this pickle in the first place), here are some sites for bee-friendly gardening and other tips to keep our industrious little friends doing their thing for a really long time: National Honey Bee Awareness Day program: www.nhbad.com “Vanishing of the Bees” movie: www. vanishingbees.com/gardening/ Organic Consumers Association bee resources: www.organicconsumers.org/bees.cfm Christina Le Beau lives in Rochester. She blogs about raising food-literate kids at www.spoonfedblog.net.

LOWEST PRICES in NEARLY 10 YEARS Four Seasons is rolling back its prices to what they were nearly a decade ago! Now, everyone can afford a beautiful new Four Seasons Sunroom or Home Product. But this sale WILL NOT LAST! Make an Appointment Today.

SPECIAL SAVINGS COUPON

ECONOMIC STIMULUS SALE - up to 15% OFF! On an Elegant Patio Cover, Pergola, Screen Room, Sunroom or Conservatory if you buy before 6/30/10

CALL TODAY! Call for your FREE Essential Guide to Sunrooms.

(585) 377-3330

fitch.fourseasonssunrooms.com Fitch Construction, Inc. 2233 Penfield Road Penfield NY 14526

SUNROOMS - CONSERVATORIES - WINDOWS & DOORS Protect Your Landscape Investment with The Shrub Coat® Family of Products

The Burlap way...

The Shrub Coat is an attractive, re-usable alternative to other forms of winter plant protection. The Shrub Coat will help protect plants and shrubbery against damage from snow load, will help prevent browning and dieback due to winds, and will help deter browsing by deer and rabbits.

Best of all, it’s simple to install, attractive, and re-usable each year.

The Ultimate in Winter Plant Protection

Visit www.ShrubCoat.com to see the full line of Shrub Coat products.

1-888-SHRUB-COAT

Online Special—Use Promo Code

or the Shrub Coat way...

YOU DECIDE!

UGJ248 for $20 off orders of $100 or more UGJ369 for $10 off orders of $50 or more www.ShrubCoat.com