Botanics & Brews: July 21, 2016

Support renovations to the Botanical Gardens at Botanics &
Brews - credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Support the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens and sample some of the Buffalo area’s best craft beers at Botanics & Brews from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 21 at the Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo. Tickets are $30 for Garden members and $35 for non-members.

The event features craft beer tastings from Resurgence Brewing Company, Flying Bison Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing and 12 Gates Brewing Company, as well as beer and cheese pairings from Cabot Cheese and more tastings from Oliver’s. There will also be live music from Breakaway, raffles, Garden tours and more.

Find out more about the event and purchase tickets here.

The Botanical Gardens in December 2015

Expect the unexpected at the Botanical Gardens'
Poinsettia show
credit:paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, celebrates the holidays with these events in December:

• Poinsettias – Expect the Unexpected! – November 27 through January 3.
• Garden Railway Exhibit – November 27 through January 3.
• Arcangel Gallery: Local Artist Collaboration – Nature’s Pallette – November 27 through January 10.
• Santa’s Workshop – December 12 – Santa will visit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for holiday-themed activities and photos ($5 each).
• Dollar Day – on December 27, admission is just $1 – members and kids under 3 are always free.

For more information on these events and others at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, visit buffalogardens.com.

Discover Buffalo 2015: Mums at the Botanical Gardens

Can you tell how much I LOOOOOVVVVE the Botanical Gardens?! The sad thing is I didn’t pay much attention to it until I started looking for things to write about when I was covering Buffalo events somewhere else. Then I became a member, and the rest is history – it’s now one of my favorite places in Buffalo.

One of my favorite shows is Mums in the fall. I love what they do with them, especially the really tall, single stem plants. I also love the mix of colors.

No, this is not a mum, but it is probably my favorite flower at the Botanical Gardens. I love hibiscus, and I really want to add this plant (I’ve seen it called “Tie Dye”) to my gardens. #Obsessed #GardenerProblems

Remember Morty the Corpse flower? He’s got siblings! One is Morticia (so Morty should have been Gomez…), but the other one needs a name – go to the Gardens and enter their naming contest!

Here are a few more photos from Mums at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo.

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Botanical Gardens in November 2015

credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, gets ready for the holidays with these events in November:

• Arcangel Gallery: Buffalo Museum of Science Camera Club – now through November 22.
• Mums – now through November 8 – celebrate the fall season with different colors and varieties of mums.
• Veterans Day at the Gardens – free admission for all veterans with valid ID.
• Orchid Show – Saturday and Sunday, November 14-15.
• Medicinal Garden Feature – November 14 featuring Cancer Awareness and Flu Prevention.
• Poinsettias – Expect the Unexpected! – November 27 through January 3.
• Garden Railway Exhibit – November 27 through January 3.
• Arcangel Gallery: Nature’s Pallette – November 27 through January 10.

For more information on these events and others at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, visit www.buffalogardens.com. 

The Botanical Gardens in October 2015

Renovations are ongoing at the
Botanical Gardens
credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, celebrates fall with these events in October:

• Arcangel Gallery: Eileen Graetz – now through October 4.
• Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions Art Exhibit – part of the Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative, now through October 4
• Succulent Show – now through October 4 – the popular show returns with new ways to display succulents and cacti.
• Arcangel Gallery: Buffalo Museum of Science Camera Club –October 10 through November 22.
• Mums – October 17 through November 8 – celebrate the fall season with different colors and varieties of mums.

For more information on these events and others at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, visit www.buffalogardens.com. 

Discover Buffalo 2015: Botanical Gardens’ Succulent Show

On Saturday (September 19), I visited the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens for their annual succulent show. I love succulents, but I do best with the ones that a winter-hardy and stay outdoors – like many houseplants, I kill succulents indoors…just not cut out for houseplants!

This was one of my favorite displays – a unicorn! Because unicorns are cool, and so are succulents.

I also loved all these little shells planted with succulents. I tried that once, but mine didn’t look nearly as cute as these!

Here are a few more photos from the Gardens – the show runs through October 4, so there’s still time to check it out!

No, it's not a succulent, but it's my all-time favorite flower at
the Botanical Gardens!

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Botanical Gardens in September 2015

credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo, gets ready for fall with these events in the month of September:

• Arcangel Gallery: Eileen Graetz – now through October 4.
• Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions Art Exhibit – part of the Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative, now through October 4
• Succulent Show – September 5 through October 4 – the popular show returns with new ways to display succulents and cacti.
• Member Day at the Albright-Knox – on September 11, Botanical Gardens members are admitted free to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
• Medicinal Garden Feature – September 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring Cholesterol Awareness and Men’s Health Month.
• Gala at the Gardens – September 25 at 6 p.m. Cocktails, auctions, dinner and more to benefit the Gardens. Tickets available through the Gardens website listed below.

For more information on these events and others at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, visit www.buffalogardens.com. 

Discover Buffalo 2015: Celebration of Coleus and Color at the Botanical Gardens

As mentioned previously, coleus are one of my favorite plants to grow – and also to take photos of, because there are many amazing patterns and colors. That being said, one of my favorite exhibits at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is the Celebration of Coleus and Color, which is taking place now through August 2^nd.

In addition to the coleus showcase, the Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative is featuring the exhibit ‘Shayne Dark: Natural Conditions,’ both inside the Gardens and on the Gardens’ grounds.

The Western New York Garden Railway Society is also offering one of its Garden Railway Exhibits as well during the coleus showcase.

Part of the Gardens – my favorite part, the waterfall area :( - is currently undergoing some renovations, but a neat little fairy garden is present outside the area showcasing the dinosaurs, the waterfall and the bridge.

Find out more about the Botanical Gardens and other events at buffalogardens.com. 

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Winter break staycation ideas: Eastern Hills Mall, the Botanical Gardens and the Carrousel Factory Museum

Next week is winter break for many area schools, and if you’re staying in the Buffalo area and braving the cold, you can still have some family fun – check out these ideas.

Summer in February at Eastern Hills Mall – Saturday, February 14^th through Sunday, February 22^nd in the Food Court at Eastern Hills Mall, 4545 Transit Rd. in Williamsville. There will be games and activities throughout the week for children 10 and under. Hours are Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. – find out more at www.shopeasternhills.com.

credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens – there’s fun for all ages at the Botanical Gardens, located at 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo. The Lumagination light show continues Wednesday through Saturday night (Wednesday and Thursday 6 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 6 to 10 p.m.), and the Orchid exhibit continues during the day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). On Tuesday, February 17^th, check out the Plants We Eat Picnic (pre-registration required) from noon to 2 p.m., and on Thursday, February 19^th, it’s Kids Day at the Gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Wegmans Family Garden. Get more information on these and other events at www.buffalogardens.com.

Herschell Carrousel Factory – the Carrousel Factory, located at 180 Thompson St. on North Tonawanda, will be open Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., offering crafts, games and rides on the carrousels. Visit carrouselmuseum.org for more information. 

December 2014 in review

Let me first say I’m sorry to all of you who wanted a white Christmas – for me, such a concept is overrated! I was completely happy to see temperatures creeping up on the 60s on Christmas Eve – it makes my life a little easier.

Of course, things got a little dicey on New Year’s Eve, when everyone wanted to be outside watching the ball drop (or guitar if you were in Niagara Falls). I stayed in, wondering if work was in my future…

credit: freedigitalphotos.net

December was all about the holidays – getting together with family, decorating, gifting, indulging (for which I need to get back on track in January!) and lots of time off from work. One of my indulgences was going to see Lorrie Morgan at the Seneca Allegany Casino at the beginning of the month – because the package included a casino buffet! After lunch, I ate nothing…

Then I got to meet one of my all-time favorite Buffalo Sabres, Clint Malarchuk, at a book signing at Barnes & Noble – check that out here.

I also made it to my fourth movie of the year – which is unheard of, it used to be one movie every four years – when I went to see the third installment of The Hobbit, which I pre-gamed for by watching the first two in the series, and post-gamed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This sudden onslaught on movies I want to see continues in 2015 with a new Terminator film, the final Hunger Games installment and the new Star Wars franchise (at least!).

I also got to see my little cousin and future all-star play hockey for the first time – for someone who just started skating in September, I’m impressed!

Future all-star!

And finally, I got to the Botanical Gardens for the Poinsettia Show – so much color and too many decorating ideas!

Christmas flowers: Poinsettia Show at the Botanical Gardens

I love poinsettias – I think they’re absolutely beautiful.

I’m also allergic to them.

That stinks, because I can’t have them in my house without getting all congested and awful-feeling. So I do the next best thing – go to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and take pictures of them during the annual Poinsettia Show, which runs through January 4^th (that’s Sunday).

Taking poinsettia pictures is perfect – all the beauty and none of the congestion. And they last all year long.

This year’s show was a lot more colorful – some of the poinsettias were “painted,” as were some of the trees (artificial, not real); the fact that the colors included purple and teal were an added bonus (and gave me sooooo many more ideas for decorating, which I really don’t need).

Enjoy these photos, or get to the Gardens before Sunday and see them for yourself.

All aboard for Hogwarts!

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

October 2014 in review

Summer, sadly, is officially over – last weekend, we saw snow in Buffalo…not a lot, but enough to prove the inevitable is around the corner. October meant the local racing season was finally going to be over, and I had a front row seat for the action – Rolling Wheels, Syracuse and the completion – finally! – of the US Open at Lancaster Raceway Park.

• October 11^th – a visit to the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame and Classic Car Museum in Weedsport, NY
• October 11^th – World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series coverage for Red Dirt Clay at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, NY
• October 12^th – Super DIRT Week 2014 Syracuse 200 Big-Block race coverage for Red Dirt Clay at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY
• October 19^th – the completion of the US Open at Lancaster Raceway Park – coverage at Examiner.com, plus photos at Flickr and on my Facebook page

Oops! Race of Champions Asphalt Modified action at the US Open
paulathompsonfreelance.com

• October 25^th – the Mum Show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

paulathompsonfreelance.com

Purple Mums and a Corpse Flower: A Trip to the Botanical Gardens

One of my favorite places in Buffalo is the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, especially when they’re having a flower show. This time around, the showcase is one of fall’s favorite flowers, the mum.

But there’s a special guest at the mum show.

I didn’t make it to the Gardens while their original corpse flower, Morty, was in bloom in August (read about it here), I did get a chance to see Morty’s sibling – I’ll call it Morticia, because that’s what I voted for in the “name the new corpse flower” contest the Gardens is holding (and because I’m all about the Addams Family).

The Gardens purchased three corpse flower tubers in July from a nursery in Massachusetts – Morty has bloomed, while Morticia has a tree-like leaf structure. They only bloom - its stinky flower smells like rotting flesh - once every six to 10 years (that’s probably a good thing). Learn more about the corpse flower in this piece from the Gardens’ website.

Yep, it is that big.

But back to the mums. They’re absolutely beautiful, and the colors are so vibrant (especially the purple ones - my favorite color!). I can’t help but take more pictures than I really should (because then I have to go through and just pick out a few to show you!).

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

September 2014 in review

As I posted in my August review, the month of September began with the Ponies at a car show – and as usual, that wasn’t the only auto-oriented fun of the month! Thankfully, things are slowing down, however – of course, that also means summer is over :(

• September 1^st – car show at St. Gregory’s
• September 6^th – the Succulent Show at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

• September 13^th – a trip out to Route 20 Ice Cream

• September 19^th and 20^th – the U.S. Open at Lancaster Raceway Park

Yeah, I was THAT close!

The U.S. Open was supposed to be completed on Sunday, September 21^st – thanks to the weather, it didn’t happen…and still hasn’t…