WNED PBS brings the backyard to you with an all-new episode of Now We’re Gardening LIVE!
WNED’s Sylvia Bennett and co-host Nora Saintz of Gardenette go on-location to visit with Chris Lavocat and Meredith Preve of Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery, and Lynn Birkman of Northtown Garden Center.
In this one-hour episode, you’ll learn about seasonal bulbs and blooms, houseplant care, and fall prep to keep your garden healthy and beautiful. The experts will also discuss the importance of pollinator plants, and steps to ensure your garden is deer-resistant and ready for our regional winters.
Watch the premiere on WNED TV on Friday, October 4 at 4:30pm or Saturday, October 5 at 7:30am. Or stream the show on Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s YouTube channel, online, and through the WNED PBS mobile app.
Now We’re Gardening LIVE! is made possible by our members.
Meet the Garden Experts
Nora Saintz, Gardenette
Nora Saintz is a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP), a Master Gardener, and founder of Gardenette, a home garden design and garden coaching based in Orchard Park, NY. Nora has a Certificate in Landscape Design from Cornell University and founded Gardenette in 2020. Gardenette’s goal is to provide DIY homeowners with the necessary tools and resources they need to create the garden of their dreams. We are please to welcome Nora as a co-host on this second episode of Now We’re Gardening LIVE!
Chris Lavocat, Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery
Chris Lavocat is part-owner and President of Greenhouse Operations at Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery in East Amherst, NY. Chris graduated from UB with a finance degree and grew up working in the family business since he was a young boy. He currently oversees the garden center, growing process, nursery and business expansion. Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery is a family-run operation, spanning three generations. Established in 1980 by Don and Teri Lavocat, the full-service garden center and nursery produces top quality annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, shrubs and trees. When not working, Chris enjoys traveling and hiking with his wife and 2 children.
Meredith Preve, Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery
Meredith Preve is a Retail & Marketing Manager at Lavocat’s Family Greenhouse & Nursery in East Amherst, NY, and has worked in the business since 2020. She is a Conservation Biology Student at SUNY ESF and has trained with the Master Gardeners of Niagara County. You can find her collecting tropicals, advocating for pollinators, and whispering to plants of all kinds.
Lynn Birkman, General Manager of Northtown Gardening Center
Lynn Birkman is part-owner and General Manager of Northtown Garden Center in Tonawanda, New York, and has been working in the gardening industry for nearly thirty years. She is a graduate of Alfred State College and holds a degree in ornamental horticulture/Landscape Development. Lynn spent ten years as a landscape designer before moving on to retail garden center management. Offering nursery stock, greenhouse plants and garden décor, Northtown Garden Center has been a local go-to for gardeners for over thirty-five years.
