ALBANY COUNTY — In the sunshine of an April afternoon, Carole Henry walks between carefully tended amoeba-like gardens and reaches down, as if greeting old friends after a long winter.

While plants like string of pearls, snake plants, and king sago palms may look and sound unusual, care for these and other houseplants has become commonplace.

The hope is that the future vegetables and flowers will teach students about nutrition and agriculture, as well as provide for school lunches and other school programs.

My empty canning jars are stockpiled and ready for harvest season. I saved them all year, filling a few here and there with pickles from a friend’s leftover cucumbers and jam from a couple pints of strawberries. The majority, however, sit empty. I set out last week to rectify that with some donated elderberries.

Many backyard gardeners rely on a routine of caretaking for their plants. But as temperatures rise and weather becomes more extreme, it has become necessary to adapt.

“It’s up,” she said last week.

Master Gardener Denise Maurer turns found items into garden art, and teaches others to do the same.

GUILDERLAND — Laura Shore of Guilderland found out the hard way that the beautiful ornamental plant growing in her yard was toxic giant hogweed: by trying to prune it.