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The numbers are impressive; 340 gardeners open their gardens for a weekend to 45,000 visitors, making Garden Walk Buffalo (GWB) the largest garden tour in the United States.
This year a small flock of Garden Fairies shuffled off for Buffalo to enjoy Garden Walk Buffalo
 Photo bugs and garden nuts descend on Buffalo like locusts for the last weekend of July
GWB is one of the most unique urban events in America. Garden Fairies Lisa, Shannon and Rike were knocked out, by not only the gardens, but diversity of architecture in the residences. Tour guide Siobhan, who hails from Buffalo, showed them what emerges from beneath the snow in summer. In between party stops they got to see a myriad of garden types, from quaint cottages with secret gardens to grand mansions with exquisitely-appointed courtyards.
Garden Walk Buffalo is a continuum of Buffalo’s great gardening heritage
On display are vestiges of Frederic Law Olmsted’s inspired vision for Buffalo, bucolically-inspired parks, hubs in a series of connectors linked to grand parkways and beautifully landscaped traffic circles.
Continue reading Garden Walk Buffalo 2010 “urban greenewal”
 This duo digs doin' it Gardening can help you live up to 10 years longer— according to National Geographic writer Dan Buettner.
When I was in Buffalo, New York recently for the Buffalo Garden Walk, I got together some of my Buffalo and Florida friends, all having gardening as a hobby in common. As we relaxed on a roof deck, enjoying the breezes coming off Lake Erie, I was struck by how happy everyone was taking about their lives as gardeners. It turns out garden groups are a very healthy lifestyle choice.
Dan Buettner is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.” Blue Zones are the longevity hotspots of the world. Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives.
In his dynamic book, he discloses the recipe— blending this unique lifestyle formula with the latest scientific findings to inspire easy, lasting change that may add years to your life.
Featured is a 94-year-old farmer and self-confessed “ladies man” in Costa Rica, a 102-year-old grandmother in Okinawa a 102-year-old Sardinian who hikes at least six miles a day, and others. By observing their lifestyles, Buettner’s team has identified critical everyday choices.
Nine habits that make these people the longest lived in the world
Buettner took teams of research scientists into places such as Sardinia, Italy, Okinawa, Japan, and a particular community of Seventh-Day Adventists in Los Angeles to identify nine habits that make these people the longest lived in the world.
Veggie rich diets, eating less and purposeful activities were a common thread. None of the centenarians did strenuous gym exercises, took supplements or pills.
With the downturn in the economy, people are looking for ways to earn extra money. If you are a gardener in need of extra green, consider transforming some of your turf areas into an income-generator. Many people are using family members to start creative new ventures.
Fresh produce proves a new business idea
 Sue Hamill, one of the Garden Fairies is assisting her daughter Amy in a new business venture, Amy’s Fresh Deliveries. The Hamill family enjoys fresh fruits & veggies, many which are grown in Sue’s expansive garden. Sue and her daughters, Amy and Sarah feel strongly about supporting local farms. The idea for Amy’s Fresh Deliveries for began when Amy was on a trip to visit family in Colorado. After she spent hours gathering local foods from various markets for a special meal she thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if someone could do this for you.” Amy is putting her new newly acquired MBA to use with a service that helps local farmers and saves on greenhouses gas generating shipping.
Make some green from flowers
I meet a lady at a farmer’s market in Buffalo, NY recently who was selling perennials and cut flowers for 40 cents a stem. Her husband was there along with her, to help with unloading. They looked very happy to be doing something together that they both loved. I told the wife I wanted to make an impressive bouquet to give my friend Ellen. Flower offerings for gardeners with fabulous gardens must be special, especially if they offered as Ellen did, to feed lunch to a flock of Garden Fairies. I started with the perennial/cut flower lady and thought, “why stop here?”. I was now on a mission, looking for items to add, considering scent texture and color.  My one-of-a-kind bouquet was made from purchases from three different families’ stalls including wildflowers, purple basil and purple veined arugula. The bouquet was a huge hit, which got me thinking about how someone could sell wildflower and herb bouquets and more …
 Learn how to be a more creative garden from Siobhan, Queen of the Garden Fairies Soon a flock Garden Fairies will be shuffling off to Buffalo, participants at the upcoming garden festival symposium. Garden Fairies are magical creatures with special powers, so we could just don our fairy wings and buzz off to Buffalo. But this time of year, we opt to fly commercially over dodging thunder storms. Hopefully, our magic wands and neon-glowing green thumbs will make it through security.
The symposium, to be held Friday, July 23rd, is part of the five week long National Buffalo Garden Festival. There will be four speakers and I am first up on the program. I will present images of my Magical Garden and Patio Transformations, taking spaces from blah to a-ha. At lunch the Garden Fairies will demo how to make personalized garden mementos. Using letters pressed into cement, participants will learn how to make customized stepping stones and plaques. The Garden Fairies will also talk about their latest community beautification project, a 22′ x 17′ mosaic mural.
The symposium will take place in the Forest Lawn Chapel, a lovely and serene spot to learn more about gardening. Forest Lawn is a sacred space, a place I always enjoyed visiting, especially on a bicycle when I lived in Buffalo.
Speakers include Richard Benfield, who just got back from Tibet and will be speaking about the great botanic gardens of the world. Virginia Burt will be enlighten you with ideas about how to create sacred spaces. Sandra Sparks, who works for Forest Lawn has an intriguing topic, Women and Gardens of Forest Lawn.
Siobhan is a garden transformation artist with a neon-glowing green thumb and a magic wand.
Hope you can make it!
Garden Symposium Program details:
- 9:30am: Siobhan Nehin
- 11:00am: Virginia Burt
- 12:00pm: Lunch
- 1:00pm: Richard Benfield
- 2:15pm: Sandy Starks
Date- Friday, July 23rd
Cost- $50
To register contact: Sandra Starks <sstarks@roadrunner.com>
Interpretive Program Director/ Forest Lawn Cemetery/ 716-885-1606 ext 302
 Buffalo’s Garden Walk fever has spread to 17 other locales in Western New York. I give a neon-glowing-green thumbs-up to anyone involved in garden walks and tours; hosts, volunteers and organizers. I know how much work a garden walk or tour takes, having done two garden tours with The Garden Fairies.
The first time I organized a garden tour, I included my own garden. Frazzled does not even come close to describe how hard that fall garden tour was, especially when you add in a summer of hurricanes. The second time around we changed our tour to the spring to avoid dodging hurricanes. I took my garden off the tour, ignored my own weeds and put my energies into helping our garden tour hosts.
We received a comment from a reader named Donna, who is working on a garden walk. Donna commented she was disappointed with the characterization of Niagara Falls, New York in our “Shuffle off To Garden Walk Buffalo” post. Donna jogged my memory. Looking through the pictures she sent, I recalled my family visiting a grand ole’ painted lady sometime in the 1970s. That “lady” was a victorian home my parents’ friends owned in Niagara Falls NY.  My Falls Flash Back found me delighted to see the homes in this neighborhood are well kept. Lovely landscaping and secret gardens are some of the things you will see if you go on Orchard Parkway Garden Walk. Continue reading Buffalo-area Garden Walks Blooming
 Tropical plants thriving in Buffalo, one of the many visual treats at the county's largest garden walk 
Buffalo, you might be saying, “what about snow?”. Well in fact, snow makes a great cover for gardens. When the weather breaks in Buffalo the city starts to bloom up a storm. If you are lucky enough the make it to Buffalo the last weekend of July you will see a city bursting with floral color. You will also see how a city’s garden community came together to help transform their city. Garden Walk Buffalo started 15 years ago when a woman who used to live next door to my family, planted the seed, so to speak. With her second husband they started garden by garden, then block by block, until large parts of the city were filled with overflowing color. This summer will mark my third visit in a row to see Buffalo Garden Walk. I grew up in North Buffalo– but I fled the frozen tundra winters sixteen years ago.
 Garden Walk Buffalo is free but try to make donation for the great map Summers in Buffalo are glorious and I go back almost every year to take a break from Florida’s summer sweat-a-tons. Prevailing winds off Lake Erie make for moderate days and nights, making Buffalo an excellent place to garden.
 Gardeners love to spread their love of gardening, a long standing tradition Under the umbrella of National Garden Festival Buffalo, you will find numerous events of interest. Buffalo, New York hosts the US’s number one garden walk in the country, showcasing 350 gardens. “Buffalo in Bloom” another city wide beautification program scouts out pretty yards each summer and bestows “Bloom” placards in their midst, aiming to make the entire city the “World’s Largest Flower Arrangement.” Continue reading Shuffle Off To Garden Walk Buffalo
 Victory Garden South, where the PBS show has been filmed My husband knows the routine; if we go out of town, horticultural areas of interest must be included in our itinerary. I am a plant nut and he’s a car enthusiast, so trips are researched with our two passions in mind. We have had ample opportunities to see lots of botanical gardens and car museums, traversing the eastern third of the US so far.
More people visit gardens each year than visit Disney World and Disney Land, combined– more than 40 million.
This fact comes from Jim Charlier, president of Garden Walk Buffalo and a member for the National Buffalo Garden Festival committee. Jim recently found out, sort of surprisingly, that he is the nation’s second leading expert on garden tourism. Jim really deserves the title, which was bestowed by Richard Benfield, author of the book “Garden Tourism.”
Jim and I used to work together in Buffalo, New York, where I was his boss many years ago. In the midst of middle age we have found gardening to be a shared passion, both of us tirelessly promote gardening. Jim’s efforts can be seen all over Buffalo. He has been a key person helping transform Buffalo’s rustbelt and snow image into desirable summer destination. Jim has been to gardens all over the world.
When you take your next trip consider researching what garden tourist stops the area has to offer. By being a garden tourist, you will not only increase your knowledge of plants, you will also support people who work hard to make the world a more beautiful place. Continue reading The Not-so-accidental Garden Tourist
 Yes, Virgini-ahh there are Hollyhocks and Roses that thrive in Florida! If you get Knock Out Roses and Vietnamese Hollyhocks, they will be carefree and will be able to take all the abuse Florida’s climate can dish out! Try to avoid hybrid roses and mail order Hollyhocks- which might not be suited for our climate.
Long considered northern mainstays, Hollyhocks and Roses can bring color to your freeze-ravaged, early-spring Florida garden. While tropical plants recover from winter freezes and frosts between February and May, Hollyhocks and Roses will reward you with bodacious blooms. The Hollyhocks will cease blooming once the heat kicks in but the roses will continue to reward.
This post will be dedicated to Hollyhocks. More to come later on Knock Out Roses.
You can successfully grow Hollyhocks in Florida as long as you protect them from the afternoon sun and baby them until established. You need to deep water them for one and a half to two weeks every year for long term success. A friend Sue was delighted to find many of her Hollyhocks survived last summer and re-bloomed this spring. Continue reading Growing Hollyhocks and Roses in Florida?
 Gardening generationally is a great way to jump start a new garden transformation. Buying a house with a yard that needs work can be daunting proposition for a first time homeowner. The process can be made easier when you are able to enlist the help of a small army of volunteers. On Sunday March 28th, it took twenty family members, Garden Fairies and Wizards three hours to accomplished what would have take a one person sixty hours. Continue reading Gardening generationally with the Garden Fairies
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How long does a big mosaic mural take? A long ?‡#% time!
