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.

Garden Walk Buffalo started in 1995 as a FREE public tour that takes place over two days on the last weekend of July. Garden tourist can also get to see newly-introduced annuals from commercial growers at Lake Erie’s waterfront park, home to the Erie Basin Marina University Test Gardens.

Garden Walk Buffalo, a preeminent Buffalo grass roots organization has not only fostered residential beatification, it also is a huge contributor to community beautification efforts, giving out GWB Beautification Grants each year.

The tour highlights urban gardening of every variety, including:

• Flower, vegetable, native, herb, xeriscape and organic gardens and every combination in between
• Cottage gardens, water gardens, rock gardens, Asian- and English-inspired gardens and even a trial garden for seed companies
• Community gardens, pocket gardens, planted traffic islands and medians and every other kind of urban landscaping
• Gardens featuring espaliers, grape arbors, follies, raised beds, koi ponds and waterfalls
• Multiple-level decks, pergolas, outdoor kitchens, lighting schemes, fountains, wall murals, sculpture, potting sheds, carriage houses, playgrounds, playhouses, tree houses and even one urban putting green

The Garden Fairies GWB 2010 slide show

The Garden Fairies were delighted to be part of the first annual Buffalo National Garden Festival Symposium

Conveniently held the day before Garden Walk Buffalo Weekend, Friday, July 22nd, at Forest Lawn Cemetery. My cousin’s husband said to me, “I heard the Garden Fairies killed at the cemetery.” Great line, thank you Don!

It was dull and gray outside, but our colorful presentation helped light up the compact-sized Gothic Chapel where the  symposium was held.

National Garden Festival Symposium

In Florida, I got the show loaded up on my iPad. The iPad was only weeks old, so I had yet to use it for a slideshow. Showing up in town with the latest shiny new iDevice to hook up to an unknown projector was a risky move. Being a seasoned advertising professional however, I had 2 other ways to show the slideshow “just in case” (from a CD or online). There is nothing worse than a blank screen and a full house.

Have iPad, Will Travel

True to the iPad’s “Magical” billing, the presentation came off flawlessly without having to beat the projector ruthlessly with my Magic “iWand”.

I LOVE the iPad— having all your photos and slideshows at your fingertips wherever you go is a fantastic communication tool.

In attendance were Fairies, friends and relatives from Buffalo, Florida, Michigan and Connecticut. My subject was “Learn to be a more creative gardener from Siobhan, Queen of the Garden Fairies – A garden transformation artist with a neon-glowing green thumb and a magic wand.”

Top Ten Landscaping Mistakes

I warmed up the crowd à la David Letterman’s Top Ten List  with “The Garden Fairies’ Top Ten Landscaping Mistakes” including a few funny gardening photos interspersed with practical advice. Shannon and Lisa made up the Garden Fairy Band, adding “musical” punctuations to the presentation. Once the crowd had a few laughs, we showed a series of our garden transformations. Our next segment was the Garden Fairies’ Tips and Secrets using C.A.T.S; Color, Artwork, Texture and Shape.

The Mother of All Murals

We ended our talk with the Garden Fairies’ latest project, Mother Meres Mural soon to be installed in Tarpon Springs, FL and many questions technical questions about our projects.

I asked one of the gals from Michigan to take photos, but she got lost in the presentation and forgot to take many.

A diverse group of speakers

The next speaker was Virginia Burt  whose subject was Creating Sacred Spaces in your Garden. Virginia is a very talented landscape architect, with her own design firm Visonscapes, located in Toronto Canada. Virginia has been creating gardens of sanctuary and healing gardens for residential, not-for-profit, and public clients for over twenty years. Virginia’s talk incorporated the techniques she employs to engage clients in the design process in a meaningful way. Both the spirit of the client and the spirit of the Earth are reflected in every one of her projects.

Richard Benfield, a professor at Central Connecticut College who is an expert on garden tourism spoke about The Great Botanic Gardens of the World. He is currently finishing a book about Garden Tourism.

Sandy Starks was the last speaker, who talked about The Women and Gardens of Forest Lawn. Sandy organized the Symposium and also works at Forest Lawn, running interpretive programming.

Art is everywhere you look in the cemetery

There are thousands of private memorials, including designs by famous architects like Richard Upjohn and Stanford White, as well as notable sculptures created by great artists like Nicola Cantalamessa-Papotti, Franklin Torrey, Augustus Saint Gaudens, and Harriet Frishmuth.

10,000 trees representing 200 different species and varieties

When Forest Lawn was created it was advertised as “one of the most lovely resting places of the dead in the country.” There are more than 10,000 trees in Forest Lawn, representing 200 different species and varieties and making the cemetery an important arboretum. The cemetery has serpentined shaped roads, speckled with spectacular flora and an array of impressive monuments to loved ones.

Fairies flew off to the Falls

We were off to Niagara Falls after Virginia’s talk, but I felt I was leaving too soon. The grandeur of the place is heightening in a most romantic of setting dotted with shady groves, green valleys and sloping knolls. A perfect place for Garden Fairies to explore, but way too early to rest.

Many thanks to Sandra Starks, Sally Cunningham and Jim Charlier for inviting the Garden Fairies to be part of Buffalo National Garden Festival Symposium 2010. We hope to come back next year!

To learn more about Forest Lawn

Big storm does massive damage

Forest Lawn recovering from the October Surprise Storm In October of 2006, two feet of heavy wet snow fell in Buffalo for nearly 16 hours. Combined with strong winds and tress in full foliage, this storm caused an unprecedented natural disaster.

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.

The Power9: Secrets to Living Longer, Better

1. Move (find ways to move mindlessly, make moving unavoidable)
2. Plan de Vida (know your purpose in life)
3. Down Shift (work less, slow down, rest, take vacation)
4. 80% Rule (stop eating when you’re 80% full)
5. Plant-Power (more veggies, less protein and processed foods)
6. Red Wine (consistency and moderation)
7. Belong (create a healthy social network)
8. Beliefs (spiritual or religious participation)
9. Your Tribe (make family a priority)

I would make one addition: Laugh a lot with others, about anything including yourself. Consciously try to stop taking yourself so seriously.

Gardening can help you live up to 10 years longer

Healthiest patients– gardeners

A happy gardener

I remember reading a book by an English osteopath a while back, which mentioned the author’s healthiest patients were gardeners. He listed many reasons why gardeners are healthier, some of it was tied to the physical nature of gardening; reaping results of regular low impact exercise and digging close to oxygen producing plants combats time spent in unhealthy indoor environments. There are also the mental benefits; gardeners tend to be more optimistic in that the have something to look forward to – unlike the majority of people whose lives revolve around the sole activity of working. Lastly, there is the self improvement and greater good aspect;  planting with the expectation of benefiting from the results and seeing the results of their efforts as a contribution to making the world a better place.

Gardeners see the bright side of life

It is important to have a hobby, and you get double benefits if the hobby includes physical exercise such as gardening. Studies show that people without hobbies outside work risk a much greater chance of dying within 6 months of having the work removed from them.

Being part of a tribe of gardeners has many positive benefits. Gardeners tend to be optimistic, sharing and caring individuals. I have found being part of the Garden Fairy flock has improved my quality of life.

Living where red wine has a starring part

When the book  ”Eat, Pray, Love” first came out I picked it up at the airport on the way to visit my mother who was dying. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert consciously sets out to blunt her depression by eating and enjoying life (Eat). For this therapy she picks Italy, a perfect place to palliate ones woes, while feasting on what life has to offer. Italians naturally live life according to the Power9.  Barbara Fisher of The Boston Globe said of Gilbert’s writing, “she describes with intense visual, palpable detail. She is the epic poet of ecstasy.” The book was a savior, allowing me to get a break from grief.

I was flung back in time, to when I was “my own poet of ecstasy”.

Siobhan, when she was poet of her own ecstasy

In 1976-77 I lived in Siena, Italy for my junior year of college. My mother said she wanted me to experience Italy so when I was scrubbing floors (sometime in the future), I would have something remarkable to reminisce about. When you are young you dismiss the probability of the mundane, but looking back my mother was mostly right. 33 years later, I’m not yet scrubbing floors.

The family I lived with in Italy loved to eat and I learned a lot about cooking watching Mama whip up classic Tuscan food. I was amazed that a family of four was able to exist with less than most Americans did, exemplified by the size of their seemingly small refrigerator.

One of the ways the Italians stay fit is walking everyday to buy food. Even the most elderly people haul around satchels stuffed with things they will eat that day. Unlike here, where at a certain age you opt to go out to Bob Evans or some other carb factory for many of your meals. American has many great attributes, but healthy living is not generally one of them.  We can learn so much from cultures that are much older than our own.

I returned to the USA after a year in Italy with a new perspective, never forgetting how the Italians celebrate life. Italians love to garden, you see gardens and potted plants where ever you go. Initially, I had a hard time fitting my way back into harried American life. I had to traded in my usual leisurely lunch with wine for a grab-what-you-can-while-working life.

The Power 9 is a minestrone of methodology, but it incapsulates the way the Italians have been living for eons. Money doesn’t rule the Italian’s lives, quality of life does. True Italian cuisine is simple and mostly unprocessed. They shop everyday, so everything is fresh.

The Power9 could be used as a credo for the Garden Fairies, especially the part about red wine— of course partaken in moderation.

Too much time lying around can cause problems later on

Blue Zones Book at Amazon.com

When we first envisioned doing a mural, we considered a hands-on community process suggested by Garden Fairy Heather. She estimated it would take a long weekend. Instead we ended up doing a massively-multi-media mural that will end up taking around half a year to complete. There’s no underestimating the over-achievement potential of the Garden Fairies.

Faces in particular are tricky mosaic subjects…

The Mural Marathon begins

Mother gets a lift

There’s no underestimating the over-achievement potential of the Garden Fairies.

If you have any other questions use the comment section and we will be happy to answer them.

Check out our progress

The first three months

Month four, five, six and….

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 …

Some ideas on how to turn your lawn into an green income-generator:

1. Herb Specialist

2. Flower Producer

3. Grow one type of plant

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

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.

…perhaps the most beautiful landscape in the downtown core with whispering thunder from Niagara Falls just a 5 minute walk away.

Orchard Parkway Garden Walk is a two year old Garden Walk. Donna is excited her neighborhood’s garden walk is scheduled at the same time as the Garden Bloggers Buffalo 10 is happening, July 8th to the 11th. Hopefully, says Donna, some of the Garden Bloggers will be able to visit Niagara Falls, NY during their stay.

The Orchard Parkway Garden Walk website states: With a little help from more than 30 homeowners on the street, the Orchard Parkway Garden Walk began in July of 2008. Set among perhaps the most beautiful landscape in the downtown core with whispering thunder from Niagara Falls just a 5 minute walk away, there are now more than 60 gardens of different shapes and complexities all within a quarter mile walk on two city streets. Our Walk isn’t to show off what we have, but to share with our fellow city residents the potential that can be found within a few seeds and a pile of dirt. That, paired with our hope of spreading the beautification efforts, is the main reason we keep our Walk free with the help of the Orchard Parkway Block Club and the Niagara Block Club Council. We look forward to celebrating the Walk with garden voyeurs, sharing garden secrets and revealing up to the minute landscape trends.

ORCHARD PARKWAY (Niagara Falls)

• Saturday, July 10, 2010; 10am-3pm
• Pick up site: 1302 Main St., corner of Orchard Parkway & Main; day of event; “Look for smiling gardeners at the white tent.”
• Web site: www.orchardparkway.com
• Fee: none

And yes, there is more!

Garden Walks and Tours in Western New York The Buffalo area boasts 17 garden tours or garden walks in city neighborhoods and nearby
towns, spread over several weekends.

Open Gardens Buffalo project is modeled on the successful, long-standing tradition of Open Gardens in England.  Private gardens are graciously made available to the public on a particular day at a particular time.  Visitors are allowed to simply drop by.  Our Open Gardens are listed below by neighborhoods.  Please note the specific day and time that the garden is open. Download a spreadsheet with addresses and hours here.

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.”

A great side trip is Niagara Falls less than an hour north of Buffalo. But stay on the Canadian side, it is much prettier. The American side is full of chemical plants and the infamous “Love Canal”. There are a fair amount of tourist traps on the Canadian side, but it is overshadowed by beauty and the better view of the falls. The Canadian side of the falls is a showcase for plants, complimenting the overwhelming beauty of the one of the natural marvels of the world.

Check out Niagara Parks’ Botanical Gardens, located on the scenic Niagara Parkway and the Great Gorge, just a 10 minute drive north of the Falls. This beautiful Garden setting is home to the Butterfly Conservatory and serves as the unique outdoor classroom for students attending the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.

Established in 1936, you’ll enjoy 40 hectares (99 acres) of beautifully maintained gardens, including perennials, rhododendrons, azaleas, a formal parterre garden, shade, herb and vegetable plantings, an aviary as well as a world-famous rose garden featuring over 2,400 roses. Footpaths wind past the Butterfly Conservatory and butterfly garden, ponds and an arboretum featuring one of Canada’s finest collections of ornamental trees and shrubs.

Horticultural excellence is the emphasis of The School of Horticulture, and the students are responsible for the maintenance and development of the Botanical Gardens throughout the year. Canadians are great gardeners, the English ancestors gardening genes are in full flower.

A town to fall in love with is right down the road– Niagara on the Lake.   NOTL is also known for its gardens, art galleries, antique shops, and golf courses. The surrounding region enjoys a comparatively mild climate thanks to the adjoining lakes, and excellent soil for fruit production, for which it has become one of Canada’s centres. In particular, NOTL has grown into a major viticultural region. Visitors flock to dozens of nearby wineries, including those making the world’s largest volumes of ice wine. If you go there are many hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and spas in the area.

Siobhan’s slide show of Garden Walk Buffalo 2009

National Garden Festival Buffalo http://www.nationalgardenfestival.com/index.asp

Garden Walk Buffalo http://www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com/

Niagara Botanical Gardens’ The School of Horticulture

Niagara on the Lake:  ice wine many hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and spas

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.

The preferred method of traveling by the Not-so-accidental Garden Tourist

Garden Tourism takes all forms

Wikipedia describes Garden tourism as a type of niche tourism involving visits or travel to botanical gardens and places which are significant in the history of gardening. Garden tourists often travel individually when they are in countries with which they are familiar, but often prefer to join organized garden tours in countries where they might experience difficulties with language, travel or finding accommodation in the vicinity of the garden.

When I was in college I spent a year in Italy studying and traveling all over Europe taking in many botanical areas of interest. Since then I have been to many lovely gardens, looking for inspiration for my garden design work and to just to smell the roses.

Consider visiting:

• Garden Tours and Walks- from Buffalo to Bali, get to see what’s behind the garden’s gate

• Botanical Gardens- improve your knowledge base about plants or just relax and sit a bit and take in the view

• Parks- take a walk down the garden paths, a great way to restore your equilibrium

• Nursery visits- don’t forget to patronize small independent nurseries who usually carry unique finds

• Theme Park Gardens- often have lovely gardens, great for those who are adverse to rides

• Seminars and workshops- take a stay-cation by attending a local event or plan for one while on the road

“I ended up talking and eating with several artists and musicians for the last 2 hours”

Garden Tours and Walks

Going on a tour or garden walk will give you the chance to see spaces that are normally off limits. I have meet many new friends behind the garden gate. I find gardeners are some of the happiest and most generous people around. Large concentrations of gardeners can help transform entire communities. India has a six year old garden tourism festival located at the Garden of Five Senses– sounds so exotic doesn’t it!

Back in the states consider shuffling off to Buffalo this summer! Check out my upcoming post on Garden Walk Buffalo.

Vicky, our Garden Fairy in Wisconsin, suggests getting out to see “real” things, as in “nature”. She suggests “Attend a workshops or seminars at your local private garden centers. I just went to a lovely event in Cable WI at a nursery that specializes in succulents where they had workshops all day long. I took one on making hypertufa planters and one on wild edibles. The sessions were held outdoors under big tents where several crafts people had booths. Live folk, blue grass and jazz was played all day and from 4:00-6:00  a local caterer served very nice canapes and you could buy wine or beer. Food was free, drinks $3. Quite a bargain. Going solo, I ended up talking and eating with several artists and musicians for the last 2 hours. It was quite enjoyable and off course I had to by some succulents, the variety was extraordinary.”

More reading:

Article on Jim Charlier http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/06/18/1086559/buffalo-must-develop-an-underappreciated.html

Jim’s Art of Gardening blog  http://artofgardeningbuffalo.blogspot.com

Definition of botanical gardens

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. The first Hollyhock batch Sue bought two years ago were purchased  from Bloom Nursery in Tampa. These stately spires were single pinks and labeled Vietnamese Hollyhocks.

You might be wondering, “Hollyhocks in Vietnam”? Hollyhocks originate from China, so it isn’t a stretch that they would have made it to Vietnam. And growing Vietnamese Hollyhocks in Florida, really makes sense in that Vietnam and Florida have a lot of heat and humidity. The winning characteristic I have observed about Vietnamese Hollyhocks so far, is they don’t seem to have rust, which plagues Hollyhocks up north. If your Hollyhocks have been bothered a bit by spider mites and aphids, try using organic reemdies such as Neem Oil or Insectical Soap.

"Queeny Purple", a double hollyhock sports a luscious Grape Crush color

Garden Fairy Heather  bought a group of Hollyhocks that ended up to be double frilly flowers on stately stalks, 2 to 3 feet tall. Wow– are they gorgeous. At first we thought they were all yellow, but they ended up to be mixed; pink, white, light yellow and the star of them all “Queeny Purple”,  a luscious Grape Crush color.

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) bring back memories for many gardeners who remember their mother or grandmothers growing these short lived perennials. I remember making dolls out of hollyhock blossoms and seed pods. Hollyhocks are technically classified as biennials which means that takes two years to complete its life cycle. The first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots; producing flowers in its second year. A favorite of the English garden in the eighteen century, a typical garden would feature several varieties of Hollyhocks.

You can find Hollyhocks at specialty nursery centers and some of the farmers markets, but the large garden centers are yet to carry them.

Garden Fairy Factoids: Hollyhocks

1. Many websites state Hollyhocks flowers are edible. Many uses are listed; cook the buds, sautéed in a bit of butter with salt & pepper, add fresh petals to salads, leaves can be used in middle eastern/Egyptian cooking and brew a tea from the flowers. Colonial American gardeners grew hollyhocks for their cottage garden honey-making operations.

2. You can grow your own Hollyhocks from seeds.

Stately in stature, try hollyhocks in the back of your border

3. Try using Hollyhocks in the back of the border, or as a blooming screen for unsightly views.

4. Use Hollyhocks in groups of at least three or in the middle of a large pot.

Hollyhocks can be a center focal point in large pots

5. Deer don’t like to eat Hollyhocks.

6. Hollyhock House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall is located in Los Angeles. Hollyhocks are used in both abstracted and geometricized versions in much of the house’s design, including exterior walls and interior furniture. The house was built between 1919 and 1921.

If you have bug problems try organic remedies:

• Neem Oil- I mix up batches from concentrated oil that is available at most garden centers. Neem Oil disrupts insects’ hormonal balance so they die before they molt to the next life stage.
• Homemade Insecticidal Soap- Add 5 tbsp liquid dish detergent to 1 gallon water. Repeated sprayings will be required to kill the mites. While spraying, ensure that you do use it on the undersides of the leaves. This is because spray will only kill those spider mites that it comes in contact with.
• Alcohol and water- 1 part alcohol to 1 part water  Since rubbing alcohol is poisonous, it will kill the mites on contact. At the same time, it evaporates quickly and thus, will do little damage to your plant. Make sure to use the spray on the entire plant, paying emphasis on the bottoms of the leaves.

Lisa Schmidt, a long-term member of The Garden Fairies was able to help her son Noah start the process of transforming his new yard with the help of her family, friends and Garden Fairies. Noah recently bought a fixer-upper in Oldsmar Florida with a double lot. With the exception of a grand old oak tree, the space is practically a blank slate.

At 9:30 a.m., with the rain building in the Gulf of Mexico, the crew started with the basics– trimming overgrown plants and clearing leaves and debris. Another team made nineteen stepping stones. As luck would have it Noah’s property came with twenty plain stepping stones, many of which we unearthed while cleaning up. Noah wanted masculine styled stones, no pansies please!

Geometric designs evolved from a nice variety of tile Lisa had collected. We started off with basic bordering and graduated to asymmetrical designs. The speed at which we did Noah’s stepping stones was impressive– the key was using a minimum of broken tiles, opting to fit whole ceramic and glass tile on the circular stones. Fitting small broken pieces is very time intensive. At the end of the session, everyone agreed this was our most efficient mosaic stepping stones session.

Noah’s property has large expanses of turf with undefined areas for foot traffic. The Garden Fairies suggested that Noah consider using his stepping stones to create pathways inter-filled with gravel. Mind you, Noah will have to settle for two less stones– Tiffany his girlfriend has claimed those for her new condo.

Noah’s new house comes with a detached garage with attached roofed workspace– perhaps a new Garden Fairy mosaic making clubhouse? Don’t worry Noah, we will bring the food and wine and promise not to party too long.