Buffalo-area Garden Walks Blooming

Summer is the time to see Secret GardensBuffalo’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. Read more ›


Shuffle Off To Garden Walk Buffalo

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.” Read more ›


The Not-so-accidental Garden Tourist

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. Read more ›


Growing Hollyhocks and Roses in Florida?

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. Read more ›


Gardening generationally with the Garden Fairies

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. Read more ›


Calling all mosaic mavens and mosaic wanna-bees

"Give peas a chance" panels are in the works

Join us Sunday March 14th at Heather’s purple cottage to help in our first large group session. If you can’t make it this Sunday, stay tuned for addition sessions. Making the mural is a big project that will take many sessions to make. In order to get our groove going we did a few sessions with our small group of professional artists who have started doing the pea panels.
What to bring: eye protection, gloves, a hammer and mosaic tools if you have them
Date: Sunday March 14th
Time: 1:00pm to 4:00ish
Where: 1209 3rd St North, Safety Harbor
RSVP- to Siobhan at   snehin@mac.com


Our Tarpon Springs mosaic mural project is a go!


Our long-time-coming Tarpon Mural project is a go!

The Why and the How
We have been involved in a planning process to do a mural in Tarpon Springs for three years. Part of the time was spent raising funds many through our garden tour last year and the other time was finding a location. The original location of the mural was in a vacant lot on Tarpon Avenue.

Doing a group project is a great way to bond with others and learn new skills. We love doing collaborative projects, party due to the fact that evolution is so fascinating. From conception to final product, a lot changes along the journey.To find out how this is all going to come together you’ll have to join us. Read more ›


February: add veggies and color

February in Florida- It’s time to add veggies and color to your garden

The freeze this year has left many of our Florida gardens looking drab and depressing. It was best to wait out all of January to plant anything this year, due to our unusually cold days and nights. But now that we are into February, you can start dressing up your lackluster landscape by adding annuals and ornamental veggies.

One of the most important factors in the Florida garden is timing. When I moved to Florida from Buffalo years ago, I put in annuals three months late. I learned quickly, that by the end of May most annuals will start getting heat stress. So, start now and for the next three months you can enjoy a profusion of color, which will help  take your mind off your damaged plants. Read more ›


Reviving your frozen frazzled yard

Reviving your frozen frazzled yard: a five-step program

If you are on the verge of trimming dead branches, you will be committing foliage-cide!. Resist, resist!

Trimming prematurely can cause even more damage!

I am receiving lots of calls and emails from stressed out gardeners who are wondering what to do and what NOT to do. Looking at dead foliage is really depressing. The good news is there is a way to recovery, just follow the Garden Fairy Five Step Recovery Program.

Read more ›


Protecting Palms from Plummeting Temps

Give your cold-sensitive palms the “Blanket Treatment”.

If you’ve planted new or cold sensitive palms in your garden, you will need to take some protective measures once the thermometer hovers just above freezing or goes below freezing. The first two years in a palm’s life in the ground are especially critical. Think about your palm tree as a new baby, and like babies, palms need cold weather protection.

Here are some Garden Fairy factoids for Floridians and tips for protecting your palms. Read more ›