Buffalonians "...drunkenly sharpening their Felcos..."



In this month's issue of Fine Gardening Magazine, (December 09), the editor's asked garden writers and professionals from different areas of the country to list their "Three Garden Wishes." The California representative, Amy Stewart, wishes for "Heat" (she lives by the air-conditioning ocean), "Salvias" (she doesn't have enough) and "Neighbors with better gardens than mine." And about neighbors gardening, she writes:

"I want to be surrounded by gardeners with more imagination than I can conjure up. I need motivation–and company. It was not until I experienced the extraordinary Garden Walk held in Buffalo, New York, that I realized that some people live in neighborhoods in which everyone gardens. Plants get traded over the fence, and there are garden parties that last long into the evening, with gardeners drunkenly sharpening their Felcos and stumbling into the perennial border, cocktails in hand, to finish the weekend's work. It sounds dangerous but thrilling."

Methinks she's spent a fair amount of time in the Gardening While Intoxicated garden. But in a city where the bars don't close till 4 a.m. each night, it's inevitable we'd have a reputation for drinking and gardening.

You'll have to pick up this copy of Fine Gardening magazine (available at fine magazine retailers near you) to see what the other garden "gurus" from around the country each wish for. There's also some great bits on pros & cons of different types of composting, unique fall plant suggestions, sustainably-oriented garden design, conifers for shade, and an article on grasses with some great photos. Oh, and a quick interview with Paul James.

Comments

  1. I wish I had a neighborhood full of gardeners too. Buffalo sounds a lot more fun for a gardener to live in than the town where I live.

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  2. It is actually pretty fun. And Garden Walk diehards all know each other now, having been taking part of the Walk, and associated parties, for 15 years now.

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  3. I read the Garden Wishes section of Fine Gardening a few days ago and loved Amy's piece. And as the owner of a lawn-free on-going garden experiment of a front yard surrounded by a sea of postage stamp squares of green lawn, I share Amy's wish.

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  4. I just got my Fine Gardening yesterday. I haven't had a lot of time to delve in to it but I did take a few moments to check out Paul James' website. With Basic Cable I was unfamiliar with him and his prowess. I liked his September Rant about CRS "Can't Remember Sh**" Syndrome which affects us "mature" gardeners. I find it comforting that I"m not the only sufferer.

    To have a neighborhood like Buffalo's... wouldn't that be something? I'm drooling at the thought.

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  5. Imagine finding a fellow gardener and neighbour planted in your garden after a mispent afternoon. We've got friends who put a fixed drinks tray and a bell on their fence to let their neighbours know that the cocktail hour has begun. Glad to learn that this fine idea has no borders.

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  6. I share Amy's wish. I feel as if I'm the only gardener on my street. I think the gardeners of Buffalo are very spoiled by lots of good gardens, good architecture, good restaurants, and, believe it or not, good weather.
    It might not be paradise, but it sounds like it comes awfully close.

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  7. Susan,
    I guess we never are satisfied. I long for milder winters and hadn't given much thought to the value of a gardening community-I would miss it, even if I lived somewhere to garden year round.

    Grace,
    Basic cable? Just like the pilgrims had? You don't get all those partisan news stations? Lucky you.

    Barbarapc,
    Now I have to get a bell for my fence.

    Mr. McGregor's Daughter,
    We seem to have it pretty good. But you have such a large garden/yard compared to ours here in the city. Count you're blessings when you have 'em. And who said Buffalo wasn't a paradise? I want names!

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  8. I think Amy loves the GWI concept because it kind of works against the prim and proper stereotypes of ladies' gardening clubs and so on. But not really advocating actually GWI.

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  9. Ok, so what are the dates for next year. Must put on calendar...

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