Garden Walk Buffalo - put it on your bucket list

My house. I know, it's subtle.

I've been a bad blogger and haven't posted in quite a while. I've had lots of great garden experiences, including a garden/sustainability bus tour, a gardener's party at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, hosting a garden bus tour from AAA, visited some Open Gardens, was a stop garden-by-bike tour that was part of a Roswell Park Cancer Institute gala prize package, and a couple other garden parties. not to mention participating in America's largest garden tour, Garden Walk Buffalo. With 416 gardens open for free for two days, if anyone can find a larger residential garden tour - please let us know!

Friend Tom's garden/pool on Richmond Avenue

There were also two TV interviews, one radio interview, and a few print interviews I participated in, and a half-dozen other interviewers and invited media from Toronto to California I steered toward Garden Walk Buffalo organizers and gardeners – all touting Buffalo's great gardens, gardeners and garden culture we've created.

It was a great weekend. The weather was predicted to be great – even hot – for both days. No rain in sight. We were told that crowds were down in all the usually popular gardens, as well as sales and donations were down at our three headquarters just slightly. Since we don't take reservations, there's no registration, and the tour is free, there's no way to determine the number of visitors. We estimate between 65,000 and 70,000. It may be more (could be less!). One television station interviewed someone NOT related to our event and they gave them an estimate of 200,000! And that's what they reported on air!

A Richmond Avenue garden's bottle tree.

We do know the five (free) shuttle buses were full continuously, and the hotels were near full occupancy. And there was no lack of people wandering the beautiful streets of Buffalo.

I stayed in my garden all day for both days of the tour this year. First time I've ever done that. Not being president or chair of the tour, my commitments were fewer. I did feel obligated to get to some neighborhoods that I hadn't visited in a long time, to photograph some gardens to get photos for PR use in the coming year. But between a few different photographers out on the prowl, we got them all covered. Well, not all, but there's always next year.

Speaking of next year, save the date - Garden Walk, which by now should be on every gardener's bucket list, will be Saturday and Sunday, July 30 & 31.

All photos here taken by local architect, author, and Frank Lloyd Wright scholar, Patrick Mahoney, AIA.

Dorchester Street median.

A back garden on Little Summer Street. I rented this house for four years back in the late '80s. It didn't look like this.

My neighbor Helen's front garden.

Outdoor room off their garage of a house on Norwood Avenue.

Another Norwood Avenue garden, complete with gazebo.

And yet another Norwood Avenue garden. The last three photos are just a few houses away from each other.