Saturday: one of Buffalo's many "firsts"

Though its exterior plantings are less extensive than what we saw in Chicago, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is a unique part of American gardening and landscaping history. It combines a 1905 Lord & Burnham greenhouse, based on England’s Crystal Palace and Kew gardens, and the 1894 South Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as part of Buffalo’s park system, the first such system Olmsted designed for any city. We’ll see other Olmsted parks during our Friday tours.

We’ll spend an hour or so at the Botanical Gardens; docent tours will be available for those who want them. There may be an admission of charge of $5, depending on the arrangements we make with the Gardens. Bring your reciprocal membership cards for other public gardens, if you have any.