Friday: Garden Walk Buffalo - The Cottage District

Long lines to view these yards are what you would face during Garden Walk Buffalo. Being here two weeks before, you'll be the first in line.

This very charming neighborhood is the most popular destination during the Walk each year. These tiny Civil War-era cottages and other homes on Little Summer, Union Place and Sixteenth Street have gardens as unique as their occupants -- an eclectic mix of retirees, professionals and artists -- gardeners all.

Friday: Lunch is at the Rue Franklin

I’ve written about this lovely restaurant and its garden here. Rue Franklin uses seasonal ingredients for its unpretentious, contemporary French-themed dishes. It’s a charming place inside and out.
As the Rue does not ordinarily serve lunch, we’ll have it to ourselves. We’ll keep you posted about what, if any, costs will be associated with this and other meals. Our sponsorships are still coming in.

Friday: Buffalo’s Green West Side

After lunch, we’ll tour a few interesting urban farming sites and visit Urban Roots, Buffalo’s co-op garden center. Radiating out from Urban Roots is a vibrant network of community gardens, experimental plantings, even a park designed by architecture students.

Friday: The ultimate garden party...

Over the past few months, we have been gradually confirming all of the stops on our itinerary, and it keeps getting better and better. We are pleased to announce that on Friday, after the Sustainable Buffalo tour, we will be stopping in at the spectacular garden of Gordon Ballard and Brian Olinski. This garden is featured in the Garden Walk book as well as in several magazines. Hidden from street view, Gordon's oasis features two ponds, a cantina, several seating areas, and-everywhere-lush plantings of vines, perennials, flowering shrubs, annuals, and tropicals. We'll be here for cocktails and snacks before moving on to our Friday dinner location.

Saturday: Where flowers are tested

The Erie Basin Marina test gardens are maintained by horticulturalist Stan Swisher, who grows and maintains test beds of annuals being introduced by various companies, such as Ball, Proven Winners, Goldsmith, and others. Many of these are the AAS winners of tomorrow; some will sink without a trace. We'll be visiting these flower fields and talking to Stan on Saturday morning.

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.