Buffalo Northtowns and Elmwood Village Gardens

The water features in Buffalo, N.Y., gardens are impressive and peaceful. This beautiful pond with a waterfall is in the Elmwood Village neighborhood.

I must admit: Buffalo gardens are still on my mind. Looking back on last month's Garden Fling brings even more appreciation for the hospitality and creativity of the gardeners in this fun city. My first thoughts are here.

On our second day touring, we started in the northern suburbs and surrounding northern tier of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The gardens in this area include quite a mix of personalities and artful interpretations.

First off, the garden of Jay Jinge Hu. You might know Jay from his YouTube channel, "Whispers in the Garden":

Jay's garden is a welcoming place--full of artful props, colorful blooms, and playful planters. Jay knows how to arrange garden elements for maximum impact. But there's also a peaceful calm about his garden, when you peak through carefully placed vignettes to the gentle sunlight beyond.

Next, the garden of Shirley Verrico:













Shirley's Dahlia collection is amazing! Taller plants are staked along the walls and fronted with colorful annuals. The plant combinations are unique with their colors, forms, and structures. And little details--like the fig tree tag, perhaps barely noticed--add tiny bits of magic.

On to Beth and Brian Kreutzer's "Dragon's Den":













The potted heads and the hand emerging from the soil are nifty. I could certainly relate to Beth's garden sign. ☺︎ There's also a large dragon and a buffalo statue, which you can see here (I didn't have decent photos of these items). The incredible foliage combinations and the amazing water features, with stunning rock formations and mosses, really impress, too!

Our final morning stop was the quaint, yet grand property of Craig Coyne and Gary Denezza:













One could spend hours simply studying the house, itself: It feels so inviting. The garden shed matches the style of the house, and the garden walks, props, and sitting areas create a comfortable visit. It was the perfect setting for a relaxing, inspiring, late-morning tour.

We lunched at Silo City, and took a tour of the property and its native plant garden. I didn't snap any photos here, but I hope to get back someday to take in the full experience and share some reflections.

The afternoon brought a self-guided tour of Buffalo's Elmwood Village neighborhood. Here are a few highlights:





















Curbside creativity, more water features, and amazing garden decor are on full display in Elmwood Village. I felt so at home in these inventive and colorful gardens. And I brought back many ideas for my own garden.

Thanks, again, to this year's organizers and the Fling sponsors! (Stay tuned for more highlights on the Buffalo Fling. And for more information, visit the Garden Fling website.)