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.)

Buffalo's Best: Garden Creativity on Full Display

Many Buffalo-area gardens featured handcrafted garden posts, created by Fling co-organizer Jim Charlier and his wife.

If you've never attended a Garden Fling, I highly recommend it. No matter where you live, note that attendees travel from around the world to visit the garden scene of each year's chosen city. This year, that city was Buffalo, N.Y., known for its city-wide Garden Walk and thriving gardening culture.

Buffalo's gardeners welcomed us with open arms and gardens full of amazing plants and creatively designed and showcased displays. Here's a synopsis:



On the opening afternoon, we started with a walk out to Buffalo Harbor, where the main lighthouse and Lake Erie were on full display.



The Erie Basin Marina Trial Gardens offered glimpses of plant cultivars along with industry standards, grown and evaluated for future trade and sale.

The next morning, we began three full days of touring exceptional gardens. Included here are vignettes of creative displays and interpretations. First up, the lush gardens of John and Carole Hajnosz:

 












Fabulous plant forms and color combinations, creative water features, and artful displays greeted us. But what I'll always remember about this garden were the dappled sun and moist conditions, which allowed sun-loving plants, such as Zinnias, to be interplanted in the same beds with thirsty botanicals like Hydrangeas.

Next, we stopped at Wendy and Jeff Leyonmark's fully operational suburban farm:













The house, the garden beds, the planters, and the water features were exquisite.

Then add the couple's incredible edible garden. Not only did the crops look healthy and delicious, but they were displayed and organized so neatly--unlike any edible garden I've seen before. The edibles were truly as beautiful the ornamentals!

Our next garden, tended carefully by Beth and Nick Buscaglia, offered a scenic view of Lake Erie, with the Buffalo skyline in the distance:













The house itself, like so many homes in the Buffalo area, was beautifully constructed. And the creative combinations of plants and props were very pleasing to the eye.

Next, we traveled to Murray's Hosta Farm:













Wow, what an incredible collection of Hostas in all forms, shapes, shades, and sizes! Not only were they available for purchase, but their names were creatively displayed and ideas provided for landscaping and combining with other plants and props.

During the afternoon, we were on our own for self-guided walking tours of Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood. The following vignettes offer a few highlights of Allentown's urban garden magic: 



































I mean, words don't really do this justice. These are creative, fun, vibrant gardens!

Attendees at this year's Fling, or any Fling, are like-minded, special people. The gardens are fabulous, but the people make this yearly event truly one-of-a-kind. Special thanks to Buffalo Fling co-organizers, Elizabeth Licata and Jim Charlier, and the many volunteers who made this an unforgettable event.

And thanks to this year's Fling sponsors, and those of the past and future, who support us and the amazing gardens, gardeners, and cities we visit.

(Stay tuned for more highlights of the Buffalo Fling. And for more information, visit the Garden Fling website.)