Revitalizing Buffalo - One Neighbourhood at a Time

"Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful!' and sitting in the shade."

Rudyard Kipling

July 24 and 25 are quickly approaching as gardeners in Buffalo prepare for Garden Walk Buffalo, a great event in which gardeners share their private sanctuaries and knowledge with others of like mind (gardeners and non-gardeners alike). Recently while getting a sneak peek at some Garden Walk gardens, as we toured around Buffalo I noticed that many areas of the city were less than prosperous having lost the lustrous shine of Buffalo's heyday. But the City of Buffalo is working to turn the town around.

We were taken to a restoration project opposite an old Olmstead water feature that too will be restored. Our hosts likened it to Extreme Home Makeover - Neighbourhood Garden Edition. In this neighbourhood a group of 16 landscape design companies volunteered to do 19 front yard garden makeovers (donating time, labour and supplies) on some tarnished homes, and in consultation with the homeowners they created lovely new landscapes in just 4 days. The public is being invited to visit the neighborhood and select their favourite garden in the National Buffalo Garden Festivals Front Yard Garden Competition. And this is only the first step in the revitalization project. Next the homes will be painted (some already had started being painted). Once the water feature is restored by the Olmstead Conservancy this neighbourhood will have begun to achieve some of its former glory.

The city is hoping that this project is just the first of many, acting as a model that will be repeated over and over again throughout the city bringing Buffalo back to life. Many thanks to the garden industry for working to improve these neglected urban areas.

Garden Walk Buffalo - It's Touring Time!

"Every gardener has a strange and romantic tale to tell, if you can worm it out of him - of blue flowers that came up yellow, or of a white lily that sinned in the night and greeted the dawn with crimson cheeks. In the strong heart of every gardener some wild secret stirs."

Beverley Nichols, 'Down the Garden Path'

It's the middle of summer and what better time to take a break from your own garden chores and check out the gardens of others. This past weekend my husband Peter and I joined 70 other garden bloggers in Buffalo to get a sneak peek of Garden Walk Buffalo 2010. This is an annual program where 350 homeowners throughout the Buffalo area open their private sanctuary up for other gardeners to take a peek. This year the event will be held July 24 and 25.

We had a lovely time swapping garden stories and advice, and getting a load of inspiration and ideas. Most of the gardens we had the opportunity to visit where small urban gardens and I was surprised to see the amount of plant material that can be packed into a tiny space and the ingenious ways people incorporated summer living areas into small spaces graciously adorned with plants. I certainy loved all the jewel box gardens we viewed.

My husband, the tool and project guy, got great inspiration from the many water features he saw, like the one in the photo above, if only he could find three large rocks predrilled with a hole in the centre. He was also busy checking out water features with water falls as that is his next planned project.

As the plant person of our gardening duo I was impressed with the many beautiful window boxes combining unusual plant combinations and obviously loving tended as you can see by the overflowing abundance. The tiny cottages and historic homes in all their coloured glory gave one a glimpse into Buffalo's prosperous past.

So don't get so caught up in the work of your own garden that you don't take time out to visit others. July is the month when many areas host garden tours and you don't have to go far afield. You will be surprised to find how many fabulous gardens abound in your own backyard. And the benefit is that you can make friends with local gardeners with whom you can share advice and potentially plants. Check out your local horticultural society for the date for your local garden tour.

Hosta Heaven

"Brave flowers, that I could gallant it like you, And be a little vain! You come abroad, and make a harmless show, And to your beds of earth again; You are not proud; you know your birth, For your embroidered garments are from earth."

Henry King, Bishop of Chichester (1592 - 1669)

The last few days we have been experiencing the 'dog days of summer', even though July has just begun. But we should not complain just because the weather is a little like the tropics - hot, hazy, and humid, just plain steamy. But looking on the bright side, we've been able to enjoy dinner in the garden every night.

Last night sitting under the gazebo with the sun setting and the breeze wafting bringing a little relief I thought about how wonderful it is to have your own piece of heaven. The gazebo is now enclosed with the beautiful pale lavender blooms of the hosta giving a cozy, secretive atmosphere. We were entertained by the black squirrels frolicking in the honeysuckle and then playing "catch me if you can" as three squirrels chased each other along the top of the fence. Even though they dig up my bulbs in the fall, I can't be mad because they provide so much entertainment the rest of the year. They act just like little kids.

And another on another fence post, a male and female woodpecker tapped away, probably thinking they were going to enjoy a tasty meal. I haven't seen a couple in such a long time that it brought a smile to my face. I can't believe how mature the garden is already but a week of rain followed by hot weather has made it burst forth in all its glory.

With the summer heat it is so wonderful to be able to just sit, relax and enjoy the wildlife that is visiting the garden. The sound of the water fountain bubbling beside me adds yet another dimension to the garden experience and although we live in cottage country, we don't own our own cottage. But the garden provides the perfect getaway, even though the house is just steps away.

I hope you too take time to enjoy your personal sanctuary. Summer is fleeting so take time to smell the roses!

Honeysuckle's Sweet Perfume

"How sweetly smells the honeysuckle in the hushed night, as if the world were one of utter peace and love and gentleness."

Walter Savage Lanfor

How true the above quote is for the honeysuckle smells sweetly in my garden evoking the essence of peace, love and gentleness. Today as I hosted a ladies garden party, the sweet nectar of the honeysuckle in full bloom wafted gently on the breeze tantilizing our olfactory senses as the petals began to gently fall to the earth. I love the fragrance filling my garden at this time of year. As one moves through the garden scent fills the air, from the honeysuckle to the roses to the peonies. It seems there is no area in my garden that is not perfumed.

I am amazed that a simple thing like scent can lift the spirits, transform one's outlook on life and create a sense of bliss. We are certainly blessed to live in such a wonderful creation as our earth. And with our windows open the honeysuckle's fragrance drifts into our home in the evening hours. This quote from Louise Beebe Wilder from her book, "The Fragrant Garden " sums up eloquently the effect flowers perfume have on us. "It is to thread our days with subtle, gentle happiness, a happiness definable but profoundly felt. To sleep in a room beyond whose casement Honeysuckle scrambles and to awake in the night to the exquisite fragrance that inspires the darkness is an experience of a rare quality. Such things invade life's commonplace routine with an ecstatic pleasure."

Five Tips for Great Container Gardening

"And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes."

William Wordsworth

Friday we enjoyed a jaunt to Toronto for our summer Garden Writers meeting at the Toronto Botanical Gardens. Our afternoon session was led by horticulturalist Paul Zammitt, who is full of enthusiam for all things floral. One of the other garden writers said to Paul halfway through his presentation, "Paul, you make me tired just watching you buzz back and forth giving your talk."

Paul was talking on Container Gardening and he gave these five tips for creating great container gardens.

1. Remember that even though you might not even any actual ground, you can have a container garden. Most people think you can only plant flowers in pots but veggies are also quite happy to be grown in containers. Check out local seed purveyors as many are now offering vegetable selections specifically bred to be grown in containers.

2. Choose a great pot - the best you can buy. Containers can add colour and art form to the garden landscape. Invest in the most expensive pot you can as it will last longer. Many containers look great even when they are not planted. Although terra cotta is tried and true, the new resin products are looking really attractive.

3. Drainage is the key. Make sure your pot has a hole in the bottom to let the moisture run through. If you don't have drainage, you can be sure that during a wet summer, your precious plants will die of root rot. If you are worried about soil running out, place a piece of screen over the hole.

4. Use the right soil. If you fill your container with ordinary potting soil, the soil will compact over time and you will squeeze out the air pockets which are essential to the health of your plants. Create your own potting mix by combining 1/3 triple mix, 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat or coir product for ligihtness. You can also add some slow release fertilizer to the mix.

5. Finally, get creative with your plant material. Mix up perennials and annuals, herbs and veggies, or combine all four. Think outside the pot, you are only limited by your imagination. Remember though that if you plant perennials in pots, you will need to move them into the garden to overwinter.

And remember that by gathering your pots together in clusters you can create a garden where none previously existed. Paul place three pots together with the same plant material and viola, instant garden. Just ensure that to make your watering job easier, cluster pots together that have the same watering requirements. Then sit back and enjoy the beauty you have created.

My English Gardening Angels

" Gardening can become a kind of disease. It infects you; you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irrestible impulse to get up and pull a weed."

Lewis Gannit

Well, as life goes sometimes it throws you curve balls and some things have to be left undone while you attend to life's challenges. This past month a variety of family health issues had me racking up frequent fliers points at doctors and dentist offices and as spring advanced, so did the weeds in my garden but no time for garden chores. But if one is lucky, life also sends you garden angels to help out. A couple of weeks ago just when I needed them, my husband's cousins, Jean and Godfrey arrived from England for their vaction. Little did they know what they were getting into.

When Jean saw the state of my garden and my life's challenges she quickly set to work. Every day with good weather she has been out doing weeding, weeding and more weeding. What a godsend, and does my garden now look great. Godfrey and I followed close behind crowning the newly weeded beds with a topdressing of mulch. What a relief! Before I was overwhelmed and now I can relax and enjoy my garden for the remainder of the summer. But as the quote above states, even with the gardens weeded Jean can't resist pulling up a newly sprouted weed during happy hour.

And not only has Jean cleaned up my garden, she also moved on to my neighbours. Karen can't believe she too was sent a garden angel as although she likes the look of gardens, she readily admits she is not much of a gardener herself. And so as we enjoy a new week of proposed beautiful spring weather, I will get busy and plant my veggie seeds while Jean and Godfrey take a rest and enjoy the final two weeks of their visit in Bracebridge before heading out on their tour of Quebec before heading back to England.

Previously Godfrey and Jean have only visited us in the winter as Godfrey loves our Canadian snow but this trip not only have we shown them a Canadian spring but they have experienced snow, hail, rain, and yesterday's summer hot weather (all four of our Canadian seasons) in just two weeks.

The garden is lovely - the forget-me-nots are in full bloom, the hostas have unfurled their large leaves, and a few late season tulips are still blooming, soon to be replaced with the budding peonies. In the greenhouse are colourful annuals waiting to fill my containers when the last frost is over about June 1st and tomatoes ready for transplanting into the raised veggie beds. Well, with the sun shining and blue sky overhead, it's time for me to leave this computer and get my seeds planted.

Daffodils Bring Spring Cheer

"I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine,
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch in never ending line,
Along the margin of the bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not be but gay,
In such jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on, my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils."

William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850)


These words penned so many years ago by William Wordsworth are known by many around the world, and today as I look out my window I see exactly what he was talking about. It's cool and breezy and the daffodils in my garden are fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Daffodils to me are one of the quintessential harbingers of spring. As the snow recedes and the ground retreats from hibernation, daffodils spring up, their cheery yellow colour brightening our days and reminding us the the fullness of the garden season yet to come. My garden is home to many varities of daffodils from single flowers to double petalled blooms, from delicate dwarfs to giant trumpets, each strikingly beautiful in their own design.

The prophet Isaiah in the Bible trumpeted the glory of God saying, "Let the wilderness and dry lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy." And how true it is, for daffodils do make us feel joyful - that winter is over and spring is here. Their bright sunny colour also makes our hearts sing for their cheerfulness elevates our spirits after the long cold winter.

And so today, my daffodils are "tossing their heads in sprightly dance" and I sit gazing on their stunning beauty for they are the percursor of the beauty that is yet to come. But remember that if you want to be greeted with a "host of golden daffodils" next spring, you'll have to plant bulbs this fall. And with over 8,000 varities to choose from, I would hasten to say there isn't a gardener who couldn't find just one variety to bring a smile to their face.