It was during the middle of an interview at Five Points Bakery when the business was suddenly overrun by garden bloggers this past weekend. Five Points just happens to be connected to Urban Roots Garden Cooperative - one of the stops along the comprehensive urban garden tour given by Jim Charlier, Elizabeth Licata and a host of other local gardening promoters. The tour coincided with the National Garden Festival, and despite a full day of rain on Friday (great for taking garden photos actually), participants ran amuck raving about Buffalo's tremendous floral bounty.
Visits on the tour included the 20th Century Club, lunch at Rue Franklin (an unexpected surprise), the Cottage District, the Japanese Gardens, Urban Roots, the North Parade landscape competition @ MLK Park, Erie Basin Marina test gardens, the Botanical Gardens... the list went on and on. One visit to the blog Art of Gardening was all it took to see that the payoff for all of the hard work will continue to come for many years. From a few media sources:
"...put Buffalo and Garden Walk on your bucket list!" -Susan Reimer, The Baltimore Sun
"Buffalo, New York. The quintessential snow storm city, forever pictured in the minds of out-of-towners as a place where snow is ever present. Forget about all of that! Now it's Buffalo, New York. The quintessential gardening city, forever pictured in the minds of gardeners and other people as a place where gardens are everywhere. Remember it that way!" May Dreams Gardens
"...these truly are real gardens by real people. Really great gardens by really generous people. We've been blown away by Buffalo. We think you will, too. " Toronto Gardens
"Buffalo has charmed me." Patty Craft, Horticulture
... to the countless writings being posted by the visiting garden bloggers:
http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2010/07/redefining-quintessential-buffalo.html
http://torontogardens.blogspot.com/2010/07/garden-daytrips-garden-walk-buffalo.html
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/2010/07/garden_walk_buffalo.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/taste-of-buffalo.html
http://compostinmyshoe.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-brings-garden-center-back.html
http://www.growingagardenindavis.com/2010/07/color-and-exuberance-buffa10-style.html
http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-gardens-and-lockwood-garden.html
http://www.gardensofthewildwildwest.com/index.php/2010/07/09/gotta-find-me-some-buffalo-wings/
http://www.gardensofthewildwildwest.com/index.php/2010/07/08/buffalo-garden-walk-rocks/
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/10/looking-and-buying-in-buffalo/
http://www.thebikegarden.com/2010/07/what-im-up-to-in-buffa10.html
http://www.mycornerofkaty.com/2010/07/buffa10a-few-of-fridays-favorites.html
http://tweetmeme.com/story/1608896826/garden-variety-garden-walk-buffalo-a-blog-for-the-mid-atlantic-gardener-by-the-baltimore-suns-susan-reimer-baltimoresuncom
http://heathersgarden.typepad.com/heathers_garden/2010/07/a-quick-taste-of-buffalo.html
http://reddirtramblings.com/?p=16213
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/10/rain-didnt-stop-the-tour/
http://topsy.com/s?type=image&q=%23buffa10
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/07/09/1108323/garden-symbolizing-friendship.html
http://tweetphoto.com/31787071
http://stonewallgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/hot-gardens-in-city.html
http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-gardens-and-doggy-spa.html
http://mynortherngarden.com/2010/07/09/peeking-into-other-peoples-gardens/
http://hougardengrl.blogspot.com/2010/07/hydrangeas-and-hostas-buffa10-day-1.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/all-japanese-gardens-should-be-seen-in-a-light-mist.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/look-at-that-monarda-fer-chrissakes.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/the-little-house-with-the-big-big-garden.html
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/09/4383/
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/2010/07/shuffling_off_to_buffalo.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/cottage-district.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-buffalo.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/japanese-garden-delaware-park-buffalo.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/hope-blooms.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/hidden-treasure.html
http://www.mycornerofkaty.com/2010/07/hot-time-summer-in-city.html
Thanks to all of the hard work of the organizers as well as all of the adventurous garden bloggers who took the time to explore a city that might not have been on their list as a gardening mecca. A few of the participants told me that it was the best run event that they had ever attended - a ton to see and do... lots of gardens with plenty of rest stops along the way in order to nourish the mind and the body. 72 garden bloggers from 23 states and Canada visited Buffalo this past weekend and took with them the flourishing nature of our ever-changing city. It is these types of efforts that are so valuable when it comes to marketing Buffalo in the best light possible.
View image
Visits on the tour included the 20th Century Club, lunch at Rue Franklin (an unexpected surprise), the Cottage District, the Japanese Gardens, Urban Roots, the North Parade landscape competition @ MLK Park, Erie Basin Marina test gardens, the Botanical Gardens... the list went on and on. One visit to the blog Art of Gardening was all it took to see that the payoff for all of the hard work will continue to come for many years. From a few media sources:
"...put Buffalo and Garden Walk on your bucket list!" -Susan Reimer, The Baltimore Sun
"Buffalo, New York. The quintessential snow storm city, forever pictured in the minds of out-of-towners as a place where snow is ever present. Forget about all of that! Now it's Buffalo, New York. The quintessential gardening city, forever pictured in the minds of gardeners and other people as a place where gardens are everywhere. Remember it that way!" May Dreams Gardens
"...these truly are real gardens by real people. Really great gardens by really generous people. We've been blown away by Buffalo. We think you will, too. " Toronto Gardens
"Buffalo has charmed me." Patty Craft, Horticulture
... to the countless writings being posted by the visiting garden bloggers:
http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2010/07/redefining-quintessential-buffalo.html
http://torontogardens.blogspot.com/2010/07/garden-daytrips-garden-walk-buffalo.html
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/2010/07/garden_walk_buffalo.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/taste-of-buffalo.html
http://compostinmyshoe.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-brings-garden-center-back.html
http://www.growingagardenindavis.com/2010/07/color-and-exuberance-buffa10-style.html
http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-gardens-and-lockwood-garden.html
http://www.gardensofthewildwildwest.com/index.php/2010/07/09/gotta-find-me-some-buffalo-wings/
http://www.gardensofthewildwildwest.com/index.php/2010/07/08/buffalo-garden-walk-rocks/
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/10/looking-and-buying-in-buffalo/
http://www.thebikegarden.com/2010/07/what-im-up-to-in-buffa10.html
http://www.mycornerofkaty.com/2010/07/buffa10a-few-of-fridays-favorites.html
http://tweetmeme.com/story/1608896826/garden-variety-garden-walk-buffalo-a-blog-for-the-mid-atlantic-gardener-by-the-baltimore-suns-susan-reimer-baltimoresuncom
http://heathersgarden.typepad.com/heathers_garden/2010/07/a-quick-taste-of-buffalo.html
http://reddirtramblings.com/?p=16213
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/10/rain-didnt-stop-the-tour/
http://topsy.com/s?type=image&q=%23buffa10
http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/07/09/1108323/garden-symbolizing-friendship.html
http://tweetphoto.com/31787071
http://stonewallgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/hot-gardens-in-city.html
http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2010/07/buffalo-gardens-and-doggy-spa.html
http://mynortherngarden.com/2010/07/09/peeking-into-other-peoples-gardens/
http://hougardengrl.blogspot.com/2010/07/hydrangeas-and-hostas-buffa10-day-1.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/all-japanese-gardens-should-be-seen-in-a-light-mist.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/look-at-that-monarda-fer-chrissakes.html
http://www.gardenrant.com/my_weblog/2010/07/the-little-house-with-the-big-big-garden.html
http://www.commonweeder.com/2010/07/09/4383/
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/gardening/2010/07/shuffling_off_to_buffalo.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/cottage-district.html
http://outsideclyde.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-buffalo.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/japanese-garden-delaware-park-buffalo.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/hope-blooms.html
http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2010/07/hidden-treasure.html
http://www.mycornerofkaty.com/2010/07/hot-time-summer-in-city.html
Thanks to all of the hard work of the organizers as well as all of the adventurous garden bloggers who took the time to explore a city that might not have been on their list as a gardening mecca. A few of the participants told me that it was the best run event that they had ever attended - a ton to see and do... lots of gardens with plenty of rest stops along the way in order to nourish the mind and the body. 72 garden bloggers from 23 states and Canada visited Buffalo this past weekend and took with them the flourishing nature of our ever-changing city. It is these types of efforts that are so valuable when it comes to marketing Buffalo in the best light possible.
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It's truely remarkable that in 10 years time, the GardenWalk, Buffalo In Bloom and all the smaller neighborhood Garden Walks have had such a positive effect in terms of neighborhood rejuvenation. How many house paint jobs and rehabs in Buffalo's neighborhoods have been inspired by the neighborhood pride that has been generated by all of Buffalo's gardeners? I live in Brookline, MA and am aware of the Garden Walks here too. I'd like to emphasize that a big difference between Buffalo's garden walks and Boston's is that here in Boston you have to buy a ticket and display it on your personage before you can get into somebody's backyard. Just imagine,all this beauty for free.
The upcoming GardenWalk Buffalo will be the 16th annual. Parkside held its 13th Garden Tour in late June.