In May we announced that the Northwest Buffalo Tour of Gardens would be a virtual event in 2020. Not only do garden lovers benefit from the virtual shows, the homeowners also get a chance to show off their stuff. Now that the event is over, all of the neighborhood garden videos have been produced and posted by The BRRAlliance (view the channel here).
As I watched the videos of the wonderful gardens, I couldn’t help but giggle when I came across BRockie the Pig, who also has his own Instagram page @brockiethepig. BRockie – designed and fabricated by sculptor Lawrence Kinney – sits at the corner of Farmer and Guernsey at the Farmer Street Community Garden. The pig has become somewhat of a celebrity since first coming onto the scene. He even has wardrobe changes, with different outfits depending on the season (and his mood). Kids love to sit on BRocking for photo shoots as well. It is for these reasons that I have decided to include this particular video in the post, even though there were plenty to choose from.
Aside from BRockie, the video features the Ontario PeaAce Garden (on Ontario Street), a handful of Little Free Libraries, Grassroots Gardens, Black Rock Heritage Garden (269 Dearborn Street), produce stands, a colorful community table with benches, and some super fun public art.
Thanks to all of the organizers at BRRAlliance for putting these Northwest Buffalo Tour of Gardens videos together. Each one is full of garden inspirations, at a time when all of the garden festivals have been cut back due to COVID-19.
Be sure to visit this YouTube channel to see more Black Rock gardens, along with some interesting curiosities.