Housing values have gone up. People are working on the houses–interiors and exteriors. People are spending more time on their porches (they used to just drag the living room furniture out to them to watch a Bills game). Everyone knows everyone else and looks out for each other. I was visiting there over the weekend and every one greets each other with a smile and wave. This did not happen ten years ago. There are 11 house on Sixteenth Street on Garden Walk this year! This is what I'm most proud about as president of Garden Walk Buffalo–helping foster neighborhood pride, increasing home values and increasing a sense of community in neighborhoods that might not otherwise have had something to band together for. And then showing it off to a regional (and now national) audience. And, by my moving off Sixteenth Street, I think I helped make it a much better street. Many of these Cottage District gardens have appeared in national gardening publications - Country Gardens, Great Backyards, Backyard Solutions, Garden Gate's Backyard Retreat, People Places Plants, and of course, the Garden Walk Buffalo book.

Friday: Lunch is at the Rue Franklin

I’ve written about this lovely restaurant and its garden here. Rue Franklin uses seasonal ingredients for its unpretentious, contemporary French-themed dishes. It’s a charming place inside and out.

As the Rue does not ordinarily serve lunch, we’ll have it to ourselves. We’ll keep you posted about what, if any, costs will be associated with this and other meals. Our sponsorships are still coming in.

Friday: Buffalo’s Green West Side

After lunch, we’ll tour a few interesting urban farming sites and visit Urban Roots, Buffalo’s co-op garden center. Radiating out from Urban Roots is a vibrant network of community gardens, experimental plantings, even a park designed by architecture students.

You’ll tour the Massachusetts Avenue Project's aquaponics operation (inside a strawbale greenhouse) and view our first mature crop of tilapia. You’ll also talk to some of the young architects who have created a row of totems bordering Urban Roots, and are working on a pocket park that extends from this border.

And right down the street from Urban Roots is one of the most wildly colorful front gardens of Garden Walk. It’s photo op no one can resist.

Friday: The ultimate garden party...

Over the past few months, we have been gradually confirming all of the stops on our itinerary, and it keeps getting better and better. We are pleased to announce that on Friday, after the Sustainable Buffalo tour, we will be stopping in at the spectacular garden of Gordon Ballard and Brian Olinski. This garden is featured in the Garden Walk book as well as in several magazines. Hidden from street view, Gordon's oasis features two ponds, a cantina, several seating areas, and-everywhere-lush plantings of vines, perennials, flowering shrubs, annuals, and tropicals. We'll be here for cocktails and snacks before moving on to our Friday dinner location.

Saturday: Where flowers are tested

The Erie Basin Marina test gardens are maintained by horticulturalist Stan Swisher, who grows and maintains test beds of annuals being introduced by various companies, such as Ball, Proven Winners, Goldsmith, and others. Many of these are the AAS winners of tomorrow; some will sink without a trace. We'll be visiting these flower fields and talking to Stan on Saturday morning.

But the real pleasure of the test gardens is their magnificent setting, as you see above. They are surrounded by beautiful views, a pretty boat harbor, and several historic points of interest. This is a favorite spot for family outings, picnics, and summer strolls. They are also just a few minutes away from your hotel.

I’ve had the pleasure of pouring Stan a glass of wine or two at the Garden Walk rally and he’s tried to explain to me how the testing works and why I never seem to see any of these plants in local nurseries the next spring. I’m still not sure I understand, but no matter. It’s fun to check them out.

Saturday: one of Buffalo's many "firsts"

Though its exterior plantings are less extensive than what we saw in Chicago, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is a unique part of American gardening and landscaping history. It combines a 1905 Lord & Burnham greenhouse, based on England’s Crystal Palace and Kew gardens, and the 1894 South Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as part of Buffalo’s park system, the first such system Olmsted designed for any city. We’ll see other Olmsted parks during our Friday tours. We’ll spend an hour or so at the Botanical Gardens; docent tours will be available for those who want them. There may be an admission of charge of $5, depending on the arrangements we make with the Gardens. Bring your reciprocal membership cards for other public gardens, if you have any.

Saturday: Smile for the camera...

If you need a professional portrait to use on your blog or as part of your bio material, or want to update your current photo, we have a great deal for Buffa10 attendees. Professional photographer kc kratt, one of the best in the region, has agreed to be available to take portraits on Saturday, during our visit to the Botanical Gardens. This location will offer a wide variety of backdrops, both inside and out. Amazingly, the charge for each portrait will be only $30. Please email here if you are interested. You can check out his website at kckratt.com.

Saturday: Kathy & Mike Shadrack's Garden

Mike Shadrack is a British horticulture speaker, book author & photographer. Kathy Guest Shadrack, is a board member of the Western New York Hosta Society, as well as the former president and current newsletter editor of the Buffalo Area Daylilly Society (BADS News). On Saturday, July 10, we'll be visiting their rural garden in Hamburg, New York. Kathy & Mike are members of the American Hosta Society -- he is currently Vice-President Publications, Kathy is the Recording Secretary. Mike has also been a member of the British Hosta & Hemerocallis Society for twenty-two years, is former Chairman and currently their executive Bulletin Editor.

Their house is built over a creek (like Falling Water -- not quite that spectacular, but still... it really IS built over a creek), set way back from the road in a clearing the the woods. There are mixed terraced gardens on one side of the house with dry stacked stone walls. Mike has two large hosta gardens, one on the far side of the creek, with medium-to-large hostas in a woodland garden, and a "small hosta garden" in a sunken area with several raised beds and a rockery with small and miniature hostas. There are also extensive containers.

Mike Shadrack is a British horticulture speaker, book author & photographer. Kathy Guest Shadrack, is a board member of the Western New York Hosta Society, as well as the former president and current newsletter editor of the Buffalo Area Daylilly Society (BADS News). On Saturday, July 10, we'll be visiting their rural garden in Hamburg, New York. Kathy & Mike are members of the American Hosta Society -- he is currently Vice-President Publications, Kathy is the Recording Secretary. Mike has also been a member of the British Hosta & Hemerocallis Society for twenty-two years, is former Chairman and currently their executive Bulletin Editor.

Their house is built over a creek (like Falling Water -- not quite that spectacular, but still... it really IS built over a creek), set way back from the road in a clearing the the woods. There are mixed terraced gardens on one side of the house with dry stacked stone walls. Mike has two large hosta gardens, one on the far side of the creek, with medium-to-large hostas in a woodland garden, and a "small hosta garden" in a sunken area with several raised beds and a rockery with small and miniature hostas. There are also extensive containers.

Mike is also a qualified London Tourist Board Guide and organizes garden tours both in England and specialized hosta tours in the US. Another hobby, photography, has led to a library of about 4,800 slides of hosta varieties and hosta gardens, many of which have been published in UK and USA catalogues and magazines. In addition, Mike supplied the illustrations for the Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley handbook Hostas.

He is co-author, with Diana Grenfell, and photographer of the book, The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas. The book was named the "2005 Reference Book of the Year" by the British Garden Writers Guild. The sequel to that book – Pocket Guide to Hostaswas released in 2007. In addition, a French hosta book, Les Hostas was published in early 2007 with Mike as photographer and co-author.

Mike and Diana’s latest book, The NEW Encyclopedia of Hostas was published in February, 2010 by Timber Press.

Sunday: Lancaster Avenue

When Stacey Hirvella, Senior Associate Garden Editor for Martha Stewart Living On Sunday, July 11, we'll tour the gardens of Lancaster Avenue, ending up at my house for a lunch. By Sunday, a few bloggers will have left, or will have to leave Sunday morning, or spend the day off on other adventures (we have a local water feature we call Niagara Falls some may want to visit). was in town last year during Garden Walk Buffalo, I had her meet me at my house Saturday morning to give her and her husband a quick tour of some highlight gardens. Since I'm on Lancaster Avenue, and we have seven gardens on my street on the Walk, I figured we'd start by walking up the block. By the time we seen all seven gardens and had gotten in the car to head off towards the other 334 gardens, Stacey said to me, "With just the gardens on your street, it's already the best garden tour I've ever been on." I think I got shivers.

If you're able to stay through lunch time, the gardens of Lancaster are well worth the visit. Some of these gardens have been featured in national gardening magazines such as Garden Gate; Great Backyards; Easy Weekend Gardening; BH&G's Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living; Great Gardens, Solutions for Small Spaces; People Places Plants

Here is some of what you'll see on Lancaster Avenue. and more. But the best part of a garden tour like ours is that you get to meet the gardeners. They're what makes a garden special. And they're what makes this a great street.