The Clock Is Ticking: Apply for the Buffalo Garden Fling by this Friday, May 15

There’s still time to join garden creators from across the U.S. and Canada for the 2026 Buffalo Garden Fling—but the application deadline is this Friday, May 15.

One lunch will be here, in the garden of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Martin House.

If you’ve been thinking about coming to Buffalo this summer, now’s the time to apply.

We can continue accepting attendees after May 15, but only if space remains available. Once the tour fills up, we’ll remove the online application completely. Based on the response so far, we expect to fill up quickly.

And what a group it’s shaping up to be.

65 Digital garden creators and storytellers from 27 states and Canada are already planning to travel to Buffalo from places including Austin, Portland, Seattle, Asheville, Philadelphia, Boise, San Diego, Memphis, Knoxville, Boston, Washington, D.C., Ontario, and dozens of other cities and towns across North America. From longtime garden bloggers to newer creators building audiences on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack, the Buffalo Fling is becoming a remarkable gathering of people who love gardens, photography, travel, storytelling, and discovering what makes a place unique.

As we continue finalizing the itinerary, we’re also putting together some memorable dining experiences throughout the week.

There will be an opening reception at Buffalo’s Erie Basin Marina Trial Gardens, just a short waterfront walk from the hotel.

The evening will take place in one of the few public trial gardens in the eastern U.S., where annuals from breeders and growers around the world are evaluated to see which plants can thrive in our climate. You'll stroll among cutting-edge (potential!) introductions from companies including Syngenta Flowers, Selecta, Kientzler, Dümmen Orange, Ball FloraPlant, and Proven Winners (a Fling sponsor!)—plants that may not even appear in garden centers for another year or two. As the sun sets over Canada, you can watch yachts, kayakers, jet skiers, and party boats drift past the historic 1833 Buffalo Lighthouse while taking in views of Lake Erie and Buffalo's skyline. And because this is Buffalo, there’s even a chance the breeze will carry the unmistakable scent of Cheerios from the nearby General Mills plant. The setting captures what makes Buffalo distinctive: world-class horticulture, industrial history, and waterfront beauty all woven together in one place.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Visit here.

One lunch will happen in a world-class hosta and daylily garden—surrounding a home with a stream running under it.

Several meals will happen in gardens themselves—because in Buffalo, gardens aren’t just something to look at. They’re places to gather, celebrate, and connect.

Fling organizers are especially excited about plans for a larger sit-down banquet event in a beautiful historic setting at one of the oldest women’s clubs in the country, established in 1894. You'll enjoy drinks in the club’s historic garden before dinner in an elegant room filled with history and architectural character.

Another highlight will combine Buffalo’s industrial past with its creative future.

One lunch is planned at a cool bar/restaurant tucked into a reclaimed industrial space surrounded by towering grain silos along the Buffalo River.

That lunch will happen with tours of Silo City, a fascinating post-industrial landscape. Home to the world’s largest collection of historic grain elevators, it's evolved into a center for ecological restoration, urban gardens, public art, earthworks, sculpture installations, performance spaces, and a native plant nursery that provides plants for restoration projects throughout the northeast.

Would you like to provide door prizes? Email buffalofling@gmail.com

It’s exactly the kind of uniquely Buffalo experience that makes this event different.

The 2026 Buffalo Garden Fling won’t just showcase beautiful gardens. It will explore the intersections of gardening, urbanism, preservation, ecology, art, food, history, and community in a city where creativity blooms in unexpected places.

If you want to be part of it, don’t wait too long.

Apply by Friday, May 15—and before the tour reaches capacity.

Ready to Apply? Apply First, Register Second.

We're about three-quarters full as of this posting—plenty of spots left, but the May 15 deadline is real.

1. Fill out the Garden Fling Qualification Form. This does NOT guarantee registration—it verifies your online presence. See the full qualifications here.

2. If confirmed, you'll receive a link to the Registration Form to reserve your spot by credit card ($300) and book your hotel room. Watch for a confirmation email (check spam if you don't see it).

3. Applications are processed first-come, first-served.

We can't wait to see you in Buffalo!

Learn more at gardenfling.org.