Please join us at a fundraising gala for the National Garden Festival on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo.
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, open bar, a silent Auction, NIGHT LIGHTS at the Gardens, the Amaryllis & Cymbidiums display and the current Arcangel Gallery exhibition.
Go to NationalGardenFestival.com for more information.
by Peter Burakowski
Some of the 55,000+ visitors to Garden Walk Buffalo 2011. Photo by Jim Bush.
From the 55,000 to 60,000 people who took to Buffalo’s streets during the weekend of Garden Walk Buffalo, to a national Associated Press story that placed Buffalo at the forefront of garden tourism, to the uplifting Front Yard Garden Competition that transformed a block in South Buffalo, the National Garden Festival continued to be a rousing success in its 2nd year.
Over the course of the five-week festival, organizers saw visitors from as far away as Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut, Canada, Argentina and Germany come to take part in 14 garden walks and tours, 65 Open Gardens on Thursdays and Fridays, motorcoach tours, workshops and talks by nationally-recognized garden authors.
The National Garden Festival is opening new eyes to Buffalo’s beauty and helping to replace outdated snowy, Rust Belt stereotypes with a reputation as America’s garden mecca. See you next year, from June 22 to July 29, 2012!
Thank you to all our partners who make the festival happen: Visit Buffalo Niagara, District 8 Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Garden Walk Buffalo, the Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association, the New York State Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Forest Lawn Cemetery, the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, The Buffalo News, LocalEdge, the Western New York Foundation, the Buffalo Green Fund, Catholic Health Systems, Mercy Hospital, the Western New York Hosta Society, the Buffalo Area Daylily Society, the Peace Garden Project, Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Buffalo in Bloom, the Iris Society of Western New York and Elizabeth Licata.
Last week, 13 front yards on South Buffalo’s Newman Place were completely transformed, as part of the Front Yard Garden Competition. See the dramatic before and after photos below.
And now you can vote for your favorite! Cast your ballot in-person at boxes along Newman Place or online at NationalGardenFestival.com.
43 NEWMAN PLACE
by Elbers Landscape Service, Inc.
before
after
49 NEWMAN PLACE
by The English Gardener, Ltd.
before
after
53 NEWMAN PLACE
by The English Gardener, Ltd.
before
after
57 NEWMAN PLACE
a Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association collaboration
before
after
67 NEWMAN PLACE
by Beyond the Basics Property Services, Inc.
before
after
69 NEWMAN PLACE
by Dore Landscape Associates, Inc.
before
after
71 NEWMAN PLACE
by Dore Landscape Associates, Inc.
before
after
77 NEWMAN PLACE
by Chevalier Outdoor Living
before
after
79 NEWMAN PLACE
by Restorff’s Landscape Service
before
after
83 NEWMAN PLACE
by T. O’Donnell Landscaping
before
after
87 NEWMAN PLACE
by Murray Brothers Nurseries
before
after
91 NEWMAN PLACE
by Beaver Landscaping
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after
55 NEWMAN PLACE
A collaboration of The English Gardener, Ltd., Restorff’s Landscape Service, and T. O’Donnell Landscaping
before
after
Audio slideshow by Matthew Biddle
Work continued on Newman Place into the evening on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s celebration with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in nearby Cazenovia Park. Otis Glover, director of strategic initiatives for the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, stopped by on Wednesday to check the progress of the contest and chat with residents. Check out a slideshow with photos of the day’s progress and hear what Glover had to say.
By Matthew Biddle
Bob and Karen Gallagher stand on the sidewalk looking up at 79 Newman Place, while crews from Restorff’s Landscape Service lay bricks for a new walkway, replacing the cement walk Bob, his father and siblings constructed together. But, as Bob describes it, his memories of growing up on this close-knit block have never disappeared.
“This was a great place to grow up right across the street from Caz Park,” Bob said. “There were a lot of kids on the street then, and you could just go into the park and play baseball or basketball. But keep your eyes on the street lights cause you literally had to be home as soon as the street lights came on!”
The Gallagher family moved into the home in 1951. With ten children, the family loved the quiet street, which the couple remembers as full of life and activity. They recall carnivals and baseball games in the park, and clubs and dances held at nearby St. John the Evangelist RC Church.
Karen and Bob Gallagher returned to 79 Newman Place this week to see the updates on where Bob grew up. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
“A lot of children and families connected here,” Karen said. “It’s kind of a little hidden street. People don’t know how to get to it, so there’s not a lot of traffic, and if anybody drove down the street [the neighbors] wanted to know why.”
Even after moving away, Bob and his siblings returned often with their children to visit their grandparents and enjoy the park. In 2001, the Gallagher children had to let the house go after their mother died at the age of 86.
Restorff's Landscape Service works on 79 Newman Place on Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
This week, they are all visiting their childhood street to see the progress on the Front Yard Garden Competition — an event Bob said his mother would have loved.
“My mother was a big gardener,” he said. “She was very proud of her backyard. Whenever you came to visit her, you’d find her in the backyard, and then she’d go around and tell you about the same plants and tell you what they were good for.”
Mark Gallagher, the youngest of the ten kids, rode his bike over on Tuesday from his current home on Potters Road. He said he heard about the event from emails and posts on Facebook from his siblings and friends from the block.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Mark said. “It’ll be good to spruce it up. It was a great street to grow up on, nice and quiet, and with the park, it was a really good place to be.”
Mark Gallagher said he's looking forward to seeing the final design at his old house. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
For the current Newman residents, Bob and Karen agreed that it will renew their enthusiasm for keeping up their homes and their street.
“I think this will be a boost for them,” Bob said. “It’s very difficult to keep property up sometimes, but since everyone is doing it, I think they’ll get a sense of pride in the neighborhood again.”
Excited to see the progress on their house and the entire block, they expect the rest of their siblings and friends from the street to return this week.
“The place of your birth never fades,” Karen said. “You get choked up whenever you see it. All the childhood memories come rushing back. It’s your first place, your first memories, and it’s where you were nurtured and loved.”
Just like Monday and Tuesday, landscape crews arrived this morning ready for work on sunny Day Three. Check out some photos from the morning!
Check back later for more!
Video by Matthew Biddle
After day two, most lawns are already starting to take shape. Walkways are being constructed, sod is being laid down, and new plants are already sprucing up Newman Place, which faces Cazenovia Park in South Buffalo. Check out this video of all the action from Day Two of the Front Yard Garden Competition!
All photos by Matthew Biddle
The landscape crews stayed busy into the evening on Day Two. Here’s a look at some of the work done this afternoon and where a few yards stand now!
Check back tomorrow for photos from Day Three!
By Matthew Biddle
This week, the nine landscapers involved in the second annual Front Yard Garden Competition are taking time out of their busy schedules to help on this project — all free of charge. Mike Frank, owner of Chevalier Outdoor Living, said his goal is the same as it is on all landscape projects: to get homeowners outside and into a useful, beautiful space.
Frank and his team from Chevalier Outdoor Living work late Monday afternoon. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
“We’re doing here the same thing we’d do anywhere,” Chevalier said. “We believe in taking ordinary and turning it into extraordinary.”
For some landscaper companies, like Elbers Landscape Service and Murray Brothers Nurseries, this is the second year they’ve participated. Despite difficulties in scheduling, these nine landscapers are here, transforming this South Buffalo block.
“It’s an extremely difficult year because of how wet it’s been,” said Steve Bakowski, owner of Beaver Landscaping, Inc. “It’s been difficult to fit it in, but we made a commitment to the community and we’re going to stick with it.”
Landscapers met with the homeowners last week to discuss design options and share ideas. Roger Restorff, owner of Restorff’s Landscape Service, said he and his homeowner settled on an English Garden-like space after their conversation last week.
For Bakowski, it’s vital the garden fits with the homeowner because, after the crews leave, it’s up to them to keep the garden growing for years to come.
Steve Bakowski, owner of Beaver Landscaping Inc., photographed before work began on Monday. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
“It’s real important that the garden fits the homeowner,” he said. “Otherwise, you can do a beautiful job, but if they don’t really have the means to take care of it, next year it’s going to look terrible.”
Tim O'Donnell, owner of T. O'Donnell Landscaping, works Tuesday morning. Photo by Matthew Biddle.
For that reason, besides transforming the space, the landscapers are also showing residents how to care for it with tips on how often to water and weed the yard.
“It gives people a glimmer of hope that they can do it,” Bakowski said. “There’s a sense of accomplishment, and they don’t feel so overwhelmed because they’re starting with a professionally landscaped garden.”
Other landscapers involved include T. O’Donnell Landscaping, the English Gardener, Dore Landscape Associates, and Beyond the Basics Property Services.
All photos by Matthew Biddle
The work continued bright and early on Newman Place today. A few houses are even completed or very near completion already! Here’s some photos from this morning, and be sure to check back later for more!
The landscaping at 91 Newman Place is just about complete!
The crew from T. O’Donnell Landscaping is hard at work on the house next door.
The English Gardener, Ltd. is working on the home of Ted Zielinski, who has lived here for 12 years.
Like many teams, the guys from Beyond the Basics Property Services, Inc. were here early this morning. Here, they are working on putting in a new walkway.
After working into the evening on the concrete walls for the flower beds seen in the background of these images, the team from Chevalier Outdoor Living was back again this morning.
