The 70+ bloggers from 23 States and Canada who attended Buffa10 were afforded a rare privilege as part of the National Garden Festival. We got a sneak peek preview of Garden Walk Buffalo, minus the crowds. (Go to Buffalo July 24-25 to see it yourself.) I've been reading about Garden Walk for a couple of years, so I was very excited about seeing the gardens of Buffalo. It was wonderful to visit fabulous gardens with plants I can grow! That is, except for the usual moist soil plants
Ligularia
and the amazing Acanthus
growing in an exposed location.
If Austin was like visiting a foreign country, Buffalo was like coming home. (I've even been told my accent sounds like I'm from Buffalo.) Lots of inspiration to take home to a suburban Chicago garden.
First observation: Hydrangea macrophyllas, massive,
lush and blue and purple as well as the standard Chicago area pink.
Maybe gardeners in Chicago should give up on our pathetic mopheads, and concentrate on the Hydrangeas that do grow well here, such as the 'Annabelle' types, the H. paniculatas, and the oakleafs (H. quercifolia).
Lilies, lots of them, everywhere,
they looked especially good combined with Monarda.
Mary Ann ( Gardens of the Wild Wild West ) and I both gasped audibly when we saw this combination. I'm going to use this idea in my garden.
Color, bright, bold and everywhere.
This is the image I was taking when Frances of Fairegarden took one of me.
Even if bright color won't work with the style of house, shots of bright color can be incorporated elsewhere.
I think I'm going to steal the painted stump idea.
My favorite:
the door in the fence that gives the illusion of more beyond.
This is just a sampling of what I saw. There were many more gardens that we didn't have time to visit. There's still time to get to Buffalo and see it all for yourself. Buffalo is a Northern gardener's dream destination.