Garden Festival offers many events

BUFFALO, N.Y. (RELEASE) - This summer, from June 18 to July 25, an exciting new green event will bloom in Buffalo - the National Buffalo Garden Festival.

With 18 garden walks (including Garden Walk Buffalo - the largest event of its kind in the country), workshops, nationally-recognized speakers, a Front Yard Garden Competition, mid-week open gardens, and a series of bus tours, this five-week-long festival has something for anyone with (or without) a green thumb.

A full calendar of events and additional information is available at www.nationalgardenfestival.com .

HIGHLIGHTED FESTIVAL EVENTS:

Thursday, June 17
5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
National Buffalo Garden Festival Kickoff Party
The public is invited to celebrate the start of the National Buffalo Garden Festival with refreshments, mingling and some great prizes.
Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
2655 South Park Ave., Buffalo, N.Y.
$5 admission, cash bar
Advance tickets are available at www.NationalGardenFestival.com or by calling 716-827-1584, ext. 305

Saturday, June 19
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Stephanie Cohen
Stephanie Cohen, the "Perennial Diva" and nationally-recognized author of The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer, Fallscaping and The Non-Stop Garden, will present a fun, upbeat talk on "The Summer Garden." The event will begin with a light reception. Media support for this event comes from BuffaloRising.com, Artvoice and WBFO 88.7FM.
Nichols School Flickinger Performing Arts Center
1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, N.Y.
$12 in advance, $15 at the door
Advance tickets are available at www.NationalGardenFestival.com or by calling 716-827-1584, ext. 305

Saturday, June 26
2 p.m.
Amy Stewart
As the bestselling author of Flower Confidential and Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart is one of the most exciting garden writers in the country. She'll share some humorous and spicy insights into the plant world.
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, N.Y.
Free

Sunday, June 27
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Parkside Garden Tour (Buffalo)
More than 50 gardens will be on display, from a modest rock garden to meticulous front to back landscaping. Parkside is a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed neighborhood that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
www.parksidebuffalo.org/tours
$5 donation to Parkside Community Association is encouraged

Tuesday, July 6 to Sunday, July 18
Front Yard Garden Competition
All 19 front yards along North Parade Ave., which borders Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Buffalo, will receive makeovers by professional landscapers, who will donate their time and materials. The public can view the transformation from July 6 to July 10 and then vote on their favorite yard from July 10 to July 18. After the competition is complete, the North Parade Ave. residents can take free training on how to maintain their new landscaping. This event is coordinated by the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the Western New York State Nursery & Landscape Association, and the New York State Certified Nursery and Landscape Professionals.
Free

Friday, July 9
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Delaware Park Japanese Garden Rededication
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy will celebrate the updates to its Japanese Garden in Delaware Park (on Mirror Lake, behind the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) with a rededication ceremony. The event will feature tours of the garden, clarinet music by Sal Andolina, blessings from Shinto gods and goddesses, tea ceremonies and a performance by Japanese folk dancers. City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown will be present, as well as the Friends of the Japanese Garden and a representative from Kanazawa, Buffalo's Japanese sister city.
Free

Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Garden Walk Buffalo
Now in its 15th year, Garden Walk Buffalo is the largest event of its kind in the country, with 45,000 guests taking a free tour of more than 350 privately-owned urban gardens. Featuring styles spanning from Japanese gardens to a manicured putting green, the walk has been hailed as "a must-see event" by the San Francisco Chronicle and "the best event of its kind" by TheAtlantic.com.
Additional information is available at www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com
Free