The National Garden Festival kicks off this weekend with several events: the first luxury bus tour, the Lewiston GardenFest, Perennials Day at Lockwood’s Greenhouses and the GObike tours. Note: The GObike event is now a series of tours held every Sunday from June 23 to July 21.
Favorite Buffalo Gardens—the Preview Tour
Friday, June 21
Tour the gardens that have made Buffalo famous, as seen in Fine Gardening and Horticulture magazines, among many others. From Disney-esque Civil War era cottages to grand Victorians, from rare dahlia collections to a funky tropical paradise with tiki bar, get this preview peek at Garden Walk Buffalo. The bus tour will be guided by Jim Charlier of Garden Walk Buffalo, who is a garden tourism consultant. The cost is $75 per person.
Perennials Day at Lockwood’s Greenhouses
9:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Saturday, June 22
“Top Hostas for Home Landscapes” with Mike Shadrack at 9:15 a.m.
Mike Shadrack, international hosta expert and entertaining speaker, will take the mystique out of choosing hostas, tell you which ones perform most dependably in sometimes difficult home landscape situations and tell you how to care for them. His books, The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas, The New Encyclopedia of Hostas, and The Little Book of Hostas (published with Kathy Shadrack) will be available for purchase and signing after his talk.
Refreshment Break & Book Signing: 10:45 a.m.
“Flowers for Butterflies” with Sally Cunningham at 11:15 AM
Sally Cunningham, director of the National Garden Festival, will show you perennials, annuals and flowering shrubs that offer nectar, pollen and larval food for butterflies and other pollinators, and how to design lovely gardens with them. Sally will have her book, Great Garden Companions, available for purchase and signing.
The cost is $25. To register, call Lockwood’s at 649-4684, stop in to the store or register on-line.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23
Located along Center Street in Lewiston, the Lewiston GardenFest includes a free garden walk with nine public and private gardens, vendors, Master Gardeners and representatives of garden organizations who can answer questions, a container garden contest and talks.
Lyn Chimera, owner and founder of Lessons from Nature, will speak on “Sustainable Gardening for the Home Gardener” at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at The Brickyard, 432 Center Street. Sally Cunningham, Certified Nursery & Landscape Professional, newspaper columnist and media personality, will present “Ecological Landscaping: What We Can Do in Our Yards and Gardens is Very Important to Mother Nature” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the Lewiston Fire Company No. 1 Hall, North 6th Street.
To participate in the container garden contest, bring your special garden in a planter or any type of container, along with a stand for display, to the hospitality booth at 4th and Center Streets by 9 a.m. Saturday, June 22. Festivalgoers will be able to vote for their favorites throughout the weekend and prizes will be awarded to the top vote-getters. Here are tips from last year. Find the entry form here.
The GObike City Garden Tours kicks off at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 23. It was originally announced as a single tour taking place that day, but now tours will be held every Sunday through July 21.
You’ll see five or six gardens on each tour, and the tours will be different each week.
You need to register for each tour. Currently the website shows you only the tour for this weekend, but more tours will be held.
