by Connie Oswald Stofko
The established perennial garden in the front yard of 166 York St., Buffalo, was an added incentive for Nick and Marideth Heim to buy the home three years ago.
That garden was one of more than 400 landscapes that were shared on Garden Walk Buffalo on July 25 and 26.
Garden Walk Buffalo is the largest garden walk in the nation. Many of the streets were crowded with visitors, and free shuttles drove tourists among the three headquarters. There was a wide variety of gardens, including cottage gardens, grassless yards, vegetable gardens, organic gardens, rock gardens, Asian-style gardens, gardens with native plants and gardens with ponds and water features.
The Heims’ front yard is tiny, but the space is used well. It is ringed with perennial beds. Stones and ground cover provide an area for seating.
“The garden blooms in phases,” Marideth said. “There’s always something blooming.”
Iris and mountain bluet were already done by the time of Garden Walk Buffalo. Plants in bloom during the walk included the butterfly bush, phlox, hydrangea, echinacia and daisies. Other plants include blue hosta and lamb’s ear.
Along the walkway is Florida grass, Nick said, that is low early in the season, but by this time of year is about seven feet tall. It adds a bit of privacy to the garden.
The perennials are easy to maintain, the Heims said.
The couple added their own touches, such as the column from Buffalo ReUse in front of the Florida grass, as well as the second-floor window box.
Nick shared a couple gardening tips he learned along the way.
The first is to cut back the butterfly bush around May. He did that this year and he said it seemed to bloom better.
The second tip is to get rain barrels so you have a cheap supply of water for your gardens.
“I didn’t realize how much water cost until we bought a house in the city,” Nick said.
