Double lot is filled with gardens; see it on Hamburg Garden Walk

Gardens stretch all the way down the long fence in the double lot of Julie Anderhalt. She installed this garden in phases and has added many islands over the years. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko

by Connie Oswald Stofko

When Julie Anderhalt was looking for a house in 1989, it was a seller’s market. A house would go on the market and it would be bought in an hour. So when she found a house she liked and realized someone else was interested in it, she quickly put in an offer. It was a whirlwind, she said, but her offer was accepted.

Later she asked the owner of the house who owned the lot next door.

“You do,” he replied.

That how Anderhalt found out she had actually bought a double lot. She doesn’t like grass much, so she has spent years installing garden after garden on the large property.

You can see her gardens at 94 Huntington Ct., Hamburg, during the Village of Hamburg Garden Walk to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10.

It’s a free, self-guided garden walk. Pick up a map at Memorial Park, corner of Lake & Union Streets in the Village of Hamburg.

One of Julie Anderhalt’s neighbors had her wedding ceremony in Anderhalt’s garden with the arbor. It was one of the first gardens she installed because the ground is low in this part of the yard. Every year when she took vacation, she would get a dump truck of dirt and start a new garden. Because she now has so many gardens, instead of digging weeds out by hand, she smothers them. She sets down cardboard and newspaper around her plants and covers that with mulch to keep the weeds down. “I wish I would have done that years and years ago,” Anderhalt said. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko

This is a memorial garden to her mother. Her mother loved lighthouses, and relatives gave Anderhalt lighthouses and other ornaments for the garden. Whenever friends and relatives see items she might like to use somewhere in her garden, they let her know. Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko

Other local garden walks this weekend are:

The 12th annual Lockport in Bloom, a city-wide garden tour, will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10. The Twilight in the Garden evening walk will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Maps will be available at the Garden Walk Headquarters at the Kenan Center, 433 Locust St., Lockport.

The Scene Around Town Garden Walk will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 9 in Springville. Pick up maps at Fiddler’s Green Park, Franklin and S. Buffalo St., Springville. There will also be a free raffle, with prizes donated by Waterman’s Greenhouse.

The Town of Amherst Garden Walk will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 9. You can pick up maps at Arbordale Nurseries; 480 Dodge Rd., Getzville, Menne Nursery, 3100 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, and at 111 Campus Drive West, Snyder, on the day of the walk.

The Grand Island Garden Walk will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10. Maps for the tour can be picked up at the Town Commons Gazebo at the corner of Whitehaven and Baseline Rd., Grand Island.

The Snyder-CleveHill Garden View will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10. Maps for the tour can be picked up at Trillium’s Courtyard Florist, 2195 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

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2 Comments on “Double lot is filled with gardens; see it on Hamburg Garden Walk”

Connie says:

March 16, 2017 at 2:45 pm

I don’t know whether the homeowner actually rents out her backyard for weddings, but you could write to her. If you’re looking for a lovely venue for a wedding, you might try the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens in South Buffalo, which isn’t far from Hamburg. I hope that helps.
Marcy bishop says:

March 16, 2017 at 2:36 pm

Would live to have my wedding ceremony in the garden in Hamburg,I believe it’s on. Huntington CT.wedding date is July 28 2018

2 Comments on “Double lot is filled with gardens; see it on Hamburg Garden Walk”

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