Book Review: Buffalo-Style Gardens

Buffalo-Style Gardens by Sally Cunningham & Jim Charlier (St. Lynn’s Press, 2019, 224 pp., $24.95)

As soon as I heard Buffalo-Style Gardens would be coming out, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Why?

In 2017, the annual garden writer’s conference was held in Buffalo, NY. My colleagues and I were given the opportunity to visit several gardens that had been a part of Garden Walk. It’s no exaggeration to say we were all bowled over by the caliber of each one. (see video at bottom of post)

If you’ve never heard of Garden Walk — and don’t feel badly because I hadn’t either, prior to the conference — it’s well worth attending. Garden Walk takes place each year in late July and features 400 gardens. What’s more, this is a free, self-guided tour, with free shuttles to boot.

What struck me most about the gardens was how unique and creative each one was — even the tiniest of gardens.

As the authors write, “The common design thread connecting the hundreds of gardens of Garden Walk Buffalo is the individual artistic sense of the gardens, their way of personalizing an outdoor space, their love of the objects and plants they bring to it.”

We’ve all gone on garden tours and encountered a garden that resonates with us, right? We usually study it while trying to determine how we can achieve that same feeling in our own space.

What the authors set out to do in Buffalo-Style Gardens is to illustrate good garden design by using examples of fabulous Buffalo gardens. And even though these gardens are a world away from many of us, the point is that we can all learn valuable lessons from them. This book is packed with eye-catching photographs of these gardens to underscore why they stand out.

While discussing important elements of garden design, Cunningham and Charlier provide a gardener self-assessment to help the reader focus on what’s most important (and doable) to them. They also highlight design elements that raise a garden from just okay to knockout.

Other design concepts, such as personalizing a space with furniture or collections, are included. Later in the book, Cunningham highlights plants that really earn their real estate in the garden.

The final chapter explores the positive impact gardening has both on individuals and their community. The authors provide the resources needed to spread the concept of Garden Walk in other locations. How I’d love to see this idea snatched up by cities across the country!

Buffalo-Style Gardens truly captures the essence of what it takes to create a garden that reflects the personality of the homeowner and is brimming with take-home ideas. I’m glad Sally Cunningham and Jim Charlier took the time to share this with us.

NOTE: In 2017, I shot a video about the Buffalo Garden Walk, which features many amazing gardens. I thought you might enjoy watching it: