NIAGARA FALLS — There’s a longing we Western New Yorkers have for summer. It starts in January and ends just as we’re able to throw on those sandals and open up the pool. It’s not just because of the warmer weather, the longer days, or the reopening of ice cream stands — but also the glorious blooms of gardens we share and those “secret” gardens we adore.

Now, for the third year, garden enthusiasts will have a chance to spend a Saturday afternoon being inspired by the creativity of gardeners in downtown Niagara Falls.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the Orchard Parkway and Chilton Avenue gardeners are inviting visitors to take a stroll through their beautiful, secret spaces reflecting their own unique and individual style at the third annual Orchard Parkway Garden Walk.

The idea for the event started on the porch one cool late summer evening. Three friends, gathered on the petite settee talking about how they could celebrate the beauty of downtown Niagara Falls. Three years later, with the help of gardeners and garden lovers, the successful solution — a Garden Walk — is in its third year promising to be even better than before.

“What makes this walk so much fun is that it’s not mansions filled with professional landscaping perfectly coifed by crews of gardeners. We’re just regular people, and we’ve all infused our outside spaces with a unique and individual personality and style” said Scott Akdogan, president of the block club. Akdogan and his partner will open their yard at the event, showcasing a pergola expertly dressed for a lavish outdoor soiree, weather permitting.

“No matter what yard you go into, you’re bound to find one that you can easily see yourself in, laid back in one of the Adirondack chairs with a good book, or dining beneath crystal chandeliers” said Allison Pasquantino, block club vice president. “It’s very easy to leave here with a notebook filled with plant names and ideas and then go home and replicate it yourself. It’s the very essence of what a garden walk should be: Fun, informative, and inspiring.”

Pasquantino’s garden features a wealth of hydrangeas, a pond, and art created by her husband, Christopher.

In addition to private gardens, this year the HANCI community garden will be open for touring with master gardeners from the Cornell Cooperative Extension there offering free gardening advice from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Over 50 gardens will be available to tour, from modest cottage gardens to meticulously formal patios and lawns.

“We wanted to keep it free from the beginning” Pasquantino said. “For the past two years we’ve accepted donations for lemonade sold in the parkway by neighborhood children to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer. This year, we’ll also be accepting non-perishable canned good donations for the Heart and Soul Food Pantry.”

Tara King, secretary of the block club and fiancé, Joe Joyce, will show their garden, which lists plants on an allergen scale and boasts a new raised vegetable garden.

“What I love about the garden walk is that it has pushed all of the neighbors to continually learn and experiment with new plants and ideas for the garden,” King said. “We started with a clean slate, and the garden walk has encouraged Joe and I to plant the entire perimeter.”

Garden Walk grows

Last year, when Chilton Avenue joined the fun of garden walk it opened up another 10 gardens for viewing just one street over. This year, visitors can look forward to even more gardens on Chilton, including the artistic and creative backyard of Rob Lynch, Chilton Avenue Block Club President. Lynch’s yard blends the ordinary and the extraordinary seamlessly and is bound to have you question why in the world you didn’t think of it first! Dan and Dorothy Gallagher, just doors down from Lynch will participate this year as well. Their large Victorian home has been in the family for over 50 years and the cottage garden surrounding it features a variety of perennial flowers and stone statuary and garden gems you definitely don’t want to miss.

The Polly King Art Gallery along with other private gardens on Chilton Avenue range from professionally landscaped front and backyards to perfectly potted plants on the porch, and Chilton’s only out house. The walk is sure to be filled with ideas and whimsy, charm and maybe even a little envy.  

Maps of the walk are given out the morning of the event, beginning at 9 a.m. This is a free, self-guided walking garden tour. Visitors are requested to bring a canned good for Heart and Soul Food Pantry and a pocket of change to purchase a delicious cup of lemonade. While you sip, you can choose your own route and tour the gardens in any order you wish, including the backyards of many houses on the walk. Parking is available throughout the neighborhood and along Main Street. Bring your sun hat, camera and umbrella (just to be safe) you don’t want to miss this popular event!

Artie Vanderpool is a resident of Orchard Parkway and one of the planners of the Orchard Parkway Garden Walk.