Buffalo's National Garden Festival: Open gardens return to Niagara County

Free, self-guided garden tours

Buffalo's National Garden Festival is now in its fifth year and once again features a group of outstanding private gardens to visit on your own on Thursdays and Fridays throughout the month of July.

Over the course of the festival's first four years, the open gardens event has become a popular way for residents and visitors looking for a fun and free diversion to spend a lovely summer day. The gardens are beautiful, there are no crowds, and the gardeners are often at home and happy to answer questions about their horticultural creations.

This year, some 90 private gardens throughout the Buffalo/Niagara region will be open to visitors. Buffalo Niagara's open gardens project is modeled on the successful, long-standing tradition of open gardens in England.

National Garden Festival open gardens will be open to the public Thursdays and Fridays during the month of July (with the exception of Friday, July 4). Information about open gardens can be found at nationalgardenfestival.com as well as the National Garden Festival Directory & Open Gardens Guide that is available at no charge throughout the region (including the Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center in downtown Buffalo, the Botanical Gardens, AAA offices, area hotels, as well as nurseries and garden centers). Locations, dates and times for the individual gardens can be found in both the online and print directory.

The following open gardens will be available to visit in Niagara County:

• Kenan Center Gardens, 433 Locust St., Lockport; open Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.
• Kurbs Garden, 570 Locust St., Lockport; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
• DiMino Garden, 4521 Sharon Drive, Lockport; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
• Snediker Garden, 8443 Slayton Settlement Road, Gasport; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
• Sinclair Garden, 22 Rydalmount Road, Lockport; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
• Taylor Garden, 480 Pine St., Lockport; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday
• International Peace Garden, 476 Center St., Lewiston; gardens open daily