If you have ever wondered how to beautify your neighborhood, here is some inspiration.
From Beet Tops to Black-Eyed Susan-lined walkways, the community planted, weeded, and organized itself to feature its neighborhood as a Garden Tourism Destination. The Black Squirrel Home & Garden Walk through the Memorial Park neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York, was filled with some superb gardens!
This is just the ticket for those of us who will walk any distance to see the secret backyard oases in neighborhood gardens. You’ll find interesting details in the ‘nooks and crannies that delight and give you ideas for little gardens or flower pots at home. People came from far and wide to get a look, talk to the gardeners, and learn about new ideas and plants.
Of course, there are gardens at parks, but in neighborhood walks, you see home gardens lovingly worked by green-thumbed residents. Everyone we talked to along the way confirmed just how much they put into their gardens. All seemed happy to do it. As the old saying goes, “If you want to be happy all your life, plant a garden.”
It Takes A Neighborhood!
Covering the Black Squirrel Home and Garden Walk was a delightful experience. The homeowners were there all during the walk to talk to visitors and give them tips on gardening. Although the “Walk” took place before Covid in August 2019, it is well worth updating and showcasing this in the Astoria Magazine Homes & Gardens Category since even though there has not been another walk in the same neighborhood, others may want to find ways to do this in their area.
Need Publicity or PR for your event? Please go to the Contact Page and email us. We are glad to help.
I want you to know that I still have a prized Canna Lily because of the information one of the gardeners gave me. Did you know you can overwinter this tall-standing tropical flowering plant? Well, you can. You save the bulb in a dark, cold place like your cellar. Then, plant again in spring. The flowers produce large seeds in fall, which can also be harvested and planted. I grew some from seeds, but buying a pot and overwintering it is much easier.
Garden Tourism is one way to enhance a cityscape. All you need are a few willing hands, some funding through a local organization, and the will to do it. You may enjoy the book Garden Tourism by R.W. Benfield.
The Garden Tour of Homes
The McClinton House
As I photographed her in her back garden gazebo retreat, Angela McClinton remarked, “Sitting in my garden is so peaceful. It is a little piece of heaven back here all summer long. I use this as my special place to write and contemplate.” Angela’s husband, Gregory, is the Pastor at the Disciples of Christ Ministries in the Deveaux Woods neighborhood in Niagara Falls. She often helps with sermons.
Angela told me a little about her life in the neighborhood.
“This has been home to us for over thirty years, she mentioned, “We were like the Brady Bunch, we raised a wonderful blended family here, and now our grandchildren love to visit. At our Christmas Dinner for the family, there is standing room only!”
Angela McClinton
If you know Niagara Falls, NY, this will ring true. It is an old city with deep roots and family ties. Steeped in history, it has had its high points and low. With grassroots initiatives like the Black Squirrel Home & Garden Walk in its fourth year, residents are beginning to take back a historic neighborhood packed with homes, majestic “old ladies” built in the 1880s and 1890s.
Memorial Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods. I can imagine that if brick and stone could talk, they would shout for joy at the love and new attention they would get from passionate home renovators and gardeners alike.
The Graling House
The Graling House is located on Twelfth Street. The home has a large back garden divided into two main spaces. One was a kitchen garden, and the other contained several delightful seating areas. Upon entering the back garden from the narrow walkway, a large table was set up to greet people. Everyone was so welcoming. It was like coming home.
A neighborhood walk can help create a sense of unity in a community and even beautify it. One home at a time!
Requisite gardening work is required to prepare a home and a neighborhood for visitors. Fortunately, some people love to garden or have the funds to hire others. In the beginning, it is all about gathering people together to see who would like to be involved. Not everyone will get involved, but that is okay.
Some people are good at organizing and gaining sponsors, and some are good at marketing the idea rather than doing the gardening themselves. The main thing is to create a sense of community. It is well known that safer neighborhoods comprise people who know their neighbors.
Before you put any word out, you must start a year ahead and bring people together to participate in the project. Sometimes, a local service group will also promote the organization. What starts as a grassroots desire to improve your neighborhood can eventually become a significant seasonal event that benefits your whole community and inspires visitors and tourists to see your gardens yearly.
Buffalo residents have, over the years, brought thousands of people to their city’s residential streets for a Once-a-Year Garden Walk.
There are many reasons to organize a garden walk.
- Sometimes, it is just as simple as the desire to have others see your work and appreciate it.
- Sometimes, it is a way to give back.
- Sometimes, it is a way to turn a blighted area into a thriving community.
- Sometimes, it helps raise money for a favorite charity or cause.
- Sometimes, it increases the value of the homes in the area.
Whether people own a home or rent, they all agree they would rather live in a beautiful neighborhood with a sense of community among its residents. In every untoward event, there are always a few good neighbors you can rely on for help!
With a bit of imagination, you can do anything!
As a little aside, the Black Squirrel Garden Walk is so named for the black squirrels in the area. It is even rumored there is one albino squirrel. Most squirrels that I have seen in Niagara Falls are gray squirrels.
Many of the houses have been lovingly restored and saved.
The Verney Graling House
Verney Graling graduated from the Minnesota College of Engineering and the Mechanic Arts in 1899. He worked as an electrician at the Hydro-Electric Plant in Niagara Falls and lived in various flats in the Memorial Park, NF neighborhood before he had the 12th Street home built for his family in 1910.
The Verney Graling House: Classic Colonial Style, Built 1910.
Verney Graling was the son of John N. Graling, a German immigrant born in 1863 who came to the USA when he was ten.
Verney was born in Fillmore County, Minnesota, and became one of Spring Valley’s most highly esteemed citizens, serving three terms as a legislator and a seven-year village council member. Spring Valley Village is a suburb of New York City.
In recent years, the Graling House fell into a state of disrepair after being owned by a succession of people. In 2005, John, who was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, bought the house after coming to see the ‘Majestic Niagara Falls! He and Ruth found Verney Graling’s house and fell in love with it. They began the slow process of saving it and creating the lovely back garden where they enjoy sitting and listening to the Roar of ‘The Majestic Niagara Falls!”
are to be congratulated on their successful neighborhood walk,
everyone enjoyed it.
As you can see, there were many gardens within a short walking distance. We tried to see them all, but with all the beautiful plants and talking with the Gardeners, I think we missed a few. Below are more images for you to enjoy.
The ‘S.W. Bearce’ House c. 1921
As you walked through the abundant flora leading up to the front verandah at the Bearce House, you caught a whiff of a note of chocolate.
The fragrance drew you in as you wondered where this hint of hot cocoa could come from. Was someone brewing a pot of hot chocolate? Upon further examination, a delicate aroma came from Organic Cocoa Mulch in the flower beds. What an added benefit to the mulch, which contains nitrogen, phosphate, and potash with a pH of 5.8… it adds several nutrients to the soil, creating additional nourishment for plants. It also happens to enhance the aroma along with the floral notes of the flowers themselves. Kudos!
The Bearce House was and still is a two-family, upper and lower, with two front porches. The information provided states, “It is a good example of a two-story Craftsman residence with a hipped roof. A ‘hipped’ roof refers to one that is designed so that all sides of the roof slope downward towards the walls without any gable. A hipped roof can look like a little cap placed on the walls. The facade is an open, full-width, two-tiered porch with open wooden rails. S. W. Bearce originally built it, and its color scheme has not changed since 1921.
‘Hopi Red’ (Amaranth) and ‘Shooting Stars’ (Nicotiana sylvestris)
Fascinating plants.
The ‘Hopi Red’ (Amaranth) has feathery plumes, also maroon in color, and the ‘Shooting Stars’ (Nicotiana sylvestris) can be seen poking out their heads in the form of white blossoms.
The large Castor Bean plant shown above has large maroon leaves and comes with an interesting story besides all the uses for Castor Bean oil.
“These seeds have an incredible history. While I was a disaster relief worker in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Minnie, an elderly African-American woman gave me a few seeds to ‘take back North’ when I completed my duties on the Gulf Coast. Minnie told me that the Castor Bean plant had been in her family since they set foot in Louisiana. Her grandmother told Minnie that the Castor Beans had been smuggled from Africa to the New World. Castor Beans are used in traditional West African medicine.”
Present Day Home owner
(Hydrangea Paniculata)
(Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis)
& Castor Bean Leaves peaking out from behind.
Below are more photographs taken along the Walk… I hope they inspire you to create a garden, even if it is just a few potted plants.
“Through the arbor flowers bloom
trina astor-stewart
Providing a haven of solitude
Upon a porch that offers a quiet room,
To read, or dream, or realign one’s attitude.
Always follow “The Porch Rules“
Kick-off your Shoes, Sip Lemonade,
Read a book! …away with your tools.
Watch the Sunset, take a nap,
Have a cuppa tea, eat a snack,
For heaven’s sakes, just relax.
Paul’s home, included in the Black Squirrel Home & Garden Walk, has a full verandah on the rear of his house.
Paul moved here eight years ago and entirely renovated his home.
“It is a labor of love,” he says, “The homes in this area really deserve it!”
Two long flower beds flank Paul’s large back garden. In front of the garage, which backs onto an alleyway, there are six large stone pillars on which he hangs flower baskets. He says the pillars’ origin is not known other than they were on the property before the house was originally built. A beautiful large tree graces the bottom of the garden.
with flower-filled white urns.
Homeowners on the Walk welcomed us and talked to us about their special gardening secrets and the ways they have found to grow attractive and unique gardens. Some even invited us into their homes to see detailed original woodwork, such as the built-in china cabinet above. Many have furnished their homes with traditional and vintage furnishings. The above bedroom suite in one home is the vintage wedding ring pattern quilt and handmade Victorian Canopy on the four-poster bed.
The Black Squirrel Garden Walk Organizers wish to
especially thank the following for their support.
- Niagara Falls Fire & Police Departments
- Niagara Street Business Association
- Niagara Falls Redevelopment
- Memorial Park Neighborhood
- Rotary
- The Marketside Restaurant
- Niagara Beautification Commission
- Levesque Institute
- Astoria Magazine: for publicizing before and after the event.
- And Many Anonymous Friends!
Need Publicity or PR for your event? Please go to the Contact Page and email us. We are glad to help.
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