Events
Upcoming Events › Gardens
Capen by Night
Seventh annual Capen Garden Walk by Night. Visit some of our gardens under the light of the moon. Enjoy the evening ambiance of nature under the stars.
Free event, rain or shine, in the neighborhoods surrounding the South campus of the University at Buffalo.
Maps are available at the UB Anderson Gallery parking lot located at 1 Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo, NY 14214, until 4pm, the days of the walk.
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Grand Island Garden Walk
Come visit the Heart of the Niagara, and our Grand Island gardens with their unique styles, themes, and variety of plants. While you are here, take advantage of our miles of nature trails, the eight-mile walk/bike path along the West River, or explore our two State Parks at Beaver Island and Buckhorn.
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Snyder-CleveHill Garden View
Special features Some gardens have been published locally and nationally in Garden Gate magazine, The Buffalo News, Buffalo Spree and online. Don’t miss garden structures and water features.
This 21st annual tour includes about 30 private gardens and carefully tended public spaces. Gardens of all shapes, types, and sizes are set against a backdrop of 1910-1950 architecture. Many garden styles and plant types are represented, as are water features and garden structures.
Maps at Trillium’s Courtyard Florist, 2195 Kensington Avenue, Amherst
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East Aurora Garden Walk
Tour is free and open to the public. Maps are available on the days of the Garden Walk at Hamlin Park Rotary Stage, adjacent to Prospect Street.
Enjoy historic homes, pollinator friendly gardens, water features and Millard Fillmore’s 1826 honeymoon home and garden. Spend the day and enjoy our Knox Farm State Park and Sinking Ponds Nature Area, plus East Aurora’s historic Main Street with many locally owned restaurants and businesses, including Vidler’s!
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Urban Farm Day Tour
Urban Farm Day is filled with more fun and learning than anyone can imagine! Wonderful arrays of urban gardens will dazzle visitors, as the gardeners themselves enjoy sharing their love of growing.
The day features an entire yard turned into mulched gardens, instruction on how to have chickens on a city lot, and information on the jobs and job training some farms offer.
UB Food Lab hosted an interactive session about its work to ensure that urban agriculture & and urban agriculture policy & serves Black, brown, and refugee communities in Buffalo.
Join us this year for more fun and learning; pick up your week’s produce while talking with truly devoted and enthusiastic gardeners.
Even if you never plan to put a single tomato plant in the ground, you’ll find so much to enjoy.
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Orchid Repotting with the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society – Evening
Join us for an Orchid Repotting Event in partnership with the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society!
Bring your orchid with you! Our experts will help repot your plant and give you lots of great advice on how to care for your orchid. There will be growing medium and varied sized pots for sale. Prices will vary but will start around $20 (this includes a new pot, growing medium and orchid repotting by an expert). All proceeds benefit the Niagara Frontier Orchid Society.
When to repot an orchid:
It’s new to your family – Repot right after it blooms!
In the spring – Check the bark mix in the spring and repot it if you notice any bark decomposition.
Its crowded – Orchids do prefer a small pot and they will start to weave their roots through the growing medium as they grow and will eventually run out of room. The roots will start to push the plant up above the rim of the pot or reach out into the air, looking for room to breathing space. This is a sure sign to provide new accommodations for your plant.
The Orchid Repotting Event will take place in the Community Room of the Administration Building on the Botanical Gardens’ campus. There is no admission fee, just what you spend on repotting, pots and growing medium. If you just want to stop by to get some advice, we are happy to talk orchids for days!
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Free Community Nights! | Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
Enjoy free admission to the Botanical Gardens on the first Wednesday evening of each month in 2024. Each date will feature a different theme, activities, and local partnership celebrations from 5-8pm. Visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour of the Botanical Gardens, fun scavenger hunts and experience activities, information tables, programs, performances and more from local partners.
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Feed the Fish
Get up close and personal with our family of koi fish with this unique Gardens Exclusive! Enjoy early access to the Botanical Gardens before we open to the public with a special learning experience that’s fun for all ages. Each participant receives a cup of koi fish food and time to help feed our fishy friends! Regular admission for the day is included, so you can explore the conservatory after the feeding! This special encounter is limited to 15 people per experience. All tickets must be purchased ahead of time online. Every person must have a ticket! Member discounts, promotional discounts, and guest passes do not apply.
Our family of koi fish and the Feed the Fish program are proudly cared for in partnership with Masterson’s Garden Center.
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Photography Days
Make your reservation today! Bring along your favorite photographer and join us for Photography Days to get the most out of your photo experience at the Botanical Gardens! We are opening up the Botanical Gardens for the public to take family photos, engagement shoots, senior portraits, maternity photos, baby photos or photos of any special occasion at a reduced rate.
Our Photography Policy (below) will apply during your reservation. Please keep in mind that Photography Days provide a shared space and you must be respectful of other guests.
KEEP IN MIND! As the sun begins to set in the fall and winter, the Botanical Gardens conservatory will also lose daylight as we are an open glass greenhouse. We will be providing our house lights to create a lovely experience during sunset, but please keep this in mind as both a photographer or model as you may need to utilize different camera settings.
If you would like to take posed photography outside of these days and times, a Photography rental reservation is required. To inquire, please contact events@buffalogardens.com.
Photography Policy:
Pets are not permitted.
Furniture and large props are not permitted.
We do not allow drone photography inside.
The Botanical Gardens’ plants, arrangements, exhibits, benches, chairs, tables, signage etc. are not to be moved, walked on, or disturbed in any way. Any destruction will be at the cost of the guest.
If your party is late for your reservation, you will be held to the remaining time of your reservation or you can reschedule for a full session.
No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the facility. We reserve the right to ask anyone who appears to be intoxicated to leave without a refund.
Some exhibits or special events may be taking place on the day of your reservation; therefore, some rooms may be unavailable or altered.
Open Art Nights
The Buffalo Botanical Gardens is full of natural beauty and so much inspiration and what better space to come and create?! We’re inviting artists of all media and abilities, near and far, to grab their sketchbooks, canvases, pencils or paints, and find inspiration under the lush conservatory for an intimate art experience that you won’t find anywhere else in Buffalo. You will have the entire 30,000+ square foot conservatory full of exotic plants from around the world at your fingertips to create in plein-air for four hours. *Limited registration
This experience is best suited for artists ages 16 and up. All participants are encouraged to bring their own easels, small tables, water cups, and water-based or dry media to work with. Only chairs and water for painting will be provided. Please keep in mind the nature of the greenhouse is very warm and humid. Water bottles are welcome and encouraged. Please review our full Artist Expectations below before reserving your space.
Artist Expectations for Open Art Nights at the Botanical Gardens:
What’s Provided: One chair per artist, clean water for painting, supply disposal, and of course the beautiful conservatory full of inspiration, accompanied by soft, soothing music.
What you should bring: Artists are welcome to bring their own materials such as easels, small tables, water cups, and water-based or dry media. *No oil based media, spray paint, or splattering can be used for the safety of our plants. Keep in mind only chairs and water for paints will be provided. Water bottles are welcome and encouraged and beverages will be available for purchase in the Admission area.
Clean up: Artists are responsible for placing trash in receptacles and following all material disposal instructions. Absolutely NO materials or soiled water will be dumped down the sink, in potted plants, or in the garden beds.
Respect others and our Plants: Artists are welcome to set up anywhere on the paved space throughout the conservatory. Please keep in mind this is a shared space. Do not block walkways and be considerate of other artists. The Botanical Gardens’ plants, arrangements, exhibits, benches, chairs, tables, signage etc. are not to be moved, walked on, or disturbed in any way. Any destruction will be at the cost of the guest. Absolutely NO plants are to be touched, moved, pulled or cut. For the safety of our plants, only water-based or dry media will be permitted.
Not Permitted: Large props, drone photography, alcoholic beverages or drugs are not permitted in the facility. We reserve the right to ask anyone who does not adhere to these guidelines to leave without a refund.
Also, get the chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Blick Art Materials while attending this special event!
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