Best Front Forward

Where space is tight and lawn’s a yawn, street-side gardens are growing lush with specimen trees, showy shrubs, bold foliage, and riotous blooms. Check out the curbside plant life here—it might just inspire a front-yard makeover of your own.

- Ann E.Stratton

CHALK IT UP TO ALL the negative press about traditional water-hogging, chemical-laden turf grass—or possibly, all the high praise community gardens have received—but more and more homeowners are trading in front lawns for flower beds. The trend is especially noticeable in suburban and city neighborhoods, where postage-stamp-size plots of land keep maintenance demands in check, and sidewalk foot traffic brings a steady stream of encouragement.

For a drive-by glimpse at street-side spaces that extend a friendly welcome—bursting at their borders with flowers, shrubs, ornamental trees, and even edibles— you need look no further than Buffalo, New York. This Rust Belt city with a neighborhood feel knows well just how infectious gardening can be; it now hosts the largest garden tour in the country. Every year, on the last full weekend of July, over 400 residents graciously open their garden gates to the public, attracting an estimated 65,000 visitors. “And you’d be hard-pressed to find two gardens that look alike,” says the event’s past president, Jim Charlier. As he describes it, most of the gardens on the tour—including his own—grow on tight urban lots. The front yards are often packed with plants, completely absent of grass, and loaded with personal touches, such as quirky yard art and custom fence designs.

Just ahead: four distinctive stops along Garden Walk Buffalo. Each offers a unique take on creating a small front-yard garden—with passersby in mind.

FOUR-SEASON APPEAL