On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA June - July 2017 | Page 3

— Buffalo, continued from page 1
A checkerboard pattern surprises visitors to the
Charliers’ garden. The garden includes several
places where visitors can sit and talk.
The Charliers’ 1897 Dutch Colonial was featured in the June 2017 issue of Old House Gardens magazine.
Art of Gardening. With these and more Buffalo
garden-boosting endeavors, one wonders
when he gardens or how he catapulted this
garden from a dull lot surrounding a wonderful
1897 Dutch Colonial house to the showplace it
is today. The answer, Jim said, is “one project at a
time.”
Jim got serious about developing this gar-
den about 13 years ago with lots of weeding,
digging and moral support from Leslie, who is
an international flight attendant, competitive
runner and mother—in other words, also busy.
Jim doesn’t just garden with plants, though. He
takes on a new project every year. “I’m a graphic
designer/art director, so I consider myself an
artist. Designing things for the garden lets me
stretch that creative muscle,” he said.
So far creations include a copper leaf foun-
tain, mosaic-tile floor in the sitting area, a bed
of Heuchera, hell strip planting, wall of espal-
iered pears, a succulent-planted wall hanging
and—his ultimate work—the Taj MaShed. Okay,
it’s just a garden shed, but it’s unlikely to be
topped. I hope you see it.
Buffalo gardens tend to be intimate expres-
sions of the gardeners, no less in the Charlier
case. Consider the Harry Potter garden that Jim
declared to be the most fun because it got his
daughter Margaux (now in college) interested.
Note the seating groups and places to dine
that speak of friendliness and sociability. Or look
at the wall behind the hot tub by the back door,
where you’ll see framed posters of every year of
Garden Walk Buffalo. It’s a commitment.
Why do some gardeners put in so much
effort? It can be surprising as well as personal.
I asked Jim, “What gives you the most buzz?
Where’s the most joy in it for you?” His answer,
“It’s the sharing and marketing that uses my
skill set, including promoting other people’s
gardens. It’s also the people. I’ve met so many
wonderful people through the International
Garden Tourism Conferences, GWA, Garden
Walk Buffalo and WNY Open Gardens, including
the volunteers, the gardeners and the guests.
“It’s a wonderful community of gardeners in
my neighborhood and our city, and I’ve learned
it’s also true in the U.S. and beyond. Gardening
is enriching, inspiring, and very, very social,” he
said.
Sally Cunningham is head of the local arrange-
ments committee for #GWA2017.
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