Garden Photo of the Day

Joe’s Exuberant Buffalo Garden

Bold, creative gardening in a small space

By GPOD Contributor
outdoor room covered in plants

Today we’re in Buffalo, New York, visiting with Joe Hopkins.

We’ve visited with Joe before (Color-Blind Plant Combinations). He gardens on a small, urban lot and is partially color blind, but he turns those potential difficulties into strengths with fearless color combinations and using countless pots to transform a paved driveway into more garden space. In addition to over a hundred pots filled with plants, he also gets creative with nontraditional containers, including twelve different foam wig forms turned into planters!

backyard seating area surrounded by many potted plants
It’s hard to believe all this space is actually a driveway! Massing pots together with some chairs, tables, and even a lamp transforms this blank space into a garden.

large grouping of containers with foliage plants
There are no flowers in sight among this cluster of pots—only incredible color from a wide array of foliage.

outdoor room covered in plants
This space is a full-on living room outside, with plants threatening to swallow up all the furniture, making it a lush jungle experience.

paved driveway covered with large group of container plants
A bit of the blacktop driveway is exposed—before it vanishes under a wall of plants in pots.

colorful mannequin heads used as planter pots
Buffalo gardens are famous for their cheerful, creative takes on garden design. This is surely a prime example, with foam wig forms transformed into planters.

succulent growing in a blue head planter
Choosing a succulent plant for a nontraditional container like this works well, because the small amount of soil will dry out quickly.

sedum growing in a purple head planter pot
A little paint, some over-the-top sunglasses, and a mass of sedum for hair

ornamental grass growing in a yellow head planter pot
An explosion of blue ornamental grass makes a hairstyle for this yellow wig head.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    simplesue 03/20/2023

    I love the beauty & creativity you have going on in your garden!
    The way you made the wig heads into planters, and how unique each one looks delights me!
    All your plants in containers over asphalt- wow- what an accomplishment- and they are all thriving!
    Such a happy and wildly intense garden, probably just like you!
    It's wonderful!

  2. sheila_schultz 03/20/2023

    Oh Joe, your driveway gardens are outrageously fun and crazy lush! I'm guessing that your idea of using wig forms as succulent planters will be copied, just sayin'... I'm still smiling!!! I love it all, every single detail. Thanks for brightening my day.

  3. jos29803 03/20/2023

    You absolutely cannot be sad with a garden like this. It's so colorful and whimsical. Thank you for sharing and I am still smiling.

  4. btucker9675 03/20/2023

    So many smiles! Thanks for brightening my day!

  5. John_Seagle 03/20/2023

    Thank you very much for this beautiful article. Love it low cost spray foam insulation

  6. katherine_8 03/23/2023

    Hello from across the lake in Ontario :)
    Love your garden. So colourful. Such variety. I love how you've transformed the wig forms and all the sunglasses.

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