Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

Garden Walk Buffalo has become a national sensation, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the city and to its 350 open gardens during the last full weekend in July (July 24 and 25 this year). 

Indeed, the entire region seems to plant in order to peak during that weekend.

About 70 garden bloggers, invited by Garden Walk president Jim Charlier and local garden blogger and magazine editor Elizabeth Licata, got a sneak preview of Garden Walk last weekend --  beating the longs lines and the crowds -- and perhaps the most charming stop on our tour was the Cottage District and its small but abundant gardens.

The district is made up of tiny Civil War era cottages that were once rented to the factory workers. Now they are occupied by an eclectic mix of retirees, young professionals and artists, and each seems willing to try to outdo a neighbor when it comes to gardening.

Each of the tiny gardens is densely planted and filled with eye-catching art, planters and whimsy. And each includes a little spot to to sit, to talk or to entertain - albeit on a very small scale.

Take a tour of the Cottage District with me on Flickr.com. And return here often this week for more highlights from Garden Variety's visit to Buffalo.

Thanks to Garden Walk, I will never think of Buffalo as the snow capital of America again. It has been transformed for me into a gardening destination!