Urban Roots' Free Gardening Workshop: Buffalo Native Plants

Where:: Urban Roots Community Garden Center

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428 Rhode Island Street
Buffalo, NY 14213
(716) 362-8982

What/Why:: Garden consultant Beaufort Wilbern heads up this free, hyperlocal workshop on raising plants native to Buffalo in Urban Roots' funky little Rhode Island St space (right down the street from the Essex Pub & Left Bank). 'Cause as much as we love the humble cactus, you can't really call yourself a gardener for putting a plant that evolved a thousand miles away from Lake Effect snows and humid summers in your windowsill. That thing doesn't even need water.

If you're still confused after the workshop, the store also boasts a huge collection of books, and a knowledgeable community of gardeners who can help hook you up with the knowledge you need to realize your dreams of becoming an urban farmer in 2012. Or, you know, just someone who can keep a potted herb alive.

Word to the wise: Be sure to sign up for the workshop beforehand. You can do this by stopping into the store and signing up on the sheet on the wall, calling at 716-362-8982, or emailing workshops@urbanroots.org.

Bonus: the shop's attached to Five Points Bakery, so you can have coffee and cinnamon buns before you get down and dirty. Which you should!