Sonnenberg Gardens

August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 by Webster Viridarium

With autumn seemingly approaching faster than expected, we decided to head down to Canandaigua for a stroll around Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion. It’s been a few years since we were last here and its been great to see the changes that have been made. The mansion itself is a marvel, truly a spectacular property. Next time we visit, we’ll try and come earlier in the summer when the gardens are in full bloom.

The Sonnenberg mansion was originally the summer home of Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson. Frederick was a prominent New York City banker and his wife Mary was the daughter of New York State Governor, Myron Clark and a respected philanthropist who helped fund numerous charitable projects. The mansion was build between 1885 and 1887, while most of the existing gardens were developed between 1899 and 1920.

The Thompson’s had no children, so following Mary’s death in 1923, Sonnenberg was inherited by her nephew, Emory Clark. With the significant cost of running an estate the size of Sonnenberg and the financial realities of the early 1930s, Clark sold the estate to the U.S. government who developed a Veteran’s home on the site, using the mansion as staff residents.

Over time the estate and grounds began to deteriorate significantly. In 1970 a non-profit was established with the goal of purchasing, renovating, and opening the site to the public. Remarkably, by 1973 the deed to Sonnenberg was in the hands of the non-profit, generous local donations were in hand to aid with renovations, and the estate opened to the public for the first time.

Significant challenges were still to come. Most notably, a crooked CEO who stole close to half a million dollars from the organization. The State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation was brought in to help in 2005.

Over the past 20 years, the organization has found its footing and has continued to restore existing elements of the mansion and gardens and add new features and offerings.

Bergen Water Gardens

August 16, 2026August 16, 2026 by Webster Viridarium

As it was a beautiful day out, we took a drive down to Churchville to visit the lovely folks at Bergen Water Gardens. What’s not to like about a place that specializes in orchids, carnivorous plants, waterlilies, and lotus?

Overall, I’ve had good experiences purchasing exotic plants online, but it’s truly marvelous to be able to walk in to a local nursury, look around, and talk to a friendly and knowledgeable staff like at Bergen Water Gardens.

Their Victoria, giant platter waterlily, recently reached 40 inches in diameter, which is pretty impressive given this summer’s cooler temperatures and Western, NY’s short growing season.

Our hopes are to construct a water garden of our own next summer. Nothing too grand, but a place to display a few lotuses. We’ll be back at Bergen Water Gardens soon!

My eye couldn’t help but notice a lovely orchid that just had to come home with us. The flowers are so amazingly fragrant.

Buffalo Garden Walk 2026

July 26, 2026July 28, 2026 by Webster Viridarium

With over 300 gardens to explore, the biggest question was, how can you see them all? We did our best, but we didn’t manage to visit every garden on this years Buffalo Garden Walk. What we did see was a number of truly inspiring gardens. Many hidden gems contained within the backyards of local homes, usually unseen but to a select few close friends. We felt the genuine generosity of the many home owners who kindly shared their gardens, their vision, and their horticultural passions with all who stopped by.

The weather was fabulous all weekend. We were fortunate to became acquainted with a number of lovely Buffalo neighborhoods we had never seen before. We ate at a charming bakery cafe and took in a Buffalo Bisons game at Sahlen Field (As luck would have it, the Bisons were playing the Rochester Red Wings.)

Leopard Lily

July 15, 2026July 15, 2026 by Webster Viridarium

The Leopard Lily

On a recent visit to Village Gate in Rochester, we couldn’t resist stepping through the inviting doors of Banner, Wing, & Keel. The shop carries a pleasing selection of small houseplants and cuttings that they call “Pixie Plants”. I was taken by an adorable Leopard Lily and had to bring it home.

You may know the Leopard Lily (Ledebouria socialis) as silver squill or wood hyacinth, a native to the savannas of South Africa.

Ledebouria socialis, commonly known as silver squill, leopard lily, or wood hyacinth, is a popular, easy-to-grow bulbous perennial houseplant prized for its striking foliage.

It grows 6–10 inches tall and wide, forming clumps of teardrop shaped bulbs. The leaves are long, slender, silvery-green with dark green “leopard” spots on top and often purple underneath. In spring, it produces 10 inch vertical stalks with small, greenish-white to pinkish bell-shaped flowers.

The leopard lily is a geophyte, whose bulbs are somewhat exposed and can store moisture for times of drought. While an evergreen, it does have a winter rest period.

The species name socialis refers to its tendency to form dense colonies, while the genus Ledebouria honors the botanist Carl Friedrich von Ledebour.

Cultivation and Care

It is considered a low-maintenance, beginner-friendly houseplant that thrives with minimal care.

Light: Bright indirect light or partial shade (3–4+ hours of bright light daily). Avoid intense direct sun to prevent scorching, but too little light can cause leggy growth and faded colors.
Soil: Well-draining succulent or cactus mix (or houseplant mix amended with pumice/perlite). Neutral pH preferred. Plant bulbs in shallow, wide pots (pan pots), keeping the top half of the bulbs above the soil surface.  
Watering: Treat like a succulent. Water moderately during the growing season (spring/summer), letting the top inch or so of soil dry out between waterings. Reduce significantly in winter for its rest period. Overwatering leads to rot.
Temperature: Prefers 60°F+ (normal room temps); hardy in USDA zones 10a–11. Protect from frost.
Fertilizer: Light feeding every 2–3 months during growth with a balanced or cactus fertilizer.
Propagation: Easily propagated by separating the small bulbils (offsets) that form around the main bulbs, best done during repotting in spring. Seeds are possible but less reliable.
Toxicity: All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and pets.

Banner, Wing, & Keel is located at 274 N. Goodman Street in Village Gate. They are open Thursdays – Saturdays 11am – 6pm and Sundays 12pm-4pm.

British Gardeners

February 24, 2026August 19, 2026 by Angie

Why turn to British Gardeners?

There is no “G” in HGTV. I know it looks like it’s there, but it’s really a silent G. Is it just me, or is HGTV run by complete idiots. Every time a home improvement program becomes popular on the network, it immediately disappears. Beyond that, I can’t remember the last time I actually saw a gardening program on the network. (In all honesty, I haven’t had cable in years, likely because there were no gardening programs and well, just how many episodes of House Hunters International can one person watch?)

Are you old enough to remember Victory Garden on PBS? James Underwood Crockett was the closest thing to an American celebrity gardener since Johnny Appleseed. After Crockett’s death, Roger Swain made a noble effort hosting the program, but PBS had long lost interest.

What about Martha Stewart you ask? While she does include gardening in her program, she doesn’t focus her energies on gardening alone. These days you’re more likely to find her baking brownies with Snoop Dogg than re-potting her gardenias.

Thankfully, thanks to streaming services like BritBox and gardening offerings on YouTube it’s easier to find gardening programs in the United States than ever before.

A Country of Gardeners

Since 1968 a considerable number of Britons tune in to BBC 2 most Friday nights for a program called Gardeners’ World. It’s long time host, Monty Don (pictured above) is a genuine celebrity in the UK, with over 1.4 million followers on instagram . The 2026 season is scheduled to start on the 13th of March. It’s a truly lovely program and by itself worth the cost of a BritBox subscription.

Gardeners’ World isn’t an anomaly. There have been many other successful gardening programs in the UK over the years. Including Gardeners’ Question Time which has aired on BBC radio since 1947. There are well over 800 episodes available on the BBC website. Beechgrove is a gardening program that has aired on BBC Scotland since 1978. It is also available on Britbox.

Alan Titchmarsh ( 178k) is another well known British gardener. He was the host of Gardener’s World from 1996–2002, prior to Monty Don tenure. He has since hosted the long running series, Love Your Garden, Ground Force, and most recently, Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club (which as I write this, is available on Amazon Prime.)

The Proteges

Both Monty and Alan have had a fair number of assistant gardeners or “co-presenters” over the years and many of them have become quite well known themselves. The big question has become, when Monty Don does decide to move on from Gardeners’ World, which he has openly discussed, who will replace him?

Frances Tophill ( 175k) is an award winning horticulturist, author, and television presenter known for her contributions to Love Your Garden and Gardeners’ World. She has written a number of books including The Modern Gardener: A practical guide for creating a beautiful and creative garden and Rewild Your Garden: Create a Haven for Birds, Bees and Butterflies. i g

David Domoney ( 165k) is a horticulturist and presenter who appeared on Love Your Garden, and is currently the resident gardener on ITV1’s This Morning. web | i g

Adam Frost ( 152k) is a garden designer and horticulturist known for his award winning gardens including seven gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and as a presenter on Gardeners’ World. He is the author of the book Real Gardens: Seven amazing Chelsea Gold Medal-winning designs. web | ig

Rachel de Thame ( 140k) is a gardener and Gardeners’ World presenter who also hosts the BBC coverage of the annual Chelsea Garden Show. She is the author of several gardening books including A Flower Garden for Pollinators ig

Nick Bailey ( 77.4k) is a garden designer who has created and managed gardens on four continents. His work ranges from gardens, horticultural consultancy, public speaking, writing, and presenting on Gardeners’ World. He is the author of three books including 365 Days of Colour in your Garden. web | i g

Arit Anderson ( 39.1k) is an award winning garden designer, and television presenter, best known for her work on Gardeners’ World and Garden Rescue. web | ig

Katie Edwards (nee Rushworth) ( 32.7k) is a gardener, garden designer, and television presenter best known for her work on Love Your Garden. She is the author of Plants, Beds and Borders: Create and Maintain Your Perfect Garden. web | ig

Sue Kent ( 29.6k) is an avid gardener and presenter for Gardeners’ World and the Garden Rescue programs. Her professional gardening career began when she sent in a video of her garden to Gardeners’ World. The garden was so impressive, she was soon added to the program as a presenter. web | ig

Danny Clarke ( 24.4k) known as the Black Gardener, is a garden designer and television presenter who hosted The Instant Gardener (2015 -2016), Filthy Garden SOS (2021) and Love Your Garden (2021–). Impressed by Danny’s garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, the David Austin company, named a rose after him. The rose is called Dannahue, Danny’s given first name. web | ig

Notable British Gardeners

James Wong ( 656k) is an ethnobotanist, garden designer, television presenter, and a panelist on Gardeners’ Question Time. James is the author of multiple books including How to Eat Better. web | ig

Charlie McCormick ( 185k) is a gardener and floral designer who grew up in New Zealand but lives in the UK. He has written for or been featured in numerous prominent publications. “My garden philosophy is simple: you should always plant what you like even if nobody else does.” His book A Year at the Parsonage: The Story of a House & Garden will be released in October of 2026. ig

Harry and David Rich ( 87.1k) are brothers from Wales who work together in their landscape design business and on television as presenters of programs like Garden Rescue. They are the authors of the book Love Your Plot. web | ig

Alice Vincent ( 56.4k) is a non-fiction and horticulture writer, editor, and podcaster. After writing for the Telegraph for multiple years, she moved to the Guardian and became a features editor at Penguin Books. She also has columns in Gardens Illustrated and The New Statesman and hosts several popular podcasts. Vincent is the author of several gardening books including Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival. web | ig

Sarah Price ( 56.3k) is an award winning landscape designer who has won multiple Gold Medals at the Chelsea Flower Show. Sarah is a contributing editor for Gardens Illustrated and also writes for House and Garden and The Telegraph. web | ig

Alys Fowler ( 40.5k) is a horticulturist and journalist. Her work has been published in numerous newspapers and magazines, including The Guardian, Gardeners’ World Magazine, Gardens Illustrated, Country Living, and The Daily Mail. She is the author of multiple gardening books including The Edible Garden and Eat What You Grow. ig

British Gardeners on YouTube

Benedict Vanheems British YouTuber and Gardener

Benedict Vanheems ( 1.14M) is a lifetime gardener and the face of the GrowVeg YouTube channel. He has contributed as a writer and editor for Garden Design Journal and the Kitchen Garden. web | yt

Huw Richards ( 950k) is a Welch YouTuber, writer and horticulturist who has authored numerous books on vegetable gardening including The Vegetable Grower’s Handbook. yt

Charles Dowding ( 760k) is a lifelong farmer and Cambridge graduate who has been at the forefront of the organic and no dig movements. He is the author of numerous books including No Dig Organic Home & Garden: Grow, Cook, Use, and Store Your Harvest. web | yt | ig

Mr. Sheffield Britsh Houseplant enthusiast

Mr. Sheffield ( 672k) is a house plant enthusiast living in occasionally gloomy Sheffield, England. Watch a few of his videos and you’ll know more about houseplants than you ever imagined. web | yt

Gerald Stratford ( 73.3k) is a lifetime gardener who in his 70s “went viral” through the merit of his personality and his rather “big veg”. So viral that the luxury brand, Gucci has featured him in several of their adverts. He is the author of the book, not surprisingly titled, Big Veg. web | ig | y t

Sophie Valentine ( 25.8k) Sophie shares her Sussex garden and gardening knowledge whist juggling children and visiting local garden centers. ig | yt

Monty Don’s New Book: British Gardens

Monty Don’s massive new 456 page book, filled with Derry Moore’s photos of spectacular British gardens will be released on May 5th.

From the northern tip of Scotland down to the southern Cornish coast, Monty visits numerous glorious gardens including Northumbria’s Alnwick Gardens, Beatrix Potter’s Lake District farmhouse and the rewilded walled garden on the Knepp Estate.

Can’t wait for Monty’s book to arrive!

Available now.

Niagara on the Lake

July 24, 2025August 25, 2025 by Webster Viridarium

Photos from a recent visit to Niagara on the Lake for the Shaw Festival and the Niagara on the Lake Horticultural Society‘s Annual Garden Tour.

We saw “Tons of Money” at the Royal George Theatre. Not the most advertised show at this year’s festival, but it was absolutely fabulous. A truly fun show. Mike Nadajewski and Julia Course kept the audience engaged from the opening curtain until the final bows.