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Gardens at OVRE

The Gardens at OVRE are a private collection of small gardens in Buffalo, NY that I have been maintaining with my partner, Jared, for the past decade or so. These spaces are filled with sun and shade-loving mostly ornamental plants, creating a beautiful mix of color, texture, line, and rhythmic movement. As you approach, the front yard greets you with a vibrant display of blooms from spring to fall. The side garden invites curious visitors down a path to a stunning oasis courtyard and the backyard area is a lush little woodland hang out.

Looking onto a courtyard garden in winter with over a foot of snow draped over a table, lantern, and bushes
The gallery garden pictured with heavy snow in winter.
A photo of a series of orange iris bathed in the evening sun.
This orange iris is a favorite feature bloom of spring.
A family of trillium bloom in the dappled sun of a spring woodland garden.
A family of trillium are unlikely volunteers in a woodland garden of dappled sunlight. These were most likely propagated by ants!

Gardening has become one of my many passions and has evolved into a significant body of work in recent years. I document the garden visually through time and seek to share some of that documentation with you along with ideas of visionary elements you could fuse into your space if you wish. Last year, I featured paintings throughout the property to reflect the colors and aesthetics of this healing sanctuary. This season, I plan to install more paintings and hopefully add a water feature or two. 

A photograph of a decaying tabla given to the earth in offering, a painted face on a brick, and a rock with lush ground cover abound.
The Billy Brick (1995 Befano/Cornelius) finds a seasonal resting place in the transformative space of the garden.
A photograph of a sanctuary rain garden full of spring foliage, including ferns, hosta, trillium, heuchera, and more. A statue of Quan Yin sits in the center of it all.
A sanctuary rain garden on the north side of the property features hosta, heuchera, trillium, Spanish bluebell, sweet woodruff, woodland forget-me-not, and more.
A photo of a lush courtyard garden surrounded by a purple Victorian-era home.
A sanctuary and gallery garden offering a quiet escape. Late summer finds this area draped in deep greens of fern and columbine as morning glories ascend a trellis, soon to splash into a waterfall of blooms.

Tending to this space provides me with deep philosophical, spiritual, and therapeutic insights, allowing me to become acutely aware of nature’s cycles and the infinite connection between my inner imaginative and spiritual realm and the world around me. As well, the work offers great physical exercise and a connection to community, especially while working in the front garden as people walk by and often stop to comment or ask if they can photograph a bloom.

Over the next few years, I hope to further define the vision and thematic character that has begun to emerge in this magical space.

A pair of trillium birthroot sit neatly in a side garden.
A pair of trillium birthroot sit neatly in a side bed. These volunteers were likely brought to this location via ants.
A photograph of a white hosta blooming in the foreground with a backdrop of blurred shades of green garden foliage.
A white hosta flowers in the sunlight.
A stunning iris brought down by rainfall is held by a outstretched hand.
The absolute beauty of an iris in a spring rain. This deep purple is so majestic and effortlessly complements the poppies, which are also in bloom in early spring.