Valinor, the Allentown garden of Johanna Dominguez —during the Buffalo Fling

I'm turning back to Friday, July 10th—the first day of the '26 Buffalo Fling. The day started as most Garden Flings do. We were on a motorcoach out touring gardens in the Southtowns of the Buffalo area. Things got a change-up however in the afternoon, when we returned to Buffalo proper and were set free to walk open gardens in the Allentown neighborhood. Today I'm sharing one of those gardens, the one called Valinor, belonging to Johanna Dominguez.

Off topic, but I had to photograph this abrupt change in the sidewalk materials in front of Johanna's house. We encountered this all over the Allentown area that afternoon. I couldn't help but think back to the sidewalks of my urban Portland neighborhood, where chunks of concrete are sometimes raised up or sunk down, depending on the surrounding tree roots. While this gravel interruption is a bit incongruent it still feels like less of a tripping hazard.

Okay, back to the garden at hand, Here's the brief description in our Fling program: "Welcome to Valinor: a joyful blend of structure and wild beauty. Out front, sculptural and colorful planters overflow with vibrant annuals in a bold, ever-changing display. Along the side, a peaceful micro meadow of native flowers invites pollinators and celebrates the magic of natural landscapes. A custom water feature and catio are among the must-see elements."

That description made no mention of the parts of the garden I found most appealing, such is the challenge when visiting open gardens and trying to decide what you want to see based on words. 

Check out that hanging cactus! Cleistocactus colademononis (monkey tail cactus), I believe.

Yes I'm a sucker for a potted succulent collection.

But what really got me was the green wall...

I would have definitely called this out in the written description, it's amazing!

Here was someone pushing the envelope, growing things that aren't expected, or hardy, in the area. Lots of houseplants vacationing outdoors, something we didn't see much of in Buffalo.

Later I go the chance to tell Johanna how much I loved this part of her garden and she mentioned that she hadn't yet brought out all the plants that normally live here, on the wall. I can definitely understand that. The Great Migration is not easy! Especially not for someone busy like Johanna, who also owns a retail plant shop—Put A Plant On It—which we'll visit with Wednesday's blog post.

There's Woozle, shop dog at Put a Plant On It, who was helping garden visitors navigate the wilds of the garden.

There's Johanna (R) and a Fling touree, in the back garden.

Some form of Voodoo lily (Sauromatum venosum?) I believe.

Those stone steps down from the back of the house, I was in serious stone lust over them. Why aren't they edged with containers though?

The catio, and cat. Trust me there is a cat, sadly I failed to get a good photo.

Turning to head out of the back garden...

Pond and water spout.

And back out at the vertical green wall, where Johanna is talking with another Flinger. The coleus really add a nice pop of color don't they?

So well done!

The Bit at the End

Did you catch the name of the garden, Valinor? To tell the truth I did not. Not until friends and I were discussing our favorite gardens of the day and one of them used the name Valinor and referenced Lord of the Rings. I was lost. Completely. Can you tell I'm not a Tolkien fan? In case you aren't either you can learn more about Valinor on Wikipedia. FWIW that friend didn't particularly care for this garden, something I was shocked to learn. It's always interesting to see what other gardeners (especially ones you like and would think might have a similar opinion) are drawn to.

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