It’s a five-week-long event, Road Trips Gardeners, so there’s no excuse not to schedule an excursion to the National Garden Festival.

It takes place in western New York State June 14 through July 31, 2011, and there are more opportunities to see great gardens than you can imagine.

Take, for example, Open Gardens. This project is modeled on the long-standing tradition of Open Gardens in England. Private gardens are made available to the public on a particular day at a particular time. Visitors are allowed to simply drop by.

Other highlights:

• The Rose Garden and the Japanese Garden, two focal points of Delaware Park in Buffalo, New York.
• Erie Basin Marina Gardens on Buffalo’s downtown waterfront.
• Sonnenberg Gardens, 151 Charlotte Street, Canandaigua, New York.
• Heirloom Gardens at Genesee Country Village, Mumford, NewYork.

Opening day takes place at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, New York.

(Photo of the Victorian Botanical Garden courtesy of Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens)