Can a week really have gone by since I spent the weekend with a group of 93 garden bloggers, touring Austin gardens? The annual event, the brain child of local garden blogger and author, Pam Penick, held it first meeting in Austin in 2008. Named the Garden Bloggers Fling its aim was to bring together garden bloggers from all over the country. With the help of 3 Austin garden bloggers the first fling brought together 37 garden bloggers from 12 US states. This year the Fling returned to Austin to celebrate its 10th Anniversary and with 93 visitors from all over the USA, Canada and England.
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| Attendees at the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling |
The Fling officially kicked off on Thursday evening with an introductory dinner at the new Austin Central Library. But..... early arrivals were treated to brunch and garden tour at the home of Laura Wills, one of this year's organizers. She laid out a delicious spread of home grown and home cooked delights, including quiches, and deviled eggs from her own chickens, as well as salsas and pickles from her large vegetable garden. (Where was my camera you might ask. It was largely silent as I was introduced to many new faces) But, all was delicious.
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| Walk through the wildflower meadow at Laura Wills' garden |
Diana Kirby,
Pam Penick and
Laura Wills did a fabulous job of organizing the event, from the selection of gardens, hotel, lunch, dinner venues, printing out a special anniversary booklet of the 10 pervious flings, gathering together gifts for the Goody Bags, name tags with Austin buttons and many more behind the scenes arrangements.
But most important they spent many hours canvassing sponsors, many of whom attended the fling, and who made the whole weekend more affordable for us all. Thank you Diana, Pam and Laura.
Coupons, garden tools, snack packs, phone gadgets, books, cookies and packets of seeds in our goody bags, made it feel like Christmas morning.
And so to the first event Thursday evening's dinner in an event room at the Austin Library. Because I was not staying at the hotel I did not join the happy band of gardeners as they streamed out of the hotel to walk the mile to the library. I can only imagine what might have happened as they crossed intersections. Old friends, made at previous Flings, were greeted and new friends made over dinner. The organizers welcomed everyone and all the while, on a large screen, gardening programs, courtesy of Hortus TV, played in silence. We don't get enough gardening programs in the USA and we have to look to look further afield for a good garden fix.
Hortus TV is where you will find them all.
And so the day ended with some visiting the roof garden of the library and with everyone in high anticipation of the upcoming 3 days of garden visits. Stay tuned.
