Should you have wondered where I disappeared to for a week, I recently returned from the
2017 Garden Bloggers' Fling, held in the Washington D.C. area. Although I've been blogging for four and a half years now, this was my first Fling. It was both wonderful and exhausting. I came home with almost 900 photos and it will be a while before I've sorted them out. I'll share my tour in installments once I've done so but, for today's Wednesday Vignette hosted by Anna of
Flutter & Hum, I thought I'd show you some randomly selected shots.
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| Engraved stone tablet in the Virginia garden of Jeff Minnich |
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| One of several similar sculptures at Marjorie Merriweather Post's Hillwood Estate, this figure of a woman with the limbs of a lion was simultaneously captivating and creepy |
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| Scene from the US Botanic Garden on the National Mall, featuring Cercis canadenis 'Rising Sun' (right), a tree I've long coveted |
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| A beautifully designed and intricately layered combination of plants in Barbara Katz's garden, one of my favorites on the tour |
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| One of the many inhabitants of the Butterfly Conservatory at Brookside Gardens in Maryland |
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| Steps in the backyard garden of Tammy Schmitt, the Capital Region Fling Director |
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| Tammy and her sweet dog |
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| A frog (or toad?) enjoying the pond in Linda Hostetler's fabulous Virginia garden |
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| View from the back patio of the Stone Tower Winery, where Fling participants had a wonderful lunch |
These photos reference less than half the sites we visited but I promise to share many more at intervals over the next couple of months. In the meantime,
visit Anna at Flutter & Hum for more Wednesday Vignettes.
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
This is a wonderful handful of very nice vignettes from the Fling! I'm so glad you came and I got to see you again. Looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I got to see you again too, Alison! Maybe we'll meet again in Austin? And of course, you're always welcome to pay me another visit if your travels bring you back to SoCal.
DeleteGreat photos, I have a few similar, of course. I regretted not getting to say goodbye to you on Sunday evening...I really enjoyed seeing you throughout the Fling, glad you came along this year!
ReplyDeleteI belatedly realized I didn't get a chance to say proper good-byes following Sunday's dinner either, Loree - I suspect we were all just bone tired after what was a very long day. It was good to see you again and I hope our paths will cross again soon!
DeleteThe Fling was fun but it has flung. Now we can look forward to reliving the fun through everyone's photos. Nice choice, Kris.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to finally meet you in person, Sue! It's going to take me some time to sort the post-worthy shots from the not-worthy shots but I'm not in a terrific hurry. And I've already got another garden meet-up scheduled right here in SoCal. So many gardens, so little time.
DeleteGlad to have you back on this coast!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to be back, Denise, even if I was greeting by a temperature in the upper 90s. Isn't it wonderful that the marine layer came back today?!
DeleteThe fling looked fantastic! Was following it on Facebook and your photos reinforces how enjoyable it looked like :)
ReplyDeleteI think you would have enjoyed it, guys. It would have been fun to meet you in person too. Maybe you'll come to the Austin (Texas) Fling next May? (Hint, hint.)
DeleteWhat a treat Kris, I wish I could have been there. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your photos.
ReplyDeleteWe covered a LOT of territory. I'm sure you would have enjoyed it. There were 2 bloggers from the UK there, as well as a few from Canada. Maybe next time?
DeleteWhat wonderful sights. That Post cross between woman and lion is extra creepy. Some excellent posts to come--looking forward to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat made that sculpture worse is that there were several of them in the French parterre area. The one I showed was part of a pair framing a path.
DeleteSomething I've always wanted to do - maybe next year, who knows? I'm impressed you flew clear across the country for the event. Were you the longest distance traveler?
ReplyDeleteNo, there were 2 attendees from the UK and 4 others (2 of whom represented a Fling sponsor) from California, as well as several from the PNW. The 2018 Fling will be in Austin, Texas in early May so you can plan for that, Eliza. And the 2019 event is already scheduled for Denver, Colorado.
DeleteA great appetizer for your coming coverage of the fling gardens. I'm sorry to have missed meeting you and spending time with such a passionate group of gardeners!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry too, Peter. I'd have enjoyed meeting you in person. Maybe the Austin Fling will entice you to get on a plane? Air travel is admittedly not fun but, fortunately, it was also uneventful.
DeleteNice photos Kris. It will be fun to see the gardens again through your eyes. Really had fun with you at the Fling. Hope to get out to LA one of these days!
ReplyDeleteAnd you know if I ever get out to North Carolina, I'll be giving you a call, Susie! A trip to Plant Delights would be fun.
DeleteI'm so happy to see the first photos trickling in from the Fling. I wasn't able to go this year, but I will DEFINITELY go to next year's Fling in Austin.
ReplyDeleteDid you find any inspiration, considering how different gardens and gardening are on the East Coast?
As Loree Bohl is wont to say, Gerhard, "there's always an agave." Yes, there were a lot of plants that I don't stand a chance of growing here (like peonies, all of which were fortunately past their bloom cycles so I didn't have to suffer serious peony envy) but there were also quite a few I do/can grow. (And some, ha ha, that they grow as annuals which are perennial here!) I was also able to appreciate many of the landscaping designs used, even if I'd have to substitute zone 10b plants.
Deletehow did I miss Tammys' dog ? Maybe I was on the wrong bus. So happy to meet you 'in person' at long last. I hope you will consider Austin !
ReplyDeleteI think we were on the same bus that day, Kathy. I was just in the right place at the right time at the particular moment (shortly after the video for John & Bob's Soil solutions was filmed). I am thinking about going to Austin!
DeleteI really wished I had come to the fling, I was very tempted when it was first mentioned by Susie (who I met two years ago when I was in the US for a wedding). We have friends who live not so far from Denver so perhaps that might be possible.
ReplyDeleteSusie and I palled around at intervals throughout the tour, Christina - I think I can speak for her that we'd both have been thrilled if you'd been there too!
DeleteLooks like a lot of wonderful inspiration, Kris! I'm really looking forward to additional posts. Wish travel was a possibility for me; not right now, but I think I'll dream of trying for Denver in a couple of years!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'd enjoy it Amy!
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