Austin Garden Bloggers Fling kicks off today!

May 03, 2018


For two years now, my fellow bloggers Diana Kirby and Laura Wills and I have been planning a big event for garden bloggers called Garden Bloggers Fling. This weekend is when it finally happens — rain or shine!


Garden Bloggers Fling is 3-1/2 days of private and public garden touring, plus socializing and networking with garden bloggers from across North American and Europe, hosted in a different city each year. We have 92 bloggers coming to Austin — many are already here — and we can’t wait to share our beautiful city and its gardens with them.


We’ve attended to hundreds of details to create a fun event for everyone. We even have Austin Fling cookies! (made by Hayley Cakes & Cookies)


Thirteen private gardens will be included on our tour. My own is one of them, which has meant months of preparation to shine it up. To my delight, three Texas sotols are getting in on the action by sending up tall bloom spikes. They’re not quite in bloom yet, but they should be interesting to bloggers who aren’t able to grow these fabulous xeric plants.


Today, taking a mental and physical break from Fling planning and garden prep, I joined up with English bloggers Michelle Chapman of VegPlotting and Barbara Segall of The Garden Post to show them around Austin. After lunch at Hula Hut, we climbed nearby Mount Bonnell for a bird’s-eye view of Lake Austin.


We made a beeline for a prickly pear in glorious yellow bloom alongside the path…


…where we found a bee already there, wallowing in the pollen-laden center, alongside two beetles having a liaison of their own.


While looking at an informational sign about native plants at Mount Bonnell, I was surprised and amused to see that one of my photos had been used to illustrate Texas mountain laurel. Ironically, it was at Mount Bonnell that I first laid eyes on Texas mountain laurel and fell in love with its grapey scent during a house-hunting visit in early spring of 1994. Those trees helped sell me on Austin! And now one of my photos is helping to sell future Austinites on our natural beauty. Talk about coming full circle.


Next I took my English visitors to spring-fed Barton Springs Pool to show them “the soul of Austin.”


We took off our shoes and cooled our heels in the chilly water. It was lovely. (If any other blogger reading this plans to go, be aware the pool is closed on Thursdays all day for cleaning.)


While driving back to the hotel, we were talking about Piet Oudolf’s famous Lurie Garden in Chicago, when Michelle said something rather eye-opening. She said, “People work so hard to make Oudolf-style gardens, and you’ve got it just growing on the roadside.” I glanced over at the grassy median studded with native wildflowers and said, “You’re absolutely right.” I may never look at the verge the same way again.

See? This is what I love about the Fling: fresh insights and personal connections with fellow gardeners from around the world. Plus a whole lotta garden visiting.

I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
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12 responses to “Austin Garden Bloggers Fling kicks off today!”

  1. What a fun day out and with fab company! I love the full circle of the Mountain Laurel. We won a tree from a local nursery and I picked a Mt. Laurel. They are such unique trees. The observation about us naturally having Piet Olaf gardens is great. Our drive in yesterday on the I-10 and 71 was picturesque! Ready to fling in Austin ?

  2. Caroline says:

    Lady Bird Johnson and Texas Department of Transportation have done a great job to beautify our highways. Can’t wait to Fling! Thanks for spearheading this wonderful event.

  3. Peter says:

    Looks like you had a grand time! The fling will, as always, be a smashing success. Cookies even – you’ve really gone all out! Wish I could be with y’all. I laughed out loud when you mentioned that you cooled your heels in the pool and that it would be closed all day on Thursday for cleaning. Exactly how dirty were those feet? 🙂

  4. Shirley F. says:

    I’m so looking forward to this weekend. Impressed you are organized and ready to post this. That’s a wonderful observation about our roadsides and open areas.

    Thank you and your team for all the work you’ve put into this event.

  5. Sherry says:

    I wish I would have registered to participate in the fling. Looks like I missed a great opportunity to connect with gardeners in both the Austin area and around the world. Have an amazing time everyone!

  6. Tom says:

    Mt Bonnel, Haley’s Cookies— your off to great start! Our sotol is blooming too. Hope everybody has a shot at a little agave or sotol juice during their stay. I call my cocktail the Cottage Gardener. Everybody welcome at Ellison Sculpture Garden.

  7. Pam: so enjoyed the climb, lunch and the toe dipping! A great way to spend time with you. Thank you so much.

  8. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Did I ever hate to miss this Fling. Sigh~~

  9. Becky says:

    Hi Pam, I can’t find the link to the bloggers Austin 2018 Fling pics, can you provide? Thanks! I love looking at the pictures.

  10. Jenny says:

    Michelle was right. I think the same thing when I drive down 360. The wildflowers look as though they are part of a meadow. and it does seem that Mother Nature does it all herself.