Sunday, April 6, 2008

It's a Spring Fling Thing

Copyright © 2007-2008. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

I had a pleasant time meeting Garden Bloggers from around the country at the 2008 Spring Fling here in Austin. I didn't get a chance to talk with everyone, but the Bloggers I did speak with were very kind. Thank you to Pam, Diana, MSS and Bonnie for doing all the heaving lifting (and a special thanks again to Pam & MSS for inviting us into your homes and gardens)... and thanks to the out-of-towners for coming all the way to Austin to make this happen.

The Fling started for me on Saturday when I joined with the group's tour -- already in progress -- at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center. Here are some photos I took of the plants and hardscapes we looked at...






I was very happy to meet Susan Wittig Albert and purchase two of her autographed books. [Mysteriously, I saw a beautiful garden nymph climb out of a cage just as we were leaving the center, but perhaps it was my imagination...?]

The Flingers had a delicious lunch at Nuevo León and enjoyed an eloquent talk by KLRU's Tom Spencer.

After lunch we drove to my favorite nursery, The Natural Gardener, where several people found botanical goodies. It was all I could do to not purchase something, but I will likely go back and buy one of these beaded animals soon. They are too cool!



Next stop was a tour of James David & Gary Peese's magnificent gardens. To see a map of the property click here. My photos do not do them justice, but here is a brief tour...


My son would love this collection of fossils.



When we stepped into the garden I said "Now I know how the kids felt when they were let loose in Wonkaland." I half-expected Gene Wilder to start singing "Pure Imagination".




Visions of my therapy pool are dancing in my head...



Looking back up towards the house you can see the Flingers are enjoying the garden.

In my next life I'd like to come back as a bird in this garden.





This table is ready for a Feast.

They do have a pitch of lawn with a vista.


There are beautiful pots throughout the property.

I love this grouping of succulents...

No idea what these cool 'tongue-looking' succulents were among the poppies...

More poppies...


Bill & I went to visit the chickens.


Yes, I loved the chickens.

You may also want to watch this cool KLRU video with James David...





Check out some of the other blogs to see more of the social photos. Unfortunately my camera's battery lost power after the David/Peese Garden, but there was a lovely tour of MSS's garden, a Happy Hour at Pam's house and then a dinner at the County Line.


Thanks again to everyone for all your hard work and kindness. Happy Gardening!

"You don't have to garden just for yourself. You have to share it."...Augusta Carter


Copyright © 2007-2008. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

Friday, April 4, 2008

My 1st Blogoversary

Copyright © 2007-2008. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

It's my first blogoversary today. Not sure what the netiquette rules are for announcing one's own celebration. I realize I don't have a knockout garden nor an amazing blog like some of the really talented people in the Gardening Blogosphere, but I am enjoying myself and have made some lovely friends. Thanks to all of you who've kindly commented here over the past year. You've made me feel so welcome in cyberspace.




There is another small milestone here at my house: For the first time ever one of my orchids has re-bloomed. Not sure how I managed it. Just dumb luck to be honest. But here it is...

Woohoo!

I've also decided to stop waiting for my illusive swimming pool project to materialize and am putting in some edgers around a little flower bed I've been half-heartedly planting near my back fence.

So far I have lipstick salvia...

...coral honeysuckle...

...milkweeds and an assortment of annuals & baby perennials in that area. Unfortunately I've had a few casualties: the neighborhood Tom Cat marked my year-old passionflower to death and the Lawnmower Monster murdered my newly purchased misterflower. I am hoping an edging will protect the perennial bed; if not from the cat, at least from the Lawnmower Monster.

The hummingbirds are back in force. As you can see by the cloudiness of the sugar water in the photo below it was time for a new batch of the sweet stuff yesterday...


This Black-chinned Hummingbird seemed content to sip even when I was only a few feet away.


They really are amazing acrobats...

I also have a sunflower seed feeder near my family room windows that the finches and squirrels love. This squirrel enjoys the upturned crock as his own personal throne.



Today also happens to be the beginning of the 2008 Garden Bloggers Spring Fling here in Austin. Pam, MSS, Diana and Bonnie are on the Planning Committee. Thanks ladies, for all your hard work! :-)

How lucky I am to have made new friends in only one year of blogging! Like Anne of Green Gables, I feel quite fortunate to have found some 'kindred spirits' in such a short time. For this I'm truly grateful.

Love is like the wild-rose briar;
Friendship is like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?~Emily Brontë


Copyright © 2007-2008. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.