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Saturday, May 12, 2018

Flinging with National Wildflower Week

It was a dark and stormy morning at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center when 90+ garden bloggers from the USA, Canada and UK arrived for the first stop on our Austin Garden Bloggers Fling.  We had just enough time to grab a few photos before the skies opened up and rain poured down.  I had a great time last weekend meeting so many bloggers I previously knew only from their writings and photos.  Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, it was easy to recognize and get to know many bloggers quickly since I already knew a lot about them from their blogs.

It's National Wildflower Week, so I'll begin by sharing wildflower photos from three days of Fling tours.  I think I took the photo below while on a full run back to the Visitor's Center because thunder and lightning were on the horizon and I didn't want to get caught out in the open.  So different from the bright sunny visits I'm used to, it pretty much captures our first Fling day.



A few more from photos from the wildflower center when it was a little brighter at first.  



I love the deep magenta color of Wine Cups which refuse to grow in my garden.



These do grow in my garden - blue Salvia Farinacea and Firewheel.



A nice, if slightly soggy way to celebrate wildflowers.  After a rainy stop at Diana Kirby's garden we toured the Mirador Garden with blooming Yucca rostrata.


Firewheel and other wildflowers lined Mirador's drive in front of a tall Cor-ten steel wall.


Still raining, we next toured Rock Rose blogger Jenny Stocker's wildflower filled garden.


Poppies by the pool at Jenny Stocker's garden.



Lavishly filled to the brim with wildflowers!


Did I mention it was wet?


Typical Texas weather with just one day of pouring rain so the next day and the rest of our tours were sunny.

Saturday we saw butterfly magnet Gregg's mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) planted in the median across from Colleen Jamison's Garden.  Colleen planted the median for her neighborhood to enjoy and you can see bloggers did too.


Hesperaloe parviflora blooms were just some of the wildflowers in the Fowler's garden in Hutto north of Austin.


We were greeted by Engelmann Daisy and many other wildflowers lining the driveway at the Ruthie Burrus garden on Sunday.




Mexican Hats (Ratibida columnifera) left standing in the Burrus' garden.


Masses of Firewheel or Gaillardia along the driveway.


At Tait Moring's garden we found more Gaillardia on both sides of the drive.


Gaillardia tucked in among the Mexican Feather Grass.



Not all wildflowers were planted.  Gregg's Mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) in pots awaiting installation at Tait Moring's client's garden.


Tait Moring directed us to this impressive Opuntia gomei 'Old Mexico' forest just beginning to bloom.



More bright sunshine and Firewheel.


Kylee Baumle passing Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) at Kirk Walden's garden.  Gaura is sometimes called "Whirling Butterflies" which brings to mind Kylee's latest book on saving the Monarch butterfly.


That incredible view enhanced with wildflowers from our last garden stop on the tour.


Just a few of the wildflowers we enjoyed on a wonderful weekend of garden tours in Austin.

I returned home to wildflowers peaking in my own garden this week.





Just the first of many posts from my weekend of flinging with garden bloggers in Austin last weekend.

Happy Wildflower Week!


14 comments:

  1. What a difference a day made, eh?! I so wish I could grow Gregg's mistflower here. I grow a couple of Ageratums but they're stiff in appearance by comparison to your beautiful native. It was good to have a chance to spend some time with you, Shirley!

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    1. It was wonderful to meet you too Kris, I'm glad we had some time on the bus to chat!

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  2. So glad we got to meet in person! Although I wish we’d had more time to chat...

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  3. Such gorgeous pictures of the fling, and then your own garden. I'm also glad we got to meet up during the fling!

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  4. Shirley, I am happy you joined us. I have enjoyed your blog for years. I love your photos with the lens fogged up or wet from rain. I was sorry we got rained out at the Wildflower center. However it was funny to see all the pastel ponchos.

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  5. Tantalising for the Flingers to have rain, and tantalising for us to watch our forecast rain slide down south to fall on the ocean!

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  6. Your post really brings home how wildflowery our gardens are at this time of year. I'm glad you Flung with us this year, Shirley. Come to Denver next year!

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  7. I know how much you love wildflowers so it was wonderful to see how you sought them out in every garden. When the bluebonnets go I think we have a much more impressive display. The roadside are full of yellow and orange at the moment and it is quite lovely.

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    1. As a Texan I enjoy Bluebonnets of course but the yellow-orange season is less fleeting so I have to say it's my favorite.

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  8. I missed that incredible display of Winecups at the Wildflower Center...excellent! The views you captured back to Jenny/David "Rock Rose" from the back of the pool has me wondering where my usual exploration sense went. Thanks for what I missed at the Fowler garden firepit...

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    1. Part of the fun is seeing different views and focus from all the bloggers who attended.

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  9. It was certainly a "wild" ride and so good to see you!

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