This past weekend was my first Fling. What is a Fling? Guess a fling is many things, my Fling was an event for Garden Bloggers. A little over 90 of my fellow garden bloggers and I met in Asheville to take in as much as possible in a short period of time. Our planners arranged for so many wonderful gardens to visit that it can't all be shared in one post....or two, or three. Please stay tuned for the whole weekend's amazing events.
There were many sponsors for our Fling, each contributing in some way. If you were lucky enough to get to Asheville early enough on Thursday, the first stop was an open house at
Sow True Seed.
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| Mikey giving us a guided tour through the facility. |
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| Inside the cold room. The seed organization is incredible. |
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| Not only a guided tour of the facility, we also got some great munchies! |
We had a meet and greet that evening...so many people!! It was hard to know who everyone was. This weekend was going to be amazing.
The first garden was a short bus ride away...
It was an interesting garden. It was sort of Alice in Wonderland meets......um, The Grave Digger? This garden had some of the most interesting artwork throughout the grounds. The owners, Damaris and Ricki Pierce, are artists, each putting their unique touch in the garden and together they have created
Wamboldtopia.
Come along on a journey through this magnificent garden....
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| Whimsy at its finest |
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| Address plaque, love the leaves |
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| Curious metal objects add to the interest in the landscape |
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| The gargoyles keep watch over those who enter |
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| Up the steps into a magical treat |
And now into the garden,
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| Love these colors, Rose Campion, Lychnis coronaria |
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| Blue Fescue nestled in with some pottery |
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| Raindrops on Roses...(Rose Campion) |
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| Strong Women are EVERYWHERE! |
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| Love is in the air...?!!? |
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| Garden Gnomes beware! |
This was truly an adventure in whimsy. I appreciate many aspects of this garden, though somehow, the bones wouldn't make it in my garden.
Stay tuned for our next stop....Christopher Mello's Garden.
©Copyright 2012
Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for
The Queen of Seaford.
words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.
Good shots from Sow True ! I enjoyed hearing about that cold room as it was so cool.
ReplyDeleteIt was very nice to finally meet you!
Tina, Thanks! I enjoyed Sow True Seed as our starting point of the weekend. It was great to finally meet.
DeleteJanet, I love your photos--so many things I didn't see! The heart shape of the bone--I never noticed it! Plus, looking at your photos, the metalwork going down the stairs looks like a dragon--which I never noticed until I saw your images. I'm so happy that I finally got to meet you in person and spend time with you this weekend. I hope we can do it again soon! (Knock, knock, Peter and Jasmin...here we come with our spouses!) ;-)
ReplyDeleteJulie, thanks so much. Likewise with your pictures, funny how we all went to the same place and each came away with such different photos. We will get together again soon for sure!!
DeleteSow True was a nice start to the weekend, and like Tina said, it was cool in that seed room -- the walk down there was HOT! Wamboldtopia was a trip! Whimsical and macabre at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDaricia, it was a great way to start the weekend. I could have stayed in that cold room for a good while longer! Wamboldtopia was so very different...and fun.
DeleteWhat a fun garden! I am so sorry I missed the fling (especially since it was so close)! I am looking forward to seeing more from the weekend!
ReplyDeleteKarin, So sorry you weren't able to come, perhaps we can get together soon ...word has it that 2014 might be in Charleston!!!
DeleteThere was so much going on in every little nook and cranny in this whimsical garden! One of my favorites no doubt and I hated to leave this one as it was such a peaceful setting. You did a great job of chosing pics to post. I am finding it difficult to sort though so my post's will be lots of pics and little talk.... See ya...
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, you are right, every nook and cranny! There was so much to see we could have been there for a lot longer than part of the morning!
DeleteJanet, such a treat to meet you! You were(are) a wealth of information and I enjoyed your sharing with me.
ReplyDeletebeckie, So glad you all made the trip out to Asheville. It was a treat meeting you! Stay tuned for more tree info!
DeleteIt was so great to meet you at last, Janet, and to spend time with you at dinner...and the drum circle!
ReplyDeletePam, it was super! So glad we got the chance to have dinner...the TX/Carolina connection! That drum circle was really neat as was the group by the big iron.
DeleteGlad you experienced the drum circle! That's definitely Friday night in Asheville. And weren't the gardens we visited amazIng!
ReplyDeleteLisa, That drum circle was a lot of fun! Loved the whole Asheville experience.
DeleteHey - I missed that last shot with the gremlins delightfully carrying away the gnome! I love that.
ReplyDeleteJim, it was funny to see all that I missed in others' blog posts. That garden was filled to the brim with interesting stuff.
DeleteI didn't even see the statue of the woman. There was so much to see. Great post!
ReplyDeletePhillip, We all saw items that others missed, love seeing the gardens through the lens of someone else...sometimes it is hard to believe we were at the same place!
DeleteIt's interesting to read over the comments from those who were in the same garden and what each of you saw/didn't see. Must have been fabulous! Sorry that I missed it.
ReplyDeleteFreda, sorry you weren't there too. And, yes, we all saw something different in all the gardens.
DeleteJanet I so wanted to be there but my work schedule prevented it. I hope to make next year's fling. What an amazing adventure and I already am sad I could not go...thx for sharing what we missed!
ReplyDeleteDonna, this was my first one, so I understand how life gets in the way of getting to do these trips. Stay tuned for more!
DeleteYour posts will take the sting out of not being able to attend. I agree with Jim about the gremlins with the gnome. This is one of those gardens that would be a hoot to visit, even if I wouldn't necessarily want to live there.
ReplyDeletericki, this garden was a hoot for sure. Most interesting!
DeleteI can't begin to imagine how fun last weekend was! Some year!
ReplyDeleteThis garden is definitely interesting & easy to see artists live there....
Kathleen, it was a blast!
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ReplyDeleteJanet, I did not realize this was your first Fling. I wish we had more time, I would have liked to get to know you better. You really described Ricki's garden perfectly. What a hoot that place was. I am finally home, but wish I had a few more days in NC.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I removed the duplicate comment. Sorry you didn't get to Sow True Seed, it was a nice way to start the weekend. Wish we had more time to get to know each other, next time for sure!
DeleteSounds like a great time. I enjoyed reading and seeing Wamboldtopia through your eyes. Jim also featured photos of it in his blog.
ReplyDeleteSwimray, it was a great time. There are a lot of bloggers who have already posted Wamboldtopia...and the other gardens as well. Each of us came away with different views. Amazing weekend.
DeleteOh yes, this garden was full of inspiration. It is amazning that I have seen pictures of things I didn't see. This is one of those gardens you must see more than one time and you would never see it all. It was so good to meet you. Love your blog. Cheers...
ReplyDeleteLisa, there were so many ideas in this garden. Oh, I agree, multiple visits would bring new discoveries. Great to meet you as well.
DeleteGreat photos, Janet--it's so much fun to see all these places through others' eyes, though it will take me awhile to get around to see everything. I completely missed that last scene at Walmboldtopia--what fun:) It was so good to finally meet you; I hope we can meet up again in Charleston in '14.
ReplyDeleteRose, We will definitely meet up in Charleston!! Loved getting to meet you finally.
DeleteHi Janet, Sounds like you had a wonderful time on the Fling. The first garden you visited is certainly packed with lots of whimsy. I like the staircase and got a good chuckle out of the two little guys carrying off the gnome. Looking forward to the next instalment.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I really had such a great time! The only down side was not enough time in each garden...there was so much to see.
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