Fling, this time in Buffalo!

Every year when it is time to register for the Fling, I reflect on the first Fling I attended. It was in 2012, in Asheville, NC. I had been blogging since 2008 and followed (*read their blog posts) a number of garden bloggers, many from Texas. I read about the Flings over the years, and hoped that one day I could attend. The first Fling was in Austin, TX. 

After we moved to South Carolina in 2010, the first one that was easy for me to go to was Asheville. The garden bloggers I had followed for years were there! I felt a little star struck! Years ago there was a garden blogger website called Blotanical, a collection of garden blogs from around the world. You could zero in on an area, perhaps find fellow bloggers in your town or a favorite place you've visited. It was here I found those Texas bloggers. We had lived in Texas years ago and it was a little connection to a former home. I also found fellow bloggers in my area of Virginia. New friends with common interests, right at my fingertips and my backyard. 

Dixon Gallery and Gardens 

I tell you this because going to the Fling, now every year since my first (minus COVID years), is getting reacquainted with old friends and finding new ones. The gardens we visit are outstanding, ranging from private gardens of all sizes to public gardens that are bucket-list destinations. Pictured through this post are a small sample of gardens from our Fling last year in Memphis, TN. The year before we were hosted in Tacoma, Washington. Each Fling is hosted by a local gardener. In the early years it was all garden bloggers, and the Fling was called Garden Bloggers Spring Fling. 

Note the color contrast with foliage

As social media grew, we, the Fling attendees, grew as well. We now include Instagram posters, YouTubes videographers, podcasters, TikTok-ers, and even those who post garden-related subject matter on Facebook. The name now is just The Fling. The website where you can find posts of past Flings and tempting posts of the upcoming Fling is gardenfling.org 

Memphis host's garden

To attend the Fling, you need to have an active garden-related social presence that is at least six months old. Additionally, you should have posted garden-related topics, at least once within the six months before the registration opens. 

Memphis Botanical Garden kaleidoscope 

Do you want to meet "your people"? At the Fling, you will find garden enthusiasts from far and wide. Over the years, there have been Flingers from the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, and Canada, in addition to states from coast to coast. 

Japanese bridge Memphis Botanical Garden

Interested in the Fling? The destination is Buffalo, NY, a city where the garden walk is known far and wide. It is July 9 - 12. Information on registration can be found here- Buffalo Fling

New Hope Community Garden

Sign up and tour some fabulous gardens with new friends. You can thank me in Buffalo. You will see amazing gardens and make great friends.

Wall art, a nice garden addition

You will dazzled by whimsical garden art, amazed by plantings, and exhilarated by great garden conversation. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!!

Memphis host's garden

©Copyright 2026 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.

Blog- Fling- Blog- Fling- Blog

These past two years of COVID-19 have really gotten us out of the swing of things. This summer it is time to get back to what we love. We garden bloggers have been gathering together for years, going on what we call Garden Bloggers Fling. It started as a Spring Fling, but the calendar allowed for spring into summer trips, depending on the location of that year's Fling. You can read about my Fling experiences by clicking on the labels at the bottom of the post. 

This year's Fling will be in Madison Wisconsin. We will gather as gardener bloggers and leave as friends. The Fling will be June 23- 26, 2022. Our hosts Beth and Anneliese have a great line-up of gardens to visit. They have worked hard, first for the 2020 Fling, cancelled because of COVID, then moved to 2021-again COVID had other plans, and now 2022!! Registration is now open. The Garden Bloggers Fling link is here. 

If you are a garden blogger or Instagrammer, you are one of us! Come and join the ranks of Flingers. The details are here, on our Garden Blogger Fling page. While there you can explore some of the previous Flings, see what fun we have and all the great folks you will call friends. 

The sponsors are great supporters of our Fling. They help with costs of putting on the Fling and also share some of their products. You never know, you might come home with a new tool, a great plant, or a wonderful garden themed gift. (the rose pictured below was a donation from David Austin roses that I won!) 

Questions about the Fling? Ask me in the comments. You can also go to my Queen of Seaford Facebook page and ask there. On the fence about going? We have fun, the gardens are ALWAYS amazing, and the friendships are wonderful. Are you a garden blogger or have an Instagram page that focuses on gardening? We would love to meet you! Come and join the fun. 

©Copyright 2022 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Blogging and Flinging

Why blog? Why Fling? Eleven years ago I could answer the first question. I just started this blog and it was going to be a garden journal of sorts. The frequency of my posting waxed and waned, depending on what was going on in my life. I wanted to keep track of what was going on in my garden when we lived in Virginia. Once we moved to South Carolina I had a new property, new garden, MORE gardens to fill, more journal material to record.

Photo from my first post

Blogging is a two-way street for many of us. You write your post and hope someone reads it and comments. You in turn read others' posts and let them know by commenting on their post. Many used pseudonyms for themselves and any family members mentioned in the blog. As we got to know each other our true names were used. The more blogs you read the more bloggers you  got to know, sort of an electronic pen-pal.

Chris Mello's Garden, Asheville, NC

Chris Mello's Garden Asheville, NC

Flinging takes the blogging to a new level. The full name was Garden Blogger Spring Fling, we have since dropped 'Spring'. Each year a few bloggers host a Fling in their area, plan visits to public and private gardens, host/cater a dinner, and arrange bus transportation and a hotel, and invite garden bloggers from all around the world to attend. My first Fling was in Asheville, NC. Knowing certain bloggers were attending, you looked for friends who you haven't met yet. Their blog names might be the only name you know. I remember overhearing one of the bloggers ask another, "Who is the Queen of Seaford? Is she here?" Strangers in person, pen-pals online and now friends. This coming Fling will be my ninth one.

Keeyla Meadow's Garden San Francisco 

Viewing the gardens is always fun. You might see familiar plant material or you might see completely foreign plants. You can appreciate color and design. You might want to try something you have seen- will it work in your horticultural zone? Broaden your horizons.
Timing for the Flings varied -different climates and different seasons, you don't want to tour Texas in July and Toronto in May might be a tad chilly. The Flings are during the growing season best suited for each location.

Outside the hotel in Toronto

Here's where the coming back again and again makes for friendship bonds that last over the years, getting stronger with each gathering. Whether you read each others' blogs or Facebook posts or Instagram pages, each Fling you get to know each other better and better.

Maya (from California) and Beth ( host for this coming year's Fling in Madison, WI)

Bus rides are great for getting to know each other

First time Flingers have a  newbie designation on their name tag. We who are not first timers search out newbies to say hello, make them welcome, and make life long friends. Each year we in the Carolinas/Georgia try to get a group photo. Texas bloggers seem to have the largest number of attendees. There are some very charming ladies from Great Britain who have been numerous times. Friends from across the pond! Canada is well represented each year. Photo below - two Canadians, one Brit, one Northerner and a couple of Southerners (one behind the camera).

Breakfast before we fly out Monday morning

NC/SC/Georgia group

Evening gathering grows, adding table after table

Whether you go home with plans for your garden or memories of great gardens with killer views, the Fling is always a good time. We have been rained on, more than once, endured some really hot afternoons, and love every memory made.

Denver Fling- see the mountains in the distance?

More than one of us talked about trying to make our own rock garden

I will end this post with a photo of one of my favorite gardens (minus the mosquitoes) outside of Denver. Interested in joining the group and coming to a Fling? If you write a garden blog you have met one of the requirements. The rest of the guidelines can be found here. Lots more info about this year's Fling in Madison can be found at http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/p/2020-madison.html I know I shared many of these thoughts in a post earlier this year, but it certainly bears repeating. Registration for Madison is now open, time to sign up!

Both the hosts have lined up a wonderful weekend for us. Come and join us!

©Copyright 2020 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Blogger Flings- Looking Forward While Looking Back

Spring house at Meadowlark

While I haven't written about this year's Fling in Minneapolis yet, I wanted to help tempt everyone for the Fling coming up next year in the Northern Virginia/Maryland/District of Columbia region. Our host, Tammy, put up a great overview for the Fling on her blog, Casa Mariposa. A couple of the places we are due to visit next year I have been to before. I was with the York County Master Gardeners on our spring study trip. Can't wait to see these gardens again. The dates are June 22-25th, will I see you there?
Here are the links to Brookside and Meadowlark from my point of view. Please check out the links both from here as well as the ones on Tammy's page to learn more about these gardens and all the others she has lined up. I was going to add more photos to help tempt you from my library of photos, but I wasn't as prolific a photographer in 2009!


©Copyright 2016 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Blogs, Flings and Rose Give-Away

Last month I was asked to speak at a Master Gardener program about blogging. What does one say about writing a blog? Do you talk about the ins and outs of which platform to use? I did. Do you include why one writes a blog? Of course I did. I also included learning about writing html code and that I was glad it isn't critical. I also talked about other bloggers helping me get started. I appreciated my sister suggesting that I do a trial blog to make sure my photos and text all line up correctly and  Freda sharing a technique to line up multiple photos in rows and columns. Of course one must also talk about their photos. I talked about photo tagging, embedded info on the photos and different photo editing programs. Writing is critical, information needs to be accurate and well written. Check and double check your facts. I try to use a couple different references, especially when I write about trees.



 I told them the best part of blogging are the friendships from all across the world have been formed. Blogging friends are electronic pen pals. I have been blogging since 2008 and made many friends along the way. A few posts ago was my 400th post.
A couple years ago I went on my first Garden Bloggers Fling. It was like seeing old friends. Each subsequent Fling is a great gathering, seeing old friends, making new ones.

I wrote about the Fling in Toronto a few posts ago. You can read about it here. The Flings are sponsored by a multitude of garden related companies and individuals. The organizers of the Fling get support from far and wide to help lessen the cost for attendees. Over the years we have been privileged to receive tools, seeds, clothes, gloves, books, and plants. One of our sponsors this past year was David Austin Roses. Through some luck and the kindness of our Fling planners, I won the raffle for the roses! I am sharing my winnings with my readers. Two for me and three to share with you! Three chances to win!!

David Austin Rose 'Janet' 

My regular readers know I have one David Austin rose in my family garden. The family garden is a section in my garden where I have plants with names associated with members of my family. Rosa 'Janet', Paeonia 'Charlie's White', Paeonia 'Rachel's Red', Camellia sasanqua 'Rebecca's Paradise', and Hemerocallis 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' to name a few.

Over the years I have shared many photos of my 'Janet' rose. The fragrance is incredible and the colors change as the rose matures. It is a wonderful addition to my garden.  Amazing to think these two photos are of the 'Janet' rose.  The petals just keep opening and opening. A gorgeous rose.

The choices I made for myself are two new introductions for 2016. The first one is 'The Lady of the Lake'. It makes sense doesn't it? I live on a lake, therefore I NEED this rose. The second one I chose is 'Olivia Rose Austin', a heavy fragranced bloom. The photos below are from David Austin's website.

'
'The Lady of Lake'

'Olivia Rose Austin' 

If you would like to win one of the rose bushes, there are three chances! Just leave me a message below or on The Queen of Seaford Facebook page, or both! You will be able to make your own choice, the roses are amazing, to decide on one will be hard. A bare root rose bush will be sent to you at the correct time for planting in your area. THREE CHANCES TO WIN!!! Drawing will take place on January 7th.

Many thanks to Vincent Plotczyk for taking photos during my program.

©Copyright 2015 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Fling Experience - Toronto Style

I have been asked many times about the Garden Blogger Flings that I attend. In a nutshell a Fling is where the hosting Garden Bloggers find wonderful gardens, public and private, to show off their city/region. It involves a lot of work, coordinating times, schedules, buses, locations, food, and 80+ Garden Bloggers. 
Those of us who attend these Flings take away so much more than garden design, plants, and landscaping. Imagine an annual pilgrimage to get reacquainted with many of your fellow gardeners. Friendships are formed, nurtured, and bloom. (like the gardening metaphor?)
First we check into a grand intown hotel. This year's hotel was quite grand indeed. We stayed at the Fairmont Royal York. A brief history of the hotel can be found here.

My fellow traveling companions were game to explore the city upon arrival. 

Julie, Marian, Helen, Karin, and Julie

It is nice to get a lay of the land before we start our whirlwind of activities. Toronto a city on Lake Ontario, is the provincial capital of Ontario.

From just about everywhere the CN tower is in view.

Since the Toronto Music Garden wasn't on our list of many gardens we checked it out. Certainly worth a look if you visit Toronto.

Once the Fling was underway it was time to catch up with fellow bloggers from near and far.  The camaraderie is wonderful. Each year I look forward more and more to seeing my friends from Texas, and England and Wisconsin and Minnesota and Ohio and California and and and..... you get the idea. It is a giant talkfest.

We document our gathering with regional blogger photos. Seeing a city through the eyes of someone who lives there is special....but so is getting to know fellow bloggers. Toronto has great vistas...many include the CN tower.

Julie, Lisa, me, Marian, Karin and Julie

 Traveling with so many gardeners lends itself to many garden views, each gardener sees something different. When we get home and share posts and photos of the Fling there will be something in a photo that one of us has missed. Eighty gardeners can see a garden and come out with 80 different views. A few will take photos of this dragon.

Dragon sculpture on Wards Island

 Some views will be shared multiple times...who could resist this kind of photo opportunity?

View from Algonquin Island

 Meal gatherings tend to grow as another blogger joins the group and then another. By the time this meal was done our table looked like a Hungry Hungry Caterpillar table...adding more and more round tables together. Luckily our waiter was nonplused by our ever growing group.

Photo angles can be all important, one learns from the best on how to achieve that best shot.

Janet and Barbara

 There were questions from passersby on the street as to who this group might be. What? Doesn't your neighborhood have dozens and dozens of folks with cameras taking pictures? Many people wanted to know about blogging, asked for information about our blogs so they could read about what we have seen in their city.  This dog didn't ask.

We saw more than gardens. Those who like architecture would have loved seeing Cabbagetown, a section of Toronto that was once home to many Irish immigrants. It is known as the largest continuous area of Victorian homes in North America. 

There was a nice dose of history in our tour of Toronto. The Evergreen Brick works is a reclaimed brick factory and quarry. The wall art depicts the waterways through Toronto that feed into Lake Ontario. The quarry was site to archeological findings of a second Ice Age. 

Brick Press

Remaining ductwork in the furnaces

Seeing so many aspects of this city was really amazing. Big thanks to our planners, Helen Battersby, Sarah Battersby, Lorraine Flanigan and Veronica Sliva. We made new friends, saw incredible gardens, learned a bit about Toronto, rode the ferry, and chatted with all sorts of Torontonians.

Dog parking station at Evergreen Brick Works

 Did I mention the fun bloggers? Each Fling is a unique blend of garden bloggers. Wish we had time to get to know each and every one of these fun gardeners. Once home I realized there were some folks I didn't get a chance to spend time with. Guess I will have to find them next year in Minneapolis.

Maya and Beth

 Flings have been like a big family reunion, a family of friends, a family of gardeners. These are the people you feel comfortable with, you can laugh and be silly with, THESE are the people you take selfies with...in pink sunglasses.

Judy, me, Tammy, Karin, Brandon, and Julie

 Flings are times you get to check off a bucket list item - Niagara Falls

And did I mention all those wonderful fellow bloggers? Miss you all and looking forward to next year!

©Copyright 2015 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.