Stuff + Nonsense

Fling folk are Repeat Befrienders

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My photo library includes many pictures of Claire Jones looking decorative. Her blog: The Garden Diaries (Maryland)

So, here’s the thing about Fling. You come for the gardens, but you find yourself returning again and again for the people. Who could imagine forging so many long-distance relationships, all bonded by love of gardens. Not me, but that’s what happened. And I’m not alone. Many first-time Flingers are hooked by the Fling experience, and friendships form.

How about you? Will you nab one of those last few spaces? Deets on registration are here. [Ed: We wrote this post for the Toronto Fling. See here for registration deets on Fling 2016 in Minneapolis.]

Often vying with me to be the last one back on the bus, Barbara Wise of BWiseGardening (Tennessee)
First-time Flinger last year in Portland, Neil Jones and his parter Mark Domingo of Alternative Eden (Bedfordshire, UK) were among the first to sign up to return for the Toronto Fling.
After knowing them online through their blogs, I met Gail Eichelberger of Clay and Limestone (Tennessee) and Susan Tomlinson of The Bike Garden (Texas) in real life at the Buffalo Fling in 2010. Delighted they’ll be with us in T.O.
Thrilled to be having the always-sharp designer’s eye of Susan Cohan of Miss Rumphius’ Rules (New Jersey)
on our Toronto Flingaganza
For a photographer, it can be tough to share a garden with all those bodies. But sometimes you can’t image the photo without them. Here’s Mary Beth Shaddix (Alabama)
So many of my Fling friends are or have become garden authors. Here’s the ever-charming Victoria Summerley of Tales from Awkward Hill (Gloucestershire, UK) whose new book Secret Gardens of the Cotwolds describes my ideal life
And, of course, we have Canadians! Especially this year. Including one of Toronto’s indispensable organizing genii Lorraine Flanigan of City Gardening Online, seen here with the wonderful Aldona Satterthwaite
Helping add scale (the good kind of scale) to this garden pic is San Francisco Fling organizer
Kelly Kilpatrick of Floradora Gardens (California)
Showing us how to look relaxed, Garden Rant gal and Buffalo Fling organizer Elizabeth Licata (New York)
Perfectly colour coordinated (American translation: “color coordinated”),
Jean McWeeney of Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog (Louisiana)
Almost finally, it will be hard for us to follow the astonishingly hard-to-follow Portland Fling team,
Loree Bohl of Danger Garden and Scott Weber of Rhone Street Gardens (Oregon)
We hope to strike the same fear into next year’s organizer, the lovely and talented
Amy Andrychowicz (Minnesota) of Savvy Gardening. Kidding, Amy, kidding!

 

Helen

Helen Battersby is a gardener, a writer, a garden speaker, and a power-walker, not always in that order!

6 comments

  1. Your last caption had me laughing out loud, Helen. A little friendly competition is a good thing, with the key word being "friendly," as your post so amply illustrates. I can't wait to join the fun at the Toronto Fling this summer!

  2. Fantastic post and as a repeat befriender I am loving seeing the photos of dear friends. I look forward to seeing them every year.

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