Postcard from Texas

View from Mount Bonnell, Austin, Texas showing rock, sculptural trees and Lake Austin

I'm back from a wonderful week in Austin where the Garden Bloggers Fling was held this year. We saw plenty of amazing gardens, and a few extra days plus our downtown location meant there was plenty of time to see what else the city has to offer.

It's the Fling's 10th anniversary this year, and it was apt to return to where it all began, though in quite a different format to the first time. I was struck by the incredible hospitality of our hosts, who opened their homes to us pre, during and post Fling. Pam deserves a special mention as she not only had 90 Flingers visit her garden, she also broke away from her preparations to take Barbara and I on a tour of some of the key sights of the city. It was great to see Austin through her eyes and here's her take on our trip together.

The photo shows a view from Mount Bonnell, Austin's highest point with great views over the city, Lake Austin and the surrounding hills. I chose this photo because it shows some of the key elements we saw during our stay: a much greener tree-filled city than the one I'd imagined, plenty of rock - limestone in particular, plus sculptural trees which frame both views and houses.

There's plenty more to come once my jetlag fuddled brain is back to normal!

Comments

  1. Mark and Gaz13 May 2018 at 08:25

    It all looked so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP13 May 2018 at 14:42

      It was! You would have loved loads of the plants :)

      Delete
  2. Barbara Segall13 May 2018 at 10:00

    A lovely image to remind me of a great intro to Austin with Pam Penick and your good self. Like you I am not yet quite back to normal... It is interesting how the memories of gardens, plants and people keep dropping into my brain's sorting box!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Margaret13 May 2018 at 17:35

    Great photo and what an incredible time was had by all - this was such an awesome fling! Our time in Austin seems sort of surreal now - its been less than a week but feels like so long ago already!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 May 2018 at 09:20

      It was a wonderful Fling - my head's still in Austin a week later! Lovely to see you :)

      Delete
  4. www.ravenscourtgardens. com13 May 2018 at 18:15

    It was a lovely fling! Austin was so pretty with all the cacti, ornamental grasses and wild flowers. Our host did an amazing job of pulling it all off with out a hitch! Even the rain gave us all perspective : ) Hope to see you in Denver!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pam/Digging14 May 2018 at 00:07

    Michelle, it was such a treat to spend a few hours with you and Barbara pre-Fling, sharing some of my favorite parts of Austin! Thanks for coming all this way to Fling with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 May 2018 at 09:21

      The Fling gives me a great excuse to travel. It was so kind of you to give us an insider's guide to your home city. A post on what else Austin has to offer is brewing...

      Delete
  6. Alyse Lansing15 May 2018 at 01:01

    Great shot, Michelle! I like your wording--sculptural trees, framing the views and houses. The trees were amazing! It's a good story photo for all the elements--live oaks, juniper ("cedar"), sky, river, and all that Hill Country stone. So happy to have met you on that last day at the Wildflower Center! Look forward to reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 May 2018 at 09:23

      Alyse, I'm so glad we had a chance to chat on our extra day as we didn't get the chance on the actual Fling. I hope that gets rectified next year!

      Delete
  7. Francesca21 May 2018 at 19:29

    The Garden Bloggers Fling looks like a lot of fun, glad you had a wonderful time. And Lake Austin and sculptural trees look gorgeous in your photograph too. Thanks for sharing your trip on here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP23 June 2018 at 10:02

      Thanks Francesca and welcome to Veg Plotting! It was a very special trip and one that keeps on giving as I'm about to meet up with a third USA based friend from there today who's over in the UK :)

      Delete

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