Over a year ago, the Austin bloggers asked me to host this year's Spring Fling in Chicago. In honoring that request, I picked up a group of early arrivals at the train in Barrington (Diana, Layanee, Carol, Dee, Pam and Cindy), 
for a visit to Rich's Foxwillow Pines, in Woodstock, IL, and a visit to my garden, Squirrelhaven. Only a group of garden bloggers would make a detour so that Texans (Pam, Digging) could smell Lilacs.
It was great to get reacquainted with friends made last year, and to meet new friends.We were given a guided tour by Rich,
and saw lots of cool plants.
But mostly it was fun just to share the experience with others who feel the same about plants. 
(Cindy from My Corner of Katy pointing out a weight on a plants.)
(Dee, Red Dirt Ramblings, taking a photo of Carol, May Dreams Gardens.)After a tour of Squirrelhaven and some refreshments,
it was off to dinner at Francesca's.
And the best part is, I get to meet even more garden bloggers tomorrow!
28 comments:
I'm envious! But will meet you all bright and early tomorrow morning.
See you tomorrow! I'm glad things have gotten off to such a wonderful beginning!
That is awesome! What a fun and talented group. I thoroughly enjoyed the update. I hope ya'll have a very good weekend.
All those Southerners look cold!
We looked cold 'cause we WUZ cold.. but lots of warm company!
Oh my, off to a roaring start in Barrington w/Italian dinner and personal tour of MMD's fab garden. Tomorrow, look out Chicago, here we are! Flatbush, see you early.
Thanks for the update and photos, MMD - glad Pam got to smell the lilacs! Looks like a great start to the Fling
Annie
It's exciting, even long distance!
Do hope it goes brilliantly - though that's hardly worth saying because I am sure it will!
Esther
Xris - I wish I had known you were going to be in town early, I'd have invited you to join us. I can't wait to get together with everybody today.
Leslie - I'm so glad you're coming to Chicago, it's going to be so much fun!
FGG - the Southerners were cold! It's been unseasonably cool here lately, but it's just perfect for me.
Nancy - it's supposed to warm up this weekend, so hopefully you'll be able to leave your jackets at the hotel.
MA - I'm kind of jealous that you all get to hang out together before I join up with you.
Annie - the common Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) have already faded here, but at least the Texans got to experience the later blooming Korean types.
Ester - we're definitely having fun already.
I'm having fun picking out familiar faces. Good that Pam got to smell a lilac.
Love seeing you all getting together! So great to put faces to blogs! have fun with the lilacs.
I'm envious, too! Have a wonderful time together, and please post lots of pictures.
I'm so envious - but you've inspired us to try to have a spring fling here in the UK next spring. In the meantime, look forward to seeing more pictures.
I'm so jealous. What a wonderful group. I can't wait to hear about every minute. In the meantime I hope people will come to visit me and see the wonderful Giveaway I'm offering.
Hope that your 'Spring Fling' is full of fun and flowers. Have a great time !
That looks like so much fun! I would love to be there. Hopefully in a coming year . . . especially if the Seattle bloggers agree to host :-)
It's wonderful to see the happy faces! I know you're having a wonderful time! Don't forget to look at Shady Plants! :-) PS What was that beautiful (pine?) in the first photo??
Good times! Thanks for hosting us for some early flinging.
Great pictures--looks like you are all having a wonderful time. Lots of fun and laughter and a time to get to know one another even better. Thanks for sharing with all of us.
Brings back good memories to see these faces again. Wish i could have made this year's festivities.
It was delightful getting to see your garden. I wish we would have been able to get there to go to the nursery with you and had been able to linger in your lovely garden.
That was a blast. I won't tell what I told HH about my rear view in the photo I was taking of Carol. Time for more running & walking. Sheesh!~~Dee
Victoria - I hope you do manage to have a Spring Fling over there. It's exhausting, but so much fun.
VW - I would love to see gardens in Seattle. Are you volunteering?
Shady - I lost my notebook today with the names of the conifers in it, and I don't want to misidentify any more of Rich's plants.
Lisa - there's never as much time as you think there will be for all the things you want to do.
Bill - hopefully you can make it to Buffalo next year.
Dee - I feel as if I've done enough walking this weekend. :-)
Isn't Rich at Foxwillow a hoot! We've bought lots of treats for our garden on visits to his nursery. Love the idea of the Texas contingent smelling lilacs ...
I so wanted to be there in time for the tour of the nursery, but the tour of Squirrelhaven and dinner more then made up for missing it! Thank you for bringing us together and for being a great host! gail
Thanks for letting us take the time to smell the lilacs, MMD. Ahh, I can still remember them. What a great time I had. Thanks again!
Ms. Wis - Rich certainly is a character. Worth the price of admission alone. I felt sooo garden geeky, pulling up in front of someone's house and having everyone pile out of the van to sniff the Lilacs.
Gail - it was fun having you at Squirrelhaven.
Pam - I wouldn't be much of a gardener if I didn't stop to smell the Lilacs (or the Irises, or the Peonies...), so of course I had to share the experience. It was delightful to see Texans enjoying them.
Thanks so much for hosting us to some memorable and delightful pre-Fling events! Rich's was a revelation ... I had no idea there were so many different conifers. Your gardens are even lovelier than I expected. I wish I were back sitting in your swing right now ... the heat and humidity have set in here on my corner of Katy!
Verification word is affienci ... it sounds appropriately Italian!
Cindy - now you understand how there can be conifer afficianados. Hey, that's another Italian word.
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