The following is a guest post from our own Shelly Gustafson, one of our gardening experts who recently attended a garden blog conference in Seattle.
This past weekend I had the immense pleasure to meet up in Seattle with a group of about 70 of the top garden bloggers from across North America (and a few from the UK!) at the annual Garden Bloggers Fling.
While "The Emerald City" has been having an interesting summer weather-wise, the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for our arrival. However, it was back to the usual on Monday with a strong downpour taking over – but even that couldn’t lesson our enjoyment of the beautiful Bloedel Reserve.
The agenda centered on visiting Seattle’s most famous public gardens (and some private ones too). Highlights included the breathtaking Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, The Dunn Gardens and the amazing Miller Horticultural Library. We also hit up some of the best garden stores and garden centers in the area including Ravenna Gardens in the U-District and Dragonfly Farms on Bainbridge Island.
The private gardens were amazing in their diversity featuring everything from a gravel garden to an “Urban Hillbilly Chic” concept that featured an abundance of handmade garden art.
All in all, it was a fun trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Seattle’s best gardens with a group that was sure to appreciate their unique beauty.
Check out Shelly’s blog 29minutegardener.com (Urban Gardener) for more details on the trip and check out our Facebook Page for Shelly’s Photos and see the post on how renowned photographer David Perry’s tips improved her photographs!
