We happened upon Patrick Dougherty's A Bird in the Hand on our way to the CVS (sparkling water and wine are a must in our hotel rooms).
As these things go (some might call it serendipity?) a story on volunteering to help create a Patrick Dougherty sculpture appeared in my blog feed just yesterday. Click here to read it, and you really should.
I walked by the installation later, and inspired by chirping of many birds — after all it is called A Bird in the Hand — I took this short video. I have no idea of Blogger and my iPhone will cooperate to actually share it with you, but I figured I'd try...(fingers crossed)...
And then there was this. On Saturday (the second full day of "the Fling") we visited the first private garden on the itinerary. Our bus parked in front of this garden...it must be noted that this is not the tropics, but rather Bethesda, Maryland. Yes indeedy.
It was not our destination, but it was rather outstanding. And because I was not yet in prime blogger mode (it was after all 5:30 am, "my time") all I managed to do was take a few photos with my phone.
I should have done further exploration with my camera in hand. Regrets.
I also took another video, this one from inside the bus. Will this show up? I hope so...(please pardon the noise, we Garden Bloggers can be a rather excitable bunch)...
There's lots more to see from the Capitol Region Fling. I took over 1500 photos (with my camera). Who knows how long it will take me to post about all our official destinations ...hopefully I'll wrap them all up before next years event in Austin, TX (!!!).
Weather Diary, June 28: Hi 73, Low 56/ Precip 0 (no measurable rain for the last 11 days and none in the 16 day forecast, we've hit our dry season)
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
The sculpture is really cool. I wonder how long it will last outside? The video with the birds and their singing was sweet! Oh my, that tropical garden was quite a nice surprise.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing quite awhile, it was very sturdy.
DeleteI get the Maryland part, but Vermont?!?
ReplyDeleteThe banana plantation looks very intriguing. Zone pushers are everywhere. Looking forward to the other 1,496 photos. :)
Not Vermont but Virginia.
DeleteYep...Pam caught my error. Late night post writing with little time to review. It gets me every time...
DeleteI never had a chance to tour the Reston Town Center area but now wish I'd made the effort to do do. That bird nest sculpture is wonderful and I'm impressed by your video. I remember that house we passed on the way to the Katz garden - I thought it was worth a snap of 2 but never got back there - I'm glad you did. I don't think you caught the bus patter at full volume, though ;)
ReplyDeleteOh my but we're a loud group! Quite a few of us ended up in the outdoor section of the hotel bar on Sunday evening. I don't know how the poor waiter put up with us.
DeleteThe fling looked fun, and so does the first private garden you all visited! Really impressed, especially with that very tall trunked alocasia in amongst the planting.
ReplyDeleteThe Fing was great fun, but sadly we didn't actually visit that garden. We just parked out front. I didn't even notice the trunked Alocasia until later, looking at my photos. Duh.
DeleteI wish I would have wondered and gone to see the sapling sculpture. I am looking forward to your posts. I only took pictures with my phone.
ReplyDeleteI think you were in good company there, I saw a lot of phone photographers.
DeleteAre the tropical's actually planted in the ground or are they in pots? I vaguely remember a post somewhere from someone who turned his property into 'the tropic's every summer, but then had to haul everything into a greenhouse (?) for the winter. And here Jim thought he had it bad bringing in my measly cacti and succulents! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI think they were in the ground. A blogger friend said she thought they wrapped everything for winter. So much work!
DeleteI finally made it out into Reston Town Center on Monday, the first time I left the hotel not on the bus, when I went for a walk with Jane and we explored that cool bird sculpture. It was full of nests!
ReplyDeleteThat would explain all the birds zipping around!
DeleteI loved that twig sculpture too, and wow so did the birds. I'm impressed by how many photos you took. Looks I got about 800 altogether. You are right that it's a monumental task going through them all. But it's how I remember the gardens, so I'll do it.
ReplyDeleteI have a bad habit of shooting more than one of things I really like. It makes for a lot of work to go through them, but then I'm assured I really "got the shot"...
DeleteThis post is a nice amuse bouche. Can't wait for more.
ReplyDeleteHa! Thank you my fancy French friend...
DeleteWhat an interesting article. These art projects are fabulous, in part because of the group creativity and effort. I would love to join something like this.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have the personality for it. Sadly. I just appreciate from the sidelines.
DeleteWasn't it funny how that banana garden seemed like it MIGHT be our destination ? Sorry I missed that Dougherty sculpture - nice pics. It was great seeing you in DC.
ReplyDeleteI was having flashbacks to the SF Fling when we pulled up by the Nichols garden and my mouth dropped open. Had we not been visiting it I may have crashed it anyway. Sadly I forgot my determination to do so here.
DeleteGreat seeing you both too!
Am looking at this blog post 6 years later, but to answer Sheila's question, many of the tropical plants in the house on Waukesha Rd. in Cabin John, MD are in containers, but many are in the ground. There used to be a big clear winter covering for a palm which was in the ground, but the palm got too big to cover and got killed by the cold. As I recall, bananas die to the ground but the roots survive. There are also Nerium oleander, an orange tree (in a very large pot) a very large Cycas revoluta that I could see from the street. (I live a couple of miles away.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! I wish you'd have shared how the garden looks these days. Or maybe you did...
DeleteI haven't been there this year (late summer is best.) However you search: Waukesha Rd Bethesda MD on Google maps. (That's why I posted the street name.) The street is only one block long and the house is in the middle fo the street. There are only 3 street view photos but they are taken at different times of the year. Next time you plan a trip here or elsewhere you may want to mention it in advance so local people can suggest places you may want to see.
DeleteThank you!
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