Friday, September 14, 2018

Diana's Garden, a stop on the Austin Garden Bloggers Fling

Anyone who has ever opened their garden knows this fear... will the weather cooperate? Will all the work getting the garden perfected be for not? If memory serves Diana's was the stop immediately following the Wildflower Center, and it was very wet, pouring. We got off the bus and made for the front door. A few brave souls stopped to snap photos on the way.
Diana has been gardening here since 2003, she designs professionally at Diana's Designs. She was also one of the planners of the 2018 Fling, so no doubt time she spent spiffing up her garden was time she'd have rather been relaxing, fling planning is a lot of work!

That may be the Yew I fell for during the DC Bloggers Fling last year (here).

Or maybe not, either way it's a beauty.

My last photo before entering the house. No that's not a pond to the right edge of the lawn, well, I guess it is actually, but not a planned pond.

Thank god Diana didn't have hardwood floors (I think they were tile) as we all dripped, dripped, dripped, through her house to the back garden.

I think that's Alyse (who blogs here) taking a photo of us huddled under Diana's outdoor COVERED patio.

I so wanted to explore the garden, but instead just aimed my camera outward and hoped for the best.

Diana does deal with deer, hence the fence, although she did admit to experimenting with plants the deer might eat, on the outside of the fence. When she simply must have something she trys to conceal it with plants the deer aren't interested in.

Inspired by a few who dared to venture out...
I finally made my way over to the other side of the pool.
Looking back at the group I left behind.

And another group at the back of the house, there were even more gathered in the kitchen.

Hopefully Annette (from Potted) won't mind my sharing this photo. She got so drenched at the Wildflower Center that her pants are in Diana's dryer. She's modeling the latest in fashionable towel attire.

Eventually it was time to make our way back down the riverbed pathway to the waiting buses.
Thank you Diana for your hospitality and all you did to make the Fling a success, your garden was wonderful, I just wish I could have seen more of it...

Weather Diary, Sept 13: Hi 71, Low 51/ Precip trace

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. Oh, Loree, I appreciate your post more than you can imagine. I knew it would be raining and had already resigned myself to that. I was delighted to have everyone in our home and loved the additional visiting it offered. I did take a small group of those ponchoed folks around, but photography was tough. I'm glad you got to see the garden, if only through the raindrops.

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    1. You were such a gracious good hostess Diana, and at least we got to enjoy your beautiful home, if not your garden.

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  2. I've been on a garden tour in weather like that. Not fun, but when you've traveled to see it what can you do?

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    1. What can you do? We all made the best of it.

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  3. Wet is an understatement for how we all were that day. But the show must go on, and Diana was a trouper for handling us all in her house with generous hospitality, while hiding any disappointment that the weather spoiled things for her garden visit. She's amazing that way.

    Yes, that is the yew you liked, I think: Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’, or spreading Japanese plum yew.

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    1. "Generous hospitality"...that's it exactly.

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  4. Looks like a fantastic garden! All things considered, you still got some good shots.

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  5. This would have been a disaster at my place as either the garden is tidy or the house is tidy but never both at the same time. Diana's garden does look lovely.

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    1. But people would have had so much fun exploring your home and the layers of fabulous things...

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  6. Such a beautiful place and didn't get to see much of it. Diana was so kind and gracious about letting a whole pack of wet people into her house, too.

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  7. Pants in the dryer(!), now that's the definition of hospitality! Diana was awesome about the whole situation. Her floors are stained concrete fortunately because our ponchos were raining inside the house.

    You captured the nature of our soggy visit quite well. Thanks for reminding me I need to find some plum yew during fall planting season.

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    1. Plant that yew! Lucky you if you can find some easily. It's rather hard to find up here.

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  8. I think it was fortunate that Diana had a place that would accommodate so many comfortably inside and out. She has so many beautiful things under cover that I am sure those who didn't venture out were able to enjoy her potted plants and delightful vignettes. Diana and the team worked so hard to put this event together and I know, however disappointed in the weather, she accepted it with her usual good grace. Or, maybe like I she had a glass of wine before you all arrived!

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    1. Indeed Diana's house and outdoor covered areas were a blessing. And I hope she did down a quick glass of wine!

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  9. Looking past the rain... this has to be the most lawn area of any Fling garden to date -- or am I wrong? So much space!

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    1. Indeed, a lot of space, and a lot of it lawn. I think there may have been a homeowners assoc that had a say in the way the front yard looked, or that could just be my assumption.

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  10. As with the Natural Gardener, the photos you captured were better than mine. Diana was a saint to let all of us take refuge in her house.

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  11. A lovely garden! I so enjoyed her garden and her beautiful home which she and her husband graciously shared with all of us. You have captured much of the beauty in your photos. Thank you and thank you Diana.

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    1. Were you braver than I and actually ventured out into the wet garden?

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  12. Nice post. Lovely insights about Diana's nature :). Her hospitality made the storm-worn adventure into her home/garden worthwhile--more than the others. I had forgotten about that, so thanks for your bringing it out again.
    Yep, that's me and my web feet out there! You guys were pretty cute (on the reverse side of that camera).

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