Minneapolis Fling: So Much to Write About...

2016 Minneapolis Garden Bloggers Fling group at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul.

The 2016 Garden Bloggers Fling is over, and the tired but exhilirated bloggers have gone home to sort through hundreds (thousands?) of images and digest all that they have seen and learned about northern gardens. We'll be sharing their posts here. For real-time information about the Fling, check out our Garden Bloggers Fling Facebook page or look on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #gbFling2016. (The photos will blow you away!)

The Fling was organized by Amy Andrychowicz, Kathleen Hennessey and Mary Lahr Schier. You can check out our itinerary, our terrific sponsors, and more information about gardening in the North on this blog. Now, on to the posts!

MINNEAPOLIS -- THE CITY AND ITS GARDENS

• Highlights of the Minneapolis Fling by Garden in a City 
• Gorgeous Gardens Dominate 2016 Garden Bloggers Fling in Minneapolis by Sharing Nature's Garden
• Fling, Flang, Flung by Woodchuck Acres
• Busy Flower Visitors on Swamp Milkweed by Natural Gardening
• Some Fling's Up at the Casa by Casa Mariposa 
• Minneapolis' Courthouse Plaza by Toronto Gardens
• Garden Bloggers Unite! by American Meadows 
• Minneapolis Water Features Great and Small by Commonweeder 
• Garden Bloggers Fling 2016 by Nature Hills Nursery 
• Scenes from the Minneapolis Fling by Digging 
• Why Garden Hats Matter by Notes from Northern Gardener
• Come Sit with Me in these Gardens by Toronto Gardens 
• Color FULL Small Gardens by More Than Oregano 

FRIDAY, July 15

• Creating a Focal Point at Hearts and Ivy by Toronto Gardens
• Cor-ten Beauty in Rhonda Fleming Hayes' Potager Garden by Digging
• A Twin Cities Fling, Part 1 by Plant Postings 
• Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden by Wills Family Acres 
• Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden by Recreational Gardener 
• Minneapolis Garden Bloggers Fling, Day 1 by Shovel-Ready Gardener 
• Our Recent Garden Trip to Minneapolis, Day 1 by Ravenscourt Gardens 
• Noerenberg Memorial Garden and Carmichael-Kelley Home Garden by Digging
• 2016 Garden Bloggers Fling, Day 1 by Down2Earth
• Eloise Butler Gardens by Floradora Gardens 
• Eloise Butler Wildflower Gardens by Homegrown
• Peacefulness in Minneapolis by Rebecca's Retreat 
• Noerenberg Memorial Gardens by Garden in the City 
• A Gardening Couple's Magnificent Obsession by Garden in the City 
• Day 1 Highlights on the Still Growing podcast 
• The Garden of Rhonda Fleming Hayes and Bachman's tour by Adventures in My Garden 
• Ideas for Designing with Vegetables by Toronto Gardens 
• Lyndale Park Gardens by Adventures in My Garden 
• The Studio Garden of Donna Hamilton by Adventures in My Garden 

Springwood Gardens Daylily Farm was a favorite stop.

SATURDAY, July 16

• Garden Bloggers Visit Vera's Garden by Notes from Northern Gardener
• Springwood Gardens Daylily Farm by Digging
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum by Digging 
• Dynasty Drive flowers and bonus hosta garden by Digging
• Celebrate July's Profusion in the Garden by Toronto Gardens 
• I Went to the Woods and Saw Walden Road Garden by Digging 
• Dotty Over Monarda Punctata by Toronto Gardens 
• Will Fine Plastic Netting Deter Deer? by Toronto Gardens 
• Twin Cities Fling, Part 2 by Plant Postings 
• This is an Espaliere Belgian Fence by Toronto Gardens 
• Garden Tour: Day 2 by Ravenscourt Gardens
• Day 2 Highlights on the Still Growing podcast

What a pretty vegetable garden!

SUNDAY, July 17

• Lotus Position, Marjorie McNeely Conservatory by Toronto Gardens
• What Makes a Japanese Garden by Woodchuck Acres
• An Enchanting Gate by Natural Gardening
• Woutrina de Raad's Sculpture Garden by Toronto Gardens
• Design, Plant Collections and Larger Than Life Sculptures Dominate Fling Garden by Sharing Nature's Garden
• Making Fish Box Troughs by Toronto Gardens 
• Como Conservatory and Japanese Garden by Digging 
• Elegant Garden of St. Paul Writer Marge Hols by Digging 
• Inspired at Squire House Gardens by Digging 
• Garden Artistry at Woutrina De Raad's Sculpture Garden, Part 1 by Digging 
• Magical Mosaics in the Garden of Woutrina De Raad by Digging 
• A Twin Cities Fling, Part 3 by Plant Postings 
• Day 3 Adventures on the Still Growing podcast

 

Planning Your Trip To Minneapolis

I know we've thrown a lot of Fling info at you over the past few months, and it can be hard to find all the information you're looking for. So I thought I'd put together a list of important links and information you'll need for making the final arrangements for your trip to Minnesota next week.

Minneapolis skyline

Communication

#hashtag

Our hashtag for the 2016 Garden Bloggers Fling is #gbFling2016. Please be sure to use that every time you post something about the Fling on your favorite social media site. It's a great way for sponsors, garden owners, and fellow Flingers to follow along on our adventures.

Facebook Group

Also it's important to note that all of our communication during the busy days of the Fling is done through our Facebook group. If you're coming to the Fling, but you're not a member of that group yet, please click here and request to join. Then turn on the FB notifications, and keep your eyes peeled for important announcements from now all the way through the Fling (and afterward as people start posting pictures and blog links about the Fling!)

Important Links

• Things to Pack and What To Wear
• What will we do during the Minneapolis Fling? 
• Itinerary Preview
• Thursday evening Welcome Event  

Hotel

• Info about our hotel for the Minneapolis Fling and parking

Transportation

• If you are flying in, there is light rail service from both Twin Cities terminals (Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) and Terminal 2 (Humphrey)) to downtown. You'll take the train to downtown Minneapolis, and then get off at the Warehouse District/Hennepin Ave Station. This station is on 5th Street N, between Hennepin Ave and 1st Ave N. Once you get off the train, you'll go northwest on 5th St toward 1st Ave and turn left onto 1st Ave N. The hotel is 1.5 blocks from the Transit Station between 6th St and 7th St, on the left side of the street (right across the street from the Target Center). Taking the Light Rail is super easy!

• A cab ride will cost about $35, or you can take an Uber.

• Driving directions to the hotel are here.  

Minneapolis Central Library (location for our Thurs eve Welcome Event)

Food

Some of your food will be provided, but not all of it. Below is a list so you know what to expect (the meals in bold/italic font are the ones where you'll be on your own).

Thursday:

• Appetizers and beverages at our welcome event
• You're on your own for dinner (if you're still hungry after the welcome event)
  

Friday:

• You're on your own for breakfast 
• Lunch
• Snacks on the bus
• Appetizers and beverages at happy hour
• You're on your own for dinner

Saturday:

• You're on your own for breakfast 
• Lunch  
• Snacks on the bus
• Banquet Dinner

Sunday:

• You're on your own for breakfast 
• Lunch 
• Snacks on the bus
• You're on your own for dinner

 

Your hosts for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Garden Bloggers Fling: 

Please remember that each Fling is planned, coordinated and run by volunteers - this is not our full time job. So please, please be patient if you experience any glitches during the Fling. We'll do our best to make sure everything goes as planned - but with every BIG event, there's always something, right? So, patience and understanding are always appreciated!

• Mary Schier of My Northern Garden
• Kathleen  Hennessy of 29 Minute Gardener
• Amy Andrychowicz of Get Busy Gardening!

Thank you!

Thursday Night Welcome Event!!

Our Thursday night Welcome event for the Minneapolis Garden Bloggers Fling will be at the Minneapolis Central Library. One of the reasons we chose this location for our welcome event is because it's a short 7 minute walk (3 blocks) from our hotel (or a 5 minute walk from the train station).

But the main reason we chose it is because the Minneapolis Central Library is a beautiful building (and we wanted to show it off)! Built in 2006, the Minneapolis Central Library is a fairly new addition to our beautiful city. Because of it's gorgeous, award winning architecture, the Minneapolis Central Library has been named one of the 50 most beautiful libraries in the world. (The library also has a green roof, but unfortunately it's not open for tours. Super bummed about that!!)

I would share a link to their website, but it's totally unimpressive!! Instead, you'll have to wait and see it for yourself. :-)

Thursday Evening Welcome Event

Location: Minneapolis Central Library - 300 Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis
Time: 5:30-8pm
Refreshments: Appetizers, beer, wine and other refreshments will be served
Attire: Anywhere from casual to dressy

The room is located on the 2nd floor on the north side of the building. They will post directional signage in the elevators and at the bottom of the escalator to make it easier for us to find the room.

We will plan to meet in the hotel lobby for those of you who are walking from the hotel. If you want to walk with the group, meet in the lobby between 5-5:15.

Or you can just meet us at the library. Since it's so close to our hotel, you can come and go whenever you want - so there's no rush to get there exactly at 5:30. Of course, you can leave the event early if you want to grab an earlier dinner (but you have to eat your fill before we let you leave, so that might spoil your appetite! LOL!).

For those of you who are driving... there are two levels of parking located beneath the Library. The parking ramp entrance is on 4th Street (across the bus and bike lanes) between Hennepin and Nicollet. The ramp is directly below the library.

Will we see you there?