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?

Things To Pack and What To Wear

Minneapolis is TWO WEEKS away!! Say what?!?

A few people have asked what they should plan to bring for their trip to Minneapolis, and what to wear. Here's a list of ideas for you...

Things to Pack:

• Camera!
• Sunscreen 
• Hat
• Extra camera batteries and memory card
• Phone and camera chargers
• An umbrella to protect your camera in case of rain. 
• Sunglasses 
• Your name tag and buttons if you've been to the Fling before (don't worry newbies, we've got you covered!) 
• Business cards

Make sure to leave lots of extra space in your suitcase for your swag!! (Your swag will come in a bag, so you can use that as an extra carry on if you need to. :-) )

What to Wear:

Wear comfy clothes during the day for the garden tours. If you feel like dressing up for dinner, then bring a change of clothes for each night. (But do note that we won't be returning back to the hotel before our banquet dinner on Saturday night)

Minnesota's weather can be very unpredictable! Although we don't expect it will get down below zero during the Fling (ok... that was a joke!), it can get cool in the evenings. Daytime temps can range anywhere from the 70s... all the way on up to the low 100's and humid (yuck, hopefully that won't happen during the Fling!).
 
I highly recommend that you wait until the week of the Fling to check the weather report and decide what to pack... and then check it again the day before you come because the weather report can change on a dime. No joke.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the A/C tends to be cranked up pretty high at most places in MN (I guess Minnesotans really DO like it cold!). Our Thursday night event will be indoors, as will our banquet dinner on Saturday night. So, make sure you bring a sweater or light jacket to take with you to these events, and also when you go out to restaurants.

Also, we will be doing LOTS of walking during the Fling, so make sure you bring comfy shoes! We'll be walking through gardens after all - and over lawns, up and down hills, and through the streets of downtown Minneapolis....etc. Plan accordingly.

Here's the tentative itinerary in case you missed it...  Minneapolis Fling Itinerary Preview

Garden Blogger Fling Sponsor/Swag Teasers

Garden Design Magazine 
Garden Design Magazine is full of inspiration and information. A long-time supporter of the Fling, the magazine will host our Friday happy hour as a Bloom level sponsor of the Minneapolis event. We’ll learn more about publication’s direction as we unwind from our first day of tours.

Kelly Moore Bags 
Leave it to bloggers to discuss cameras and handbags. A recent Facebook chat lead us to reach out to Kelly Moore Bags to see if they would like to be part of the Minneapolis Fling. They are teaming up with us as a Bloom level sponsor and are also donating two bags for our door prize drawing, and putting a little something special in our swag bags.

If you don’t know about Kelly Moore Bags, you should! They’re the perfect combination of beauty, function and fun. Check out all the eye candy at kellymoorebag.com.

American Beauties 
American Beauties Native Plants is a groundbreaking program designed to raise awareness about the importance of native plants to our environment. Their branded pots and four-sided plant tags make it easy to choose the best natives for your garden. Each tag offers all the information you need to be successful and teaches you about each plant’s benefits to wildlife.

American Beauties is all about giving back. A portion of the proceeds from every plant sold will fund environmental research and education.

American Beauties joins us as a Bloom level sponsor. Learn more at: abnativeplants.com

Bailey Nurseries 
If you love hydrangea and roses, you’re in for a treat when we tour Bailey Nurseries. The nursery who brings us Endless Summer Hydrangeas, FirstEditions Plants and Easy Elegance Roses partners with this year’s Fling at the Bloom level, hosting us for lunch in their beautiful display garden.

Bailey Nurseries is one of the largest wholesale nurseries in the United States. This fifth-generation, family owned nursery provides plant material to garden centers across the country.

Bachman’s 
Bachman's Floral, Gift and Garden Center is a Minnesota institution, and one of the largest traditional floral and nursery operations in the world. The company was founded in 1885 when Henry Bachman, Sr., planted potatoes, lettuce, onions, and squash on a plot of land in South Minneapolis. Today, that plot contains the company's headquarters and acres of floral, gift, garden, and landscaping departments. On a busy Valentine's Day week, Bachman's will deliver over 24,000 trademark purple packages.

Bachman’s partners with the Fling as a Bloom sponsor and will host us for a garden center tour and lunch.

Swag, Swag, Swag 
Our sponsorship team has been working hard to partner with the best gardening companies across the country to bring you swag, door prizes and other fun surprises throughout the Fling. We’ve got plants, seeds, tools, toys, books and more from: Botanical Interest, Corona Tools, Cobra Head, Sustane OrganicFertilizer, Southern Living Plant Collection, Blooms of Bressingham, Bayer, TulaHats, Costa Farms, Gorilla Cart, Teak Closeouts, Tubtrugs, Southen Exposure Seed Exchange and Proven Winners, just to name a few.


Best of all, you won’t have to wait until the end of the event to get your hands on some of these fun products. We have special deliveries and fun games planned every day!

There are still spots open if you want to join us for the 2016 Garden Bloggers Fling in Minneapolis on July 14-17. Go here to register now...  Register for the 2016 Minneapolis Garden Bloggers Fling