Botanical Interests seed packets pack a powerful punch

We’re excited to have Botanical Interests partnering with us for the Austin Fling on May 3-6.  Botanical Interests has been a long-time sponsor of the Fling and we appreciate their support – they and all of our other sponsors help make this event possible from year to year.

A family-owned business since 1995, Botanical Interests offers an astounding array of more than 600 seed varieties.  

From organics to heirlooms, their seeds are specifically chosen to perform for home gardeners.  All of their seeds are untreated and non-GMO.

Their seed packets really set them apart in the gardening world.  I pore over my Botanical Interests seed packets, full of -- you guessed it -- interesting botanical information.  On each packet, you can learn about the history of the plant, follow tips for successful growing and even find a recipe to use when you’ve harvested your edibles.  Suggestions about keeping your cut flowers longer and your vegetables fresher are invaluable.

Using the inside of the packet gives them a lot more space to include the additional information they know gardeners want, because they are gardeners and they want it, too.

When I’m designing a garden space, it’s invaluable to have all that data at my fingertips.  I don’t want to go searching online or elsewhere for information when I’m planning, and with Botanical Interests packets, I don’t have to.  

Of course, now is the perfect time to buy all of your seeds for spring planting. Be sure to show your appreciation for their support.

You will find them on Facebook, Instagram #Botanical Interests, and @Botanical Seeds on Twitter.

Order your own catalog, and be sure to sign up for their online newsletter

While you're using the catalog and newsletter to do your spring garden planning, check out their latest and greatest offerings and products:

Latest and greatest varieties 

Paper pots

Kitchen Garden Kit

Sprouter 

Thanks again, Botanical Interests!

You'll go wild for Tanglewild

Prior to moving to Austin in 2011, Skottie and Jeff spent 22 years in Seattle, where they packed a collector’s garden into a 50x100-foot city lot. Seeking a warmer, less rainy climate, they bought a 1.7-acre property in north Austin, and their dream of starting a daylily hybridizing nursery -- they have more than 800 cultivars and 200+ seedlings -- grew into the larger goal of establishing a botanical garden: Tanglewild Gardens, one of the private gardens we'll be touring during the Austin Fling.

 

Scottie and Jeff are justifiably proud of their daylily collection. In 2017 they were accredited as an American Hemerocallis National Display Garden and as a Historic Display Garden (for daylilies). In addition to daylilies, Tanglewild has many varieties of palms, brugmansia, arisaema, and coleus, and it's a certified wildlife refuge. "The Tar Branch creek snakes through the back half of our property," Jeff says. "While seasonal, it has flowing water for much of the year and is home to many fish and three snapping turtles, including Crush (named after the turtle in Finding Nemo), who's over 2 feet long."

Daylily seedlings

Skottie designed the garden, which contains two walled courtyards with Moroccan-accented screens. One contains a moon garden planted with white and pale-colored flowers to be enjoyed after dark. The other is their main entertaining space, a tropicalesque garden surrounding their swimming pool and a large, comfortably furnished porch.

The nursery and garden is their retirement plan from the tech world -- someday. In the meantime, it’s a place to recharge, relax, and share good times with friends and family.

We look forward to sharing it with you at the Austin Fling. There are still a few spots left on the tour, so sign up today!

Moon garden

Central Texas Gardener: Supporting Sponsor of Austin Fling

Anyone who gardens or is even thinking about gardening in and around Austin knows about Central Texas Gardener, a weekly television program produced by KLRU-TV, Austin PBS. Whether you watch it on TV or online, as I do, when you hear producer, writer, and narrator Linda Lehmusvirta's soothing voice and descriptive turns of phrase, you know you're in for the treat of a personally guided tour through beautiful yet real gardens located right here in the challenging region we call home.

For example, check out the CTG tour of Rock Rose blogger Jenny Stocker's garden; Jenny's garden will be one of the highlights of the Austin Fling tours.

Each episode also features an in-studio interview with a designer, plantsman or plantswoman, author, or community gardener, as well as tips by local experts. There's a wealth of gardening info and inspiration in each episode.

Linda Lehmusvirta, producer of CTG

If you come to Austin Fling, you'll meet the producer, Linda -- a local legend and Lone Star Emmy Award winner -- as she is a prolific blogger and Flinger as well. Check out her blog for CTG, which mixes personal stories and photos from her own garden with practical gardening advice and teasers for upcoming episodes. The show itself is a true perennial favorite, having been on the air since the late 1980s. In 2006, KLRU began distributing CTG to other PBS stations around the country, and today more than 20 stations in 8 states air the program.

As they say: "Central Texas Gardener knows that gardeners are as diverse as their soil, interests, and style. What they all share: creativity and lots of questions! CTG solves the problems, inspires innovative designs, illustrates resourceful techniques, and tells the personable stories behind groundbreaking adventures. From cultivation to crafts, anyone -- no matter where you live and garden -- can watch CTG online to get growing, right now!"

Austin Fling is proud to have the support of Central Texas Gardener, and we hope you'll tune in to watch and learn! You'll find CTG's past episodes on YouTube, and you can follow Linda on Facebook.

Central Texas Gardener

Website

CTG Blog

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