Finally Getting Settled In
Well, the past few weeks have truly been a whirlwind. I was in Philadelphia for a few days for the annual symposium of the Perennial Plant Association–something I do almost every summer. It was great to see old friends and make new acquaintances. I shot nearly 400 photos a day for four days, so I have a LOT of editing to do.
One of the highlights of the trip was returning to Longwood Gardens where I was an intern 17 years ago this summer. What a treat! That summer was one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve ever had and I found myself reliving little bits and pieces of it as though it was yesterday. Longwood is second-to-none when it comes to showmanship in the garden and I highly recommend it if you’re up in that area.
The other place that simply blew me away was a garden called Chanticleer. Chanticleer was not open to the public yet when I spent the summer at Longwood, so I had never seen it in person before–only in pictures. WHAT a place! My friend Bill Thomas is in charge of things there, so of course I didn’t expect anything less than perfection. Bill was at Longwood when I was there all those years ago and now has taken the reigns of Chanticleer. Funny, neither of us look a day older–especially Bill! And my good buddy Dan Benarcik is at Chanticleer, too, so there was plenty of greeting and catching up to do.
There’s more, but I’ll tell you about the rest of it later.
The weekend after returning from Philadelphia I FINALLY got to move into my new place. I’m beginning to settle in now and it’s a wonderful place to call home. I’ll post some photos as soon as I have a chance to take two breaths and actually take some.
Immediately after moving I was involved in a 4-day-long photo shoot for Garden Design magazine. It was absolutely grueling week for all of us involved, but the effort was well worth it. The photos turned out beautifully and will appear in the magazine next spring. I’ll give you more details as we get closer to the time. I think it will be the April issue, but will let you know for sure.
If all of the stars align just right I could also be in Fine Gardening in April. So–that would be two of the biggest gardening magazines in the country in the same month! Sweet! Keep your fingers crossed. Even so, I’ll be in both magazines, even if it’s not in the same month and I’m very excited about it.
Now that I’m in my new house, my new office and my new studio I will FINALLY be able to dedicate the time and attention to the website and the blog that I really have intended to all along. I’ve kept promising and now the time has finally arrived. I’m going to be going full speed ahead with the blog, with new additions to the website, the garden travel and tours division of my business and host of other things. I hope you’ll keep checking back. I’m very pleased with the traffic the site has had so far and I really haven’t even been trying that hard. Hold on to your hats, ’cause it’s full steam ahead from here! Be sure to check back often!
