July 16, 2022

Sunday at the 2022 Fling:
Perfect Weather and More Great Gardens

Rotary Sunken
The sunken garden at Rotary Botanical Gardens

On the last day of the 2022 Garden Bloggers Fling, the weather was fabulous, as were the gardens.

millers 1

We split into two buses at separate gardens again, and the first garden my bus visited was the colorful, delightful garden of Jane and Duane Miller. It really makes a statement out front, with colorful paint, bowling balls, and display plants. It was bright and beautiful on this nearly cloudless summer day.

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Jane has a creative, artful way of arranging her garden items and plants. It's very welcoming and you want to wander into the nooks and crannies, to see what's around each corner.

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The vibrant plants and the unique props complement each other.

Ann Munson 3

Next, we headed to Ann Munson's peaceful, mostly wooded garden. She, too, has fun and artsy garden displays.

Ann Munson 2

Ann has lovingly cared for her garden for 43 years. She started with a small veggie garden, and has gradually expanded to include her entire 3/4-acre suburban lot. There's no lawn—paths and natural structures weave in and among the garden areas.

Ann Munson 1

Ann created her gardens using storybook themes, and the result is a warm, whimsical trip through a great collection of plants and props. 

Rotary 1

We next traveled to Janesville, Wis., to visit Rotary Botanical Gardens. I've always enjoyed this view, which you can access by climbing a few stairs to a patio that overlooks the Formal French Garden.

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The various gardens cover 20 acres, featuring 26 areas that surround a lake.

Rotary 3

Benches at the gardens share words of wisdom from historical sages.

Janet Aaberg 1

In the afternoon, we headed to Stoughton, Wis., about 30 minutes southeast of Madison. Janet Aaberg began creating her colorful garden in 1999, which features blooms and fabulous foliage from early spring through November.

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Lilies, colorful shrubs, and amazing climbing plants grace her sun-filled property.

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Janet shared a welcoming sign to say "hello" and "goodbye" to our Flingers.

Jim and Jay 2

The final private garden of the day was that of Jim Ottney and Jay Hatheway, also in Stoughton. When they bought the property, it was an untended field of weeds, an oil change sand pit, volunteer trees, and invasive plants. They turned over the entire lot by hand, transforming it into a tranquil sanctuary.

Jim & Jay 1

The result is a comfy oasis, filled with amazing plants and garden art. Jim describes it as "a private escape and a space where we can entertain small groups of friends."

Jim and Jay 3

Since I last visited, Jim and Jay also have beautified the nearby waterfront with the blessings of local officials.

Allen Centennial 3

Finally, we ended the Fling at the UW-Madison campus Allen Centennial Garden. It's described as the "artful living laboratory" of the university's horticulture department. Beautiful, healthy annuals and perennials are displayed in 14 areas of the compact 2.5-acre property.

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Veggies, ornamentals, and plants of all types are displayed and tested here.

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We think a youngster helped create this welcome sign.

And that was the end of the 2022 Fling! It was fun, educational, and done in the blink of an eye. We hope everyone who attended enjoyed it; we certainly were happy to reconnect with plant-loving friends we hadn't seen since the summer before the pandemic!

Thanks for joining me on this journey! To read more about the 2022 Fling and learn about the 2023 Fling, visit the Fling website.

22 comments:

  1. I certainly enjoyed every day of it! Thanks for putting the tour together for us, Beth. It was a treat to see the gardens of Madison and surrounding towns.

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    1. Oh, so glad to hear. It was wonderful to tour gardens together again with the Flingers, including you, Pam. :) It had been a while since I'd seen the private gardens, so that was a treat for me, too. It's amazing what people create and share with other gardeners.

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  2. Beautiful as all these gardens are, I most appreciated the garden bench at the Rotary Botanical Gardens with the wonderful quote by Chief Seattle.

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    1. Yes, the garden benches at Rotary are really special. They add a bit of wisdom to the surrounding beautiful scenes.

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  3. Beautiful!
    So very special!
    Have a blessed day!

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  4. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photographs. You have captured the Fling beautifully and it is nice that you had great weather! Looks like fun!

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    1. Thank you, Lee. It's definitely different to be one of the planners. But once the Fling started, it was just as much fun as previous Flings I've attended, mainly because of visiting lovely gardens with friends.

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  5. I love the small private gardens most of all because I feel a connection to gardeners like me that just enjoy plants and love their space in which to work .. gardens are an escape from the harshness of life in general .. too much bad news about everything is an overload of negativity .. gardens are one of the most positive environments to be in if you can't take a walk in a quiet forest. Thanks for stopping by my blog Beth and these are wonderful pictures you have taken !

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    1. Yes, gardens are an escape, for sure. They keep us healthy in all ways--mentally, physically, emotionally, and often spiritually. Thank you for your kind words. :)

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  6. I have enjoyed your posts about the Fling. Thank you!! Carla

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  7. Oh, Beth, I can feel the energy and excitement you all must have felt visiting these gardens! So glad you and the others finally were able to see the Fling to fruition.

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    1. Hey Susie: Yes, it was a fun group and the private and public gardeners were such welcoming, enthusiastic hosts. We were outside most of the time, so we felt pretty safe being together. :)

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  8. Love seeing the gardens through your eyes. My email has been messed up for awhile. Gary took pity on me and got me back online. I like to look at the garden pictures on my computer for the larger pictures.

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    1. Glad you're back online, Lisa! Happy midsummer gardening!

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  9. Really enjoyed these summaries of the '22 Fling. Sweet personal gardens, each as unique as the gardener who made them.

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    1. Yes, the gardens and the gardeners are all so unique, with personal touches and plant combinations around each corner. Flings are fun!

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  10. Oh how I enjoyed the tours! Thank you for sharing. I know you had the most wonderful time especially being able to talk gardening with others! Now I am inspired to go outside and weed...except that it is late at night.
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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  11. Glad I went back to find your posts about your fling. So much to enjoy, especially the garden art which makes each garden memorable.

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