Cold Climate Gardening

One nice thing about the GWA Symposium is that most of the meals are donated by various member businesses. But we all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch, or a free breakfast, for that matter, so you probably already guessed that the business that pays for breakfast thereby procures the opportunity to speak to us while we are eating.

On Saturday morning this privilege went to Scotts Miracle Gro. (I can hear some of you booing and hissing already. Will it appease you any to learn that Bradfield Organics and SafeLawns.org got the floor for Sunday’s breakfast? The irony wasn’t lost on some of us. There’s room for all kinds in the GWA, especially if they’re paying for breakfast.) I was surprised at the level of conversation going on around me while the presentation was being conducted. Apparently just because someone gets up to talk, the members don’t feel obligated to listen. Some people claim the microphone wasn’t working. Perhaps the temptation to catch up with long lost friends was too great. Or maybe some people were remembering a certain lawsuit and were deliberately being rude.

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For those of you just joining us, this past fall I spent a week traveling to visit friends in Austin and to attend the Garden Writers Association symposium in Oklahoma City, where I agreed to be part of a team presenting on garden blogs. My original intention was to chronicle my entire trip from airport departure on September 26th to airport arrival on October 2nd, giving a detailed account of each day. Fortunately for my readers, I have been way too busy for that, else I fear I’d be the online equivalent of the overly enthusiastic tourist, subjecting her friends to interminable slides of palm trees in Florida. However, I did have several requests in the comments section for an account of the Garden Blog presentation I did with three other members of the GWA. So, here goes.

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Austin to OKC
While it was great to visit my friend Cynthia and the Austin bloggers, that was only an extra benefit to my trip. The Garden Writers Association symposium, my primary reason for traveling, was still ahead of me. Cynthia drove me to the airport very early on Friday morning, where I managed to have one last Round Rock for breakfast. My flight from Austin to Houston was uneventful. My flight from Houston to Oklahoma City was delayed. That didn’t bother me one bit, as the flight’s departure was originally scheduled a bit too close to my arrival from Austin. The delay gave me some breathing room, which I used to phone my family, among other things. Jackie Soule, a GWA member from Arizona, overheard me chatting with them and introduced herself after I got off the phone. Presto chango! My first new friend, who sat with me on the flight–the only flight of the trip where they didn’t adhere to assigned seats.

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Yes, I’m back from Austin and Oklahoma, busy catching up on my life and thinking about all the people I met, gardens I visited, and things I learned. I received a lot of favorable comments about my presentation and even a few requests to help people for hire–blog coaching.

But I really think my fellow presenter David Perry stole the show. He covered the most important aspect of blogging (no editor or client limiting what you can say) with a humorous selection of his own posts. He had the audience in the …

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By the time you read this, I will be on the first leg of my Great Adventure. This evening, Lord willing, I will be picked up by a good friend at the Austin airport, who will accompany me tomorrow to the gardens of three Austin garden bloggers: Pam, MS Stevens, and Annie.

Friday I’ll be back at the airport, on my way to Oklahoma City for the Garden Writers Association annual symposium. On Sunday morning I’ll make my contribution to the Garden Blog panel discussion. After that I’ll be able to relax and enjoy the garden …

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As many of you know, I am a member of the Garden Writers Association. A while back, I was asked to be a member of a panel discussion on garden blogs at the annual symposium, which is being held this year on September 28th through October 1st in Oklahoma City.

This explains the message on the tip box, way down at the bottom of the sidebar, that says, “Help me get to Oklahoma City.” Much to my grown offspring’s astonishment, the GWA doesn’t pay the expenses of their panelists. You get a small honorarium and a big hint that they hope you’ll donate …

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