The best party planners are able to quickly pivot when plans change, and like a true professional our Fling host extraordinaire, Karl Gercens, didn't miss a beat when one of Sunday's private garden hosts had to cancel during the 2023 Garden Fling held in the Philadelphia area last September. Instead of driving to Delaware on Sunday morning we were off to the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College...![]()
We were told of the change the day before, but I was too exhausted (for me this was day six of exploring the area and the second day of touring in the rain) to come up with anything resembling a plan for seeing the campus, thus I just wandered, usually accompanied by a friend or two.
Hedychium coccinea 'Tara' has never looked better than backed by a stone wall.
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My best memories of that morning are sitting on a large covered porch of a residence hall, chatting with a few of my fellow Flingers. We could have been out seeing the sights but instead we just enjoyed a few moments of repose. That is until it was time to find our way back to the buses. Thankfully others had a better sense of direction than I did.
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There were lots of interesting things to see on the way...
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This is a college campus! I don't know about you but neither of my college campuses looked anything like this...
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Thankfully someone in the group pointed out the greenhouses up on the roof...
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They were so close, but so far away (I so wanted to go explore!).
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There was a stumpery.
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Lots of stumps but not a lot of plants.
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There were however stumps as furniture...
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Almost back to the buses now, we were enveloped by plants.
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Iris domestica, aka blackberry lily
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Persicaria virginiana 'Painter's Palette'
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Ferns and a nepenthes comingling in the hanging container.
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I hate to think of all the cool things I missed (like this courtyard that Camille spotted), but sometimes it's nice to take it slow...
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Are you curious about attending The Garden Fling? The next one takes place this July in the Puget Sound area and there are a few spots still open. If you're a garden blogger, Instagramer, YouTuber you might qualify to attend. More info here. It's a fabulous time!
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