Garden2Blog 2013 – A Kinship Not Soon Forgotten

Have you ever walked into a room of people you have never met and immediately felt at home? That’s exactly what happened to me last Tuesday as I stepped into the dining room at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock Arkansas. I was there to attend P. Allen Smith’s Garden 2 Blog event and as I entered the room you couldn’t help but notice the laughter and of smiles this eclectic group of gardeners. Hugs and “formal introductions” followed. You see, we all know each other in the virtual sense. We follow each others blogs, tweet our greetings 140 characters at a time, we even host live radio together, but for the most part never actually met in person.  It was an immediate sense of kinship that is rare in the world today. One of great fondness and respect. It is a feeling I will never forget.  Below are just a few shots of some of the wonderful people I had the great pleasure of meeting.

Caroline Binder & Steve Asbell @ G2B13

Caroline blogs at Cowlick Cottage Farm is a super talented writer, photographer & foodie
Steve Asbell blogs at The Rainforest Garden is an illustrator, writer and a great friend

Barbara Wise awaiting buckwheat pancakes

Barbara Wise is the master of the container garden and blogs at BWiseGardening. She has a new book out, Container Gardening for all Seasons

Jenny Peterson sips coffee and enjoys the company of friends

Jenny Peterson is a talented Garden Designer and she blogs at J Peterson Garden Design. Her new book, a collaboration with another gardening pal, Kylee Baumle is entitled Indoor Plant Decor

Diane LaSauce & Teresa Byington

Diane LaSauce blogs at Home, Garden, Life and is such a sweet soul. Many of you have read about Teresa Byington. We host RoseChat Radio together each week on BlogTalkRadio. Many do not know that until now, we have never met in person.

Mallory Colliflower & Lynn Coulter

I met Mallory Colliflower on the plane. She manages Social Media for HGTV Gardens. Check out they awesome new website HGTVGardens.com Lynn Coulter blogs at the GardenClub for Home Depot and spoke many words of encouragement to me during this event.

Myself, Carol Niec, Teresa Byington, Kerrie Rosenthal & the irrepressible Mimi San Pedro

The SeedKeeper Girls: Carol & Kerrie were just as I thought them to be a barrel of fun with hearts of gold. They are on a mission to help school children get in the garden and GROW something with seeds. Their handy SeedKeeper helps me keep my seeds organized. They are also the developers of burlap girdles that are all the rage on Paris runways this spring… LOL Actually, that’s a post for another day….. Mimi San Pedro is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer for P. Allen Smith. Her drive and energy is contagious.

Beautiful roses in the lobby of the Capital Hotel, Little Rock, Arkansas

I couldn’t possibly sum up this event in one blog post. What is described here in word and photos barely moves past the first hour of the event.

I read a quote long ago that sums it up in a sentence:

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust

Tomorrow: We’ll met our host, P. Allen Smith, take a garden tour and enjoy lunch at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

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