Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 19,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

From left: Marty Wingate, Mary Ann Newcomer, Lorene Edwards Forkner & Debra Prinzing (photo, courtesy of Janet Endsley - Northwest Flower & Garden Show)

Hello fellow Bloggers….

Your Seattle Fling team is beginning to recover from last month’s awesome, 4-day horticultural adventure.

Marty was back on the radio last Tuesday (and today), sharing her wit and wisdom with our local NPR audiences.

Mary Ann is putting the finishing touches on her new book, The Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Guide, having returned to Boise.

Lorene is starting work on a new book while farm-sitting on Whidbey Island (read Planted at Home for more details!.

And Debra is on location producing a yummy story about basil for Country Gardens.

We’re moving so fast that we wanted stop and take a breather to ask each and every one of you to share your LINKS to blog posts here in the Comment Section below. Also, please post them to the Garden Bloggers Fling facebook page.

This will give us a permanent, ongoing record of your personal blog articles, videos and photographs about the Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling 2011.

At some point in the future, these may be compiled into a master list, but right now, this is what we’re going with.

Take good care, Garden Friends.

Acquisitive (and/or lucky) garden Flingers -  there is a UPS store very close to our hotel of record where you’ll find helpful people eager to make your life a little easier for the trip home.

As for the weather?  I’m thinking you might be looking forward to a little heat after spending 5 days in our tepid clime.  Best comment I’ve heard lately? “this is the longest November I can ever remember!”

Pack layers!

It’s all going to be wonderful, but please be patient.

If you don’t see something posted about what you feel you must know now, please give us the courtesy of contacting Lorene, Debra, Marty or Mary Ann directly rather than stirring up a Facebook discussion.

Speaking only for myself, it’s hugely stressful to see the questions circulating and repeated when a simple direct email to one of us could answer whatever you’re concerned about.

And to answer what appears to be the burning Facebook questions of the day, read on:

1. Meeting up/Check in: Occurs at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, July 22nd in the Silver Cloud Inn/University Village lobby. If you don’t know where that is, look for the HOTEL link on this site. The bus boarding for our first day’s touring takes place at 9:45 a.m. Sharp.

2. Packets: Yes, we will have packets with the schedule, garden descriptions and any other pertinent information. And nametags. You will receive this at the Friday check-in.

So, without further adieu, here’s how to reach us:

Debra: dkprinzing@aol.com

Mary Ann: idahogardener@gmail.com

Marty: marty@martywingate.com

Lorene: planted@comcast.net

Safe travels everyone!

Every moment will feature beautiful surprises, but we’ve planned something extra-special for our concluding party next Monday, July 25th.

As you know, we will spend several hours at the iconic Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.

Then we will take a short, 30-minute ride to the Kitsap Peninsula, where Heidi Kaster of Dragonfly Farms & Nursery will be our garden hostess (her nursery motto: “Where Abnormality is the Normality” may suit your fancy!).

Heidi is graciously welcoming our event sponsor Proven Winners to set up a lavish cocktail party on her grounds. Can you say yumm?!!! Enjoy this delicious spread while touring the paths, borders and nursery at Dragonfly Farms & Nursery.

We’ve had fun planning this event with Proven Winners’ PR & Brand Development Coordinator Danielle Smith Ernest, a good friend to many garden writers and bloggers. She has created an evening of food, plants and a very special cocktail that celebrates the equally yummy annual you see here: Superbells Blackberry Punch.

Here are more details about this lovely plant, a sample of which will go home with everyone:

The Superbells® Punch Series was introduced to bring a multi-color look to the Superbells collection. This series has a punctuated dark eye to give more depth of color and a unique feel in homeowners gardens. This is the first Calibrachoa introduced with a dark eye that is almost black and a velvet purple rim.

Blackberry Punch was voted one of Sunset Magazine’s “25 Hot Plants to Grow Now.” We love how Sunset describes it: “A flower with the flared shape and rich colors of the finest haute couture gown.”

Here’s a review from Picket Fence Blog.

And another one from Serenity in the Garden Blog.

Oh – and about that dee-lish menu: Along with a full spread of savory appetizers, we’ll enjoy cups of Proven Winners’ signature drink, a Blackberry Punch Cocktail, and some fruit-inspired desserts, including BLUEBERRY/HUCKLEBERRY CRUMBLE WITH WHIPPED CREAM and CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE WITH BLACKBERRY FROSTING AND BLACKBERRY ON TOP!

More than 150 speakers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. are featured on this dynamic online speakers bureau that includes experts in horticulture, ecology and design.

You may have heard that Katie Elzer-Peters of The Garden of Words has recently assumed management of GGS. Not only will Katie be here in Seattle as a Fling participant, she also has created a special offer for all attendees who wish to sign up for GGS. Here are the details:

I’ve set up a Fling special offer which is 12 months for the price of 10.

So, it is $50 for 12 months instead of $60.

Use promo code FLING11 during checkout.

Many of you “Flingers” are already listed on GreatGardenSpeakers.com. You can still take advantage and extend or renew your listing, even if you have just renewed (Katie will extend your listing to 2013).

If you’ve always thought, “I should sign up and get listed,” here’s some incentive to do so. It’s okay to wait until next weekend until you meet Katie in person and learn more about her ambitious plans to expand GreatGardenSpeakers.com.

Our official transportation partner, Shuttle Express, has set up a special reservation portal for anyone coming to the Fling. Thanks to Shannon Anderson, our travel coordinator at Shuttle Express, for setting this up.

Click here to make your ground-travel reservations. The discounted shuttle fee is $19 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to the Silver Cloud Inn/University District. Some discounts apply to other hotels, too, so please call 425.981.7000 to make individual inquiries.

Shuttle Express also offers a 10% discount if you wish to take a different method of transportation, such as a sedan, limo or private van.

Take a ride on the Sound Transit LINK Train from Sea-Tac Airport to Downtown Seattle

When you arrive in Seattle next week, you might just jump on the “green” train. In other words, take the LINK, our new light rail train from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (and transfer to a local Metro bus once you’ve hit the city) to arrive at our host hotel, the Silver Cloud Inn.

If you’re shaking your head right now and thinking, “what’s up with that? I thought we had a ‘free shuttle!’ ” let me set things straight.

It has come to our attention that a rumor about a free hotel shuttle has been circulating. If you peruse this site, you won’t find that promise here. Yes, the Silver Cloud Inn offers a “free” shuttle. But here is the fine print, which is in our contract:

“Courtesy Local Shuttle Service” is available to all our in-house guests on a first-come, first serve basis. Our shuttle can take guests to any location within a 3 mile radius of our hotel which includes University of Washington – Center for Urban Horticulture/Botanic Gardens. Reservations must be made up on check-in at the front desk. The Shuttle departs the hotel daily on the hour and half hour, beginning at 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.”

Transfer to a local bus that will take you to the University District.

If you’re now cryin’ the blues as you think about the cost of taking a taxi from the Airport to Hotel, think about the $40 ($10/day x 4 days) you’re going to save with the FREE Wi-Fi that’s part of our hotel block – yeah! Oh, and how about that complimentary Buffet Breakfast!?

So cheer up! If you can’t find a Garden Blogger Pal to meet at the airport for a cab share, try our local transit options!

Here’s how to Go Green in Seattle. Follow this link to Sound Transit and use the trip planner to get from Airport to Hotel. Here’s what I came up with when I logged on tonight. Yes, it takes about 1-1/2 hours, but hey – you can do it for about $4.75.

Start Seattle Tacoma International Airport

End 5036 25th Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA 98105

Trip Options

Trip	Travel Time	Cash	Route & Transfers
1	1 hour, 34 min	$4.75	› Link › › 48 › › 30 ›

Trip 1	1 hour, 34 min, 2 Transfers
Adult	$4.75 Cash
Youth	$2.00 Cash
Senior / Disabled	$1.50 Cash

• Walk from Seattle Tacoma International Airport to Seatac Link Light Rail Station
  

  1. Walk southeast on Perimeter Rd.

  2. Continue on Seatac Acrd.

  3. Walk northeast on Seatac Acrd. 10 min (0.3 mi)

• Train – Sound Transit LinkLINK TO SEATTLE
  

  	Depart Seatac Link Light Rail Station (NB)
  	Arrive Mount Baker Link Light Rail Station (NB) 22 min (4 stops) Previous stop is Columbia City Link Light Rail Station (N

• Walk from Mount Baker Link Light Rail Station to Mount Baker Transit Center Bay 2
  

  1. Walk southeast on Mt Baker Llr Station Opas.

  2. Turn left at Pedestrian Stai.

  3. Walk east on Pedestrian Stai.

  4. Continue on S Stevens St.

  5. Walk northeast on S Stevens St.

  6. Turn left at Rainier Ave S.

  7. Walk northwest on Rainier Ave S.

  8. Turn right at Mt Baker Transfer Area Acrd.

  9. Walk northeast on Mt Baker Transfer Area Acrd. 4 min (0.1 mi)

• Bus – King County Metro 4848 LOYAL HEIGHTS
  

  	Depart Mount Baker Transit Center Bay 2 (WB FS)
  	Arrive 15th Ave Ne & Ne 42nd St (NB, FS) 26 min (35 stops) Previous stop is 15th Ave Ne & Ne 41st St (NB, FS)

  Walk from 15th Ave Ne & Ne 42nd St to University Way Ne & Ne 43rd St

  1. Walk north on 15th Ave NE.

  2. Turn left at NE 43rd St.

  3. Walk west on NE 43rd St.

  4. Turn left at University Way NE.

  5. Walk south on University Way NE. 3 min (0.1 mi)

• Bus – King County Metro 30SAND POINT
  

  	Depart University Way Ne & Ne 43rd St (NB, NS)
  	Arrive Ne 55th St & 25th Ave Ne (EB, FS) 8 min (9 stops) Previous stop is Ravenna Ave Ne & Ne 54th St (SB, NS)

  Walk from Ne 55th St & 25th Ave Ne to 5036 25th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105

  1. Walk west on NE 55th St.

  2. Turn left at 25th Ave NE.

  3. Walk south on 25th Ave NE. 5 min (0.2 mi)

Me?  I couldn’t wait; I’ve ordered a lovely Tuscan Earth room spray from the Thistle Farm online store.  I know several of you have been opining about your hopes for a cool respite from hot weather during your visit to Seattle.  Good luck with that.  Really!  I dearly hope for and have diligently put in my request for balmy dry days with temperatures in the mid 70′s with a high cloud cover mid-day to show our gardens in their best light. Morning sun is preferable as sun always puts everyone in a good mood and what better way to end each day than with a glorious sunset!  Is that so much to ask?  Time will tell.

Meanwhile, those of us here on the upper left coast have only recently begun to thaw out from the coldest spring (and early summer) on record.  I’m hoping tiny, atomized droplets of Tuscan Earth will scent my office with Mediterranean herbs and the illusion of warmth even if outside persistent “droplets” of PNW Green, aka RAIN, persist to dog each day.

Find out more about Thistle Farm and the community of Magdalene here.  Find out more about our extended weather forecast here.

You are invited to a social event on Thursday evening, July 21, the night before our official Fling activities commence. This networking opportunity is sponsored by GWA and the Washington Chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. The evening (6:30-9 p.m.), held in a garden with breathtaking scenery, gives you the opportunity to meet the top garden designers from the Northwest.

Space is limited for this exciting event and pre-registration is a must.  For more information go here.

Registration closes July 7th!!!