What? You’re having trouble following the title of this post? Look, I’m only trying to help here, because you have to be prepared when somebody like, say, Ivette Soler comes to your town. Because you can’t just throw just any soiree together for someone who goes by the name of, ahem, The Germinatrix, is a passionate designer and super fab writer. So get out your #2 pencil and paper and take some notes!
Step 1: Start with some fabulous peeps: Local gardeners are a good start, and if you can add some bloggers and designers, all the better. But why stop there? Add a TV producer, a county extension agent, the president of the local succulent society and a super cool Aunt Nora and things are bound to get out of control. But in a good way. Really!
Jeff Pavlat, Pam Penick, Jenny Stocker, Philip Leveridge, Daphne Richards, Yours Truly, Leah Leveridge and ta-da! Ivette Soler
Step 2: Line up three garden tours on opposite sides of town. Hey, garden fabulosity knows no zip code, but if you really dig plants and bond over Agave attenuatas, sistah, you’ll go anywhere!! First up, Pam Penick’s super cool West Central garden:
Next up, we have Jeff Pavlat’s Southwest incredible succulent garden:
And then there’s The Patch, the Eastside magical garden of Philip and Leah Leveridge:
Step 3: Add some bagpipes: What, you thought you could have a good party with an Englishman raised in Scotland without bagpipes?
Step 4: Add adorable children: Well, I don’t really need to explain that, do I?
Step 5: Sit back and see the happy faces: Fun people, beautiful gardens, bagpipes and insanely cute kids–is it any wonder people are smiling?
So file all this away under the “Good Times/Good Life” category, but don’t put it on the shelf or in the file cabinet—because life is way too short to not enjoy laughter, beauty and bagpipes! Thanks, Ivette–come back and sit a spell next time!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great day that was! Ivette, her devoted fans, gardens, cute kids, and bagpipes! Life is good.
Hi Jenny.
I am so glad you and Pam managed to get some pictures on the big day…I know I didn’t! What a fun and event packed day, I really enjoyed chatting to you. That picture of Nathan with his sisters pink rain boots on cracks me up – so many patterns – dots, checkers and stripes!
The best thing about the day was that no guest got darted…a full head count at the end of the day, a first for a Patch gathering.
Germi was a blast, oh and G? If you are reading this, your container of bouncy balls have already nearly put me in hospital twice!
Oh and Jenny, there was a wing lying on my pillow when I woke this morning! Darn vitex.
ESP.
Jenny – I just have to say that I love what you write – and you sound so fun – who could not enjoy this?
Someday, I hope you can do my garden
j
Pam, life is indeed good!
ESP, I’ve read your comment three times now and keep laughing out loud! We MUST get together for a 4-some happy hour (with kids, of course) soon!
Judith, I can’t WAIT to work with you. You know, we should start with a glass of wine and chitchat about it all sometime! ; )
Awesome post for an excellent event! It looks like you all had a wonderful time. The pics of those garden and the gardens themselves were utterly divine!
Thank you SO much for bringing me along with all of you cool kids!
Thanks, Christina! We had such a good time–even the rain and the mugginess couldn’t stop us!
That pond with radiating pavers in Pam’s garden is AWESOME! Wow. Total garden lust going on….
I know! I could do a whole post on EACH one of those gardens! Being a fellow balcony-dweller, you’ll understand my in-ground planting envy that I had!
OMG!!!!
Here I am in Los Angeles having SERIOUS thoughts about getting on the next Austin-bound flight and finding myself a place to stay for a while!
Jenny DARLING – you captured it! It was so fun, so inspirational, so fun, so cool – and SO FUN!!!
I consider myself the luckiest Germinatrix in the WORLD to have such amazing friends … I mean REALLY – what a DAY!!!
I am starting to sort though my pics and am sure I am going to at LEAST have to make my post a two- parter … so much BEAUTY – plant beauty, friend beauty, kid beauty – BAGPIPE beauty! I swear I almost cried!!!
Thank you so much for bringing it back in this post – I am going to remember this day FOREVER!!!
MWAH and XOXOXO!!!
We were so happy to hang with you the whole day!! You really did ME a favor because I needed the down time with friends in great places! So when are we doing it again??? : D
Great pictures! And it was so fun to see you. I’m so lucky to have met you, thanks to dear Sara.
Wow – okay I am now officially green with envy. What a magical day you all had! Great post – and even greater gardens! Holy Cow – Pam – your garden is amazing! As are the rest….next time I’m catching a flight out there to hang with you guys – no doubt about it!
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