Garden2Blog 2012 Event – Day 1 Part 2 – P. Allen Smith Cooks Up Some Catfish

Garden Rooms

Part 2 of Day 1’s cool #G2B12 Event with P. Allen Smith and 20 of my closest blogger friends was held at P. Allen Smith’s Gaines Street home in Little Rock, Arkansas. This interesting property is filled with garden rooms which present amazing views from any window in the home as well as from the street. Simply gorgeous.

Above you see his adorable garden shed . I loved the hooks on the side of the little house that allowed you to hang tools while you are working in the raised beds. His inclusion of bold oranges and greens really brings color to his employee’s vegetable gardens surrounding the little house. Allen’s gardens at Gaines Street are rife with ornament and pathways, redefining the side yard into something gorgeous as seen below. To the right is a photo of Allen with me.

Garden Rooms

Garden Rooms

Above you see a creative idea – hanging heavy-duty shelves on the side of a garden shed. The raised beds are placed at an angle instead of straight on rows, which I think builds some interest to the eye.

Allen and his team use terra cotta as a subtle color accent that matches the orange front door on the garden building and breaks up the green of the vegetable and other plants.

To the right is a photo of an arbor that has taken its cue from nature – rustic branches are used as cross beams.

After we toured Allen’s property we had an amazing dinner of catfish, home fries, and hush puppies. I was dazzled by how many flowers are blooming in May in Arkansas. My favorite flowers were centered around structures and on walls. Walking among them with a leftover bit of catfish in my hand had me smiling from ear to ear after dinner.

Eating dinner and sharing time with Allen and all the amazing garden bloggers from around the country was simply mind-boggling for a writer who spends most of her time in front of the computer – – I rarely get to meet up with friends like this. Below is a photo of Dee Nash of Red Dirt Ramblings with Allen. Several of the bloggers have already published great stories on the adventure we had with Allen Smith. 

GARDEN BLOGGERS TO READ UP ON:

Also below, I have included a list of all the bloggers who attended. Please go out and follow their blogs and learn all kinds of amazing things about gardening and design.

• Bruce Bailey – Heavy Petal Nursery
• Kylee Baumle – Our Little Acre
• Steve Bender – The Grumpy Gardener, Southern Living Magazine
• Carolyn Binder – Cowlick Cottage Farm
• Shirley Bovshow – Shirley Bovshow
• Amy Bowers – Local Eye Arkansas
• Susan Cohan – Susan Cohan Gardens
• Shawna Coronado – The Casual Gardener
• Brenda Haas – BG Garden
• Robin Horton – Urban Gardens
• Lamanda Joy Minikel – The Yarden
• Monica Milla – Garden Faerie’s Musings
• Dee Nash – Red Dirt Ramblings
• Michael Nolan – Garden Rock Star
• Kat Robinson – Tie Dye Travels
• Genevieve Schmidt – North Coast Gardening
• Carri Stokes – Between the Limes
• Amanda Thomsen – Kiss My Aster
• Christopher Tidrick – From The Soil
• Linda Tyson – South Suburban Garden Girl
• Jean Ann Van Krevelan – White Willow Media
• Barbara Wise – B Wise Gardening

*Note – Because the FTC requires it, I am noting that attendees at Garden2Blog 2012 including myself received transportation, accommodations and meals during the event. Event sponsors provided samples and product giveaways at no cost or obligation. All opinions are my own.