I had a nice surprise one chilly January day: I was nominated for the Sunshine Award #gardenchat.  S

I had a nice surprise one chilly January day: I was nominated for the Sunshine Award #gardenchat.  So what is the Sunshine Award?  Here you go:  The Sunshine Award is an opportunity to help others discover the best new things in the blogosphere. If you are one of the 10 below: (1) Use the Sunshine Award logo, above. (2) Link back to whomever nominated you! (3) Share 10 bits of information about yourself. (4) Nominate 10 fellow bloggers “who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere." (5) Leave a comment on the nominees’ blogs to let them know about their award.  Yikes. Ten things about me? (How do I keep you from the inevitable eye-roll?) In no particular order: (1)  It’s taken me years, but I can now peel an entire pomegranate in less than 18 minutes. (If I wasn’t also taking pictures, I’d have it down to 15.)(2)  Before the Recession, I was co-owner of an award-winning garden retail shop for 7 years, until a Global Economic Meltdown sucked the life out of it and I had to start a business all over again, from scratch. I thought I was too old for this. I was wrong. (3)  Last month I ripped out my entire front lawn. The lawn is gone, and now there is a lovely shade garden under the trees. (4)  Having first discovered "social media” in 2008, as of this writing I have 32,767 followers on six social media platforms (fewer, if some of you unfollow me after reading this).(5)  I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California where I made playhouses and doll houses in the redwood forests, all fully furnished by Mother Nature’s bounty.   (6)  I lived in the largest, most remote city in the world for two years: Perth, Western Australia. It’s a long story. (7)  I take (almost) as many pictures of food as I do of plants. #forkdork #hortdork(8)  I visited Iseli Nursery on three occasions to purchase almost $100,000 in conifers for a handful of builders and developers in Atlanta, Georgia, and none of it is in my yard. (9)  I should probably be a better housekeeper. But who has time?(10) My favorite words are “tenacity” and “serendipity."  Now for the fun part. We can only pick TEN bloggers? This is a near-impossible.  (1)  Simmer & Boil with Mary Beth Shaddix. I met Mary Beth at the first annual Garden Bloggers Conference last year. I am so inspired by all that she does: growing and cooking and sharing her lovely farm with fabulous photos and recipes. Mary Beth is also a contributor to the Cooking Light Pick Fresh Cookbook in addition to the blog, and she owns the wholesale nursery and farm, Maple Valley Nursery near Birmingham, AL, with her husband. You can follow Mary Beth on twitter @mbshaddix.  (2)  Red, White & Grew. Pamela Price, Cultural Journalist & Historian. I’ve been a fan of Pamela’s blog for a long time. She’s an American treasure in the world of social media. Her blog is host to a bounty of topics. She brings personal wisdom and passion to every topic she tackles, and you can’t help but be drawn to her charming enthusiasm. Perhaps it was Pamela who first re-introduced America to the Victory Garden phenomena, way back in 2008. Listen to Pamela and Holly Hirshberg at TEDxSanAntonio: ”Fighting Hunger One Vegetable at a Time.“ You can follow Pamela on twitter @redwhiteandgrew.  (3)  Seasonal Wisdom. I met Teresa O'Connor at the first annual Garden Bloggers Conference in Atlanta last fall. Teresa was a speaker at the conference, and a finalist in the 2013 Garden Bloggers Hall of Fame. I have been following Teresa on twitter @SeasonalWisdom and on Facebook where she writes about gardening, cooking, and folklore.  You can read her blog, Seasonal Wisdom (which P. Allen Smith called one of the "Ten Great Garden Blogs”) here. She is one of the most gracious people you will encounter on the blogosphere. Teresa will be a speaker at the NWFGS in February 2014.  (4)  Urban Gardens with Robin Horton. Robin is the founder and publisher of the multi-award-winning Urban Gardens blog where she writes about style, design, and, naturally, urban gardens. Mashable named Urban Gardens “One of the Top Ten Must-Follow Home and Garden Twitter Accounts."  Robin was a speaker at the first annual Garden Bloggers Conference in Atlanta last year, where I had the pleasure of meeting her. She is funny, and sassy, and an inspirational trend-setter. You can find Robin on twitter @urbangardens.  (5)  Digital Sherpa. President, Adam Japko. Adam presented the first Garden Bloggers Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in 2013. Adam coordinated the two-day conference for gardeners to help them better understand the branding of their business through social media. And wow! What a lineup. His first time out of the garden-bloggers-gate was nothing short of First Class. I think most of us will be back for the Second Annual Garden Bloggers Conference in 2014. Visit Adam’s blog for great information about climbing the social media ladder. Oh, and you’ll probably want to follow his WineZag blog also where you will discover a "sensible appreciation for wine.” (6)  Our Little Acre with Kylee Baumle. Don’t you love following gardeners from other parts of the country? Kylee is in northwest Ohio Zone 5B which is currently a bit like living in Greenland. Just ask her! She lives with her husband, 10 cats and six chickens, where she writes and photographs her own garden. Kylee is the co-author of Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants, and she will be speaking at the 2014 Northwest Flower & Garden Show in February. You can find her on twitter @ourlittleacre. (7)  Cowlick Cottage with Carolyn Binder. I’ve never met Carolyn in person, but I follow her blog and she is so much fun, I feel like I know her. Carolyn is a foodie and a gardener, and she writes about industry trends and how social media impacts them. She is also a garden scout for Southern Living magazine, and a guest at P. Allen Smith’s Garden2Blog event at Moss Mountain Farm. Looking for pure delight? Look no further. You can find Carolyn on twitter @CowlickCottage. (8)  Red Dirt Ramblings with Dee Nash. Yet another wonderful gardener I met at the first annual Garden Bloggers Conference last year. When you meet folks in person, after you’ve been following them on the blogosphere for a while, it’s such a thrill to finally say “hello” face-to-face. Her beautiful blog, Red Dirt Ramblings, is a journey through Oklahoma’s soil and beyond. She writes engagingly about her own garden, her garden travels, and her greenhouse. Dee has a brand new book, just out: The 20/30 Something Garden Guide which is all about the urban farm movement. Follow Dee into the dirt on twitter at @reddirtramblin. (9)  The Personal Garden Coach with Christina Salwitz. Christina is The Personal Garden Coach and “Motivational Gardener at Large.” Her blog is filled with stunning garden photographs, with an emphasis on gardening with foliage. One peek at her blog, and it will change the way you play with plants forever. She is the co-author, along with Karen Chapman, of the new book, Fine Foliage. Christina will be a guest speaker at the NWFGS in February 2014 and you can find her on twitter @Arcadia1. (10)  And last, but not least:  Gaga’s Garden with Susan Fox. Susan has the best twitter profile, ever @gagasgarden​: Story Teller | Rose Revivalist | Rain Maker | Invincible Winner | Star Gazer | Dream Maker | Baby Magnet | Heart Breaker | Don’t Mess Around With Me | Above the Clouds. So, if you grow roses, Susan is one of a handful of Rose Folks you should get to know, and she is so charming and knowledgeable, you’ll be hooked in an instant.  The American Rose Society awarded Susan with its Presidential Citation “for Promoting the Rose and Rose Education Via Social Media.” Her photo of the Julia Child Rose is featured in the 2014 ARS Calendar for the month of July. Not only that, but Susan’s 2014 Monthly Guide to Rose Care is out (and you can order it HERE), featuring not only her expert advice, but pictures of roses she nurtured and grew herself. I am delighted to have made her acquaintance, and it wouldn’t have happened without social media. Thank you, Susan, for nominating my blog to your Sunshine Award blogs. And in the interest of non-redundancy, I didn’t choose several of Susan’s award nominees, but rest-assured, THEY are also on my list, so be sure to take a look!  -- source link
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