Fourth blogiversary love & a giveaway
Four years ago I found gardening to be a solitary pursuit.
Four years ago I didn’t have conversations with gardeners all over the world.
Four years ago I didn’t know I could take a photo that other people would enjoy.
Four years ago I couldn’t have imagined traveling long distances to meet up with garden-blogging strangers. What would we talk about?!
Four years ago I was missing some rewarding friendships and a creative outlet.
Four years ago I had more free time! 🙂
A lot can change in four years, and I have blogging to thank for all the changes listed above. Over the past four years, my gardening world has been broadened, enriched, and immeasurably brightened by YOU, dear reader. Thank you for reading and for all your wonderful comments over the years. And thank you to all the other garden bloggers too, whether you started well before I did or just last week. Being a part of this network of generous, diverse gardener-writers is simply marvelous.
To share the love on this Valentine’s Day and celebrate Digging’s birthday, I’m giving away three sets of note cards I made with pictures from this blog. Each set includes 6 images I’ve chosen from among those featured in today’s post. To be entered in the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. On February 21 I’ll draw three names and email the winners to get their addresses. You don’t have to be a blogger to win, and I’ll ship anywhere, even overseas.
Thanks again for reading!
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Happy Blog Birthday, Pam.
I am grateful for your blog, as it was one of the first I came across when I began discovering the world of garden blogs. It gave and continues to provide me with much inspiration! I am so thankful for this community, as it is such a pleasure to see the beauty of gardens from many different climates. Here’s to many more years!! 🙂
Well, let me be the first to congratulate you and to say “thank you”. Your’s was one of the first gardening blogs I began reading.
Congrats! I am in zone 8A, we are almost neighbors! The photos are stunning.
Hi Pam,
This is from Budapest, Hungary. I have been following your wonderful gardening blog for a year now.Your agave and grass combinations have given me a lot! Part of my wildflower garden has just had to be re-designed. 🙂
Lou
Happy Blog Anniversary, Pam. You’ve brought so much to the garden blogging world, too. Like you, I could never have imagined traveling to meet up with other gardeners, just because we had “met” online through garden blogging. But you made that first meet up happen! Thank you.
Four years ago, I hadn’t even thought of looking for garden blogs. But when I did, yours was one of the first I found and bookmarked. I think it was a photo of your old front garden that grabbed me first, but you are also one of the most thoughtful writers around, and your text and photos always go together — a whole set of skills that not all of us have! Best wishes for a happy bloggeburtstag, and may there be many more! I hope you also enjoy Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year…
Congratulations on your blogiversary! I enjoy reading your blog so much – as you are so generous with your ideas and information.
Thanks!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cameron
Congratulations on your anniversary. Your blog is very well written and your photography is stunning. I enjoy both and appreciate your efforts. Please continue to do both.
Four years ago, I did not even know there were blogs. Yours is my great inspiration. Your photos and your keen eye for garden design simply are a delight. Congratulations on your blogiversary! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Pam- Remember the time you introduced yourself to me at the Wildflower Center Tour? You sowed the seed for bringing many garden friends into my life too. Thank you. Your photography skills match your gardening skills and I would love to have some of your note cards. Happy anniversary and Valentine’s day. The sun is shining on your day.
Happy Bloggiversary!
Four years ago i would have probably thought that a blog was something that you pulled – gagging – out of a bathroom sink trap. I came to blogging when i was searching the web for ways to propagate crepe myrtle cuttings and found tom at seventh street cottage and his cloner. I always appreciate the quality of your photography. that’s something i have not mastered at all. happy blogaversary to you…
Pam,
Happy 4 year anniversary, Digging! Your gardening blog was the first one I saw and I was in awe of your photography, knowledge and design skill. Your blog is like opening up a book that you just can’t put down. ~Amy
The garden blogging world is much richer for your photos, wisdom, experience and, above all, kind heart. Congratulations on four years and may you continue to find inspiration through nature.
Pam, you were instrumental to me when I started blogging! You are very generous and your photos are superb.
Happy blogiversary! I am a fairly new gardener (2 years) and I don’t know how I stumbled across your blog but I am so thankful that I did. When I was digging out my first flower bed I wrote down the name of every plant you posted about and set out to the nursery to find them! Thank you for all of the heart you put into your blog. It is so inspiring.
Hey, what a wonderful blog post! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through your writing and photography. Hope to meet up in person in July! Cheers.
Your’s was the first blog about gardening in this area of Texas that I found when I started looking. You answered my question about the sage bushes out front (and they are doing very well now, thank you!) and I found so many more resources from your site. I might even convince the hubby to let me repaint the front door — because of your blog!
Thanks for all you’ve done.
I am so glad that you found an outlet for your creative talents! Gardeners are such great people and sharing people, but I have to confess that I still seek the sanctuary of being alone in the garden.
Congratulations on four beautiful gardening years my friend. It’s lovely to read your words and see you photos. I wonder sometimes what I did before blogging and meeting all the wonderful people I have.~~Dee
Congrats for your success and thanks for sharing your passion. So much beauty to behold and you do a fabulous job! Enjoy and GARDEN ON!
I was so glad to have stumbled upon your blog 2 years ago..had to go back then and read all your previous posts. LOVE, love, love your photographs. Its like being able to travel to Texas without leaving my den! You have fired up my creativity more than once. Thank you and please don’t stop taking pictures or blogging!
cheryl
Happy Birthday, Digging! Digging was the first Austin garden blog I found, and it introduced me to all the other Austin garden blogs. Digging inspired me to start my own garden blog. Thank you, Pam!
Pam, I am a first-time visitor to your blog this Valentine’s morning. Found you on Facebook, and this won’t be my last visit. You have a wonderful eye for garden photography and I really appreciate your blog posts under water conservation. Thanks for helping open lots of eyes to the obvious.
Four years, wow, that’s great! Yours was one of the first blogs I found, courtesy of Garden Rant, but that was a mere year and a half ago. I’ve certainly enjoyed it ever since. Keep up the good work Pam!
Thank you for existing in a way that I can share..thank you for all the oohs and aaahs and breathes taken away!! I am totally new to this and feel so enriched just to peer in from far away (Paraguay)! Dig away dear gardener!
Erna Maria
Oh, you are so much loved ! I am glad I have an opportunity to tell you officially in public how much you’ve enriched my gardening life.
I am not an expert, but I do enjoy digging. I am learning so much from you and look forward everyday to read your blog.
I can not imaging gardening without you. You are such an inspiration to me. Thank you.
Happy fourth anniversary, Pam! A great date to have started a blog- easy to remember. I can’t remember exactly when I started reading here but it was fairly early. Here’s to many more blogaversaries!
Happy Blogiversy Pam–and Happy Valentine’s Day too! I have a blog because of you. Your blog was the first one I ever saw. I couldn’t wait for you to do a new post! Your friendship and encouragement on my blog was so helpful. You helped me find garden friends through Blotanical. I am so grateful for you and all the pictures and advice you share. Thanks for all you do!
Hugs, Linda
You have such talent — I’m so glad you found the blogging world and that I discovered you! I’ve enjoyed seeing your garden, especially since I’m here in Austin and can take great tips from you. I hope I’m the winner — I love your photos. Happy anniversary!
Congratulations Pam, four years is quite an accomplishment. You take the most beautiful photos and give good content. You blog is always a good read.
Happy Valentines Day!
H.
Your garden and your blog are an inspiration for many of us less talented gardeners and bloggers. Thank you for that and congratulations on your anniversary.
I only found your blog in the last year, and I haven’t made it back through all of your archives yet. As an artist living in Austin, gardening is another creative outlet for my few free hours. Looking out my windows and puttering outside is a source of inspiration for my work, so I’ve been motivated to mold those visions away from the standard suburban lawn. I found your blog when searching for new planting ideas. Now I’m seriously considering a stock tank. 😉 Thank you for your artistic photography and inspiring landscapes. -Vickie
I’m so glad that four years ago, you decided to start a garden blog. You were one of the very first blogs I found, when we moved here. I’ve learned so much from you, and enjoyed your beautiful photos. You even inspired me to try my hand at a blog.
Congratulations, and keep up the very good work.
Congrats to you Pam on four years of blogging! That’s phenonmenal. You set the bar pretty high too ~ I am always inspired when I come here. Always.
Anyone would be so lucky to receive notecards made from your photos. That’s so generous of you. Cheers to you on many, many more.
ps. thank you for your kind words about mine too.
Thank you for sharing your garden through this wonderful blog. I have enjoyed coming here often in the past few years!
Congratulations, Pam, on four years of wonder. You’ve inspired people all over the country. I look forward to your posts as a morning meditation with knowledge as a bonus. Looking forward to many more.
Wow . Four years! I only found your blog within the past year or so, and you’ve led me to some other wonderful sites via your links. But your pictures are stunning and the knowledge you share gives me inspiration to try new plants and different combinations.Thank you for sharing. Happy Bloggaversary!
Love your blog. Love having it post to Facebook!
I’m renting in Austin for the time being, but plan to use your inspiration to improve my little part of the world (mostly using containers). Your photos are wonderful.
Hi Pam
Happy 4th Blog Birthday.
I am still quite new to blogging and your site is full of lots of ideas and inspiration and its great to share in the Foliage Follow Up meme each month. Thank you for hosting it.
Happy blogiversary Pam! You voiced what many of us feel about the garden blogger community and, as usual, in a well worded manner. Thanks for all your inspiration!
Congratulations, Pam! I have learned so much from your excellent blog and continue to learn and be inspired and occasionally even steal a few of your ideas. Thanks!
Congratulations, Pam! I don’t comment much but I’ve been reading your blog for at least 2 years – maybe more. Though I love all your photos and admire your skill at it, the one I most appreciated was the one that confirmed that yes, I do have poison ivy in my flower beds and the woods! No wonder I had unexplained rashes that first year – if it wasn’t from my contact, it was from the cats. Thanks for all you do to further the love of gardening, photography and blogging.
Well you’ve certainly been an inspiration to us all Pam and I have enjoyed being one of the regular visitors of Digging since I started blogging 3 years ago.
It was such a pleasure to have you visit my garden last Spring, along with 49 other of our garden blogger buddies.
Happy Blogiversary and keep up the fabulous job you are doing.
Congratulations on your blogiversary, Pam!!! Looking forward to enjoying many more years of “Digging”… 🙂
Happy Blogaversary Pam! What a wonderful treat it has been since that first time I opened your blog…Hoping you have had a great Valentine’s Day. xxoo, gail
Biggest, biggest congrats, Pam. Your photography is absolutely gorgeous and you’ve inspired us all over the years with your design sense. Go you!
Congratulations on a wonderful milestone! I don’t think I even knew what a blog WAS four years ago.
Looking forward to the next four years!
Happy 4th Anniversary! I’ve so enjoyed visiting your blog. It’s like getting to visit home with out the 4 hour plane ride. It is so great to be able to see what is going on in Austin gardens while here in CA.
I hope to some day have 4 years of blogging under my belt too. I hope I have the stamina!
Thank you for all your wonderful sharing.
Happy 4th! Add me to the list of those inspired by your blog! I love your photos and all the great info. Hope to read you for at least 4 more!
Glad you decided to start blogging four years ago. I have enjoyed reading your blog and have learned a lot. Thanks for sharing your ideas and information.
Jan
Always Growing
I’ve just discovering the garden blogging world myself and your blog has been an inspiration to me. Congratulations on four wonderful years and here’s wishing you many happy blogging years to come.
Congratulations on four years of successful blogging! Somehow you should have worked organizing the first garden bloggers’ meet-up into your list. You didn’t travel long distances for that, but it was the beginning of a lot of friendships for a lot of people. Looking forward to renewing our friendship at Buffa10!
Happy Valentine’s Day and Blogiversery Pam! Thanks for sharing what you love and your vast gardening and photography talents. It is always a treat to read a new post on your Digging blog. I’ve learned so much and love your enthusiasm.
Four years! Wow. Congratulations and thank you for your blog.
Congrats on your 4th Blogaversary Pam. I am so happy I found your blog. It is something I look forward to. You can’t post too often for me. 😉 I hope you continue many more years.
Hey Pam – how awesome! You just make this look so easy. If I can only be a fraction as accomplished a gardener and blogger as you, I’ll be happy! You’re such an inspiration for all. Hugs!
ChrisG
Happy Blogaversary & Happy Valentine’s Day. I love your post today all about connecting with others & self-improvement. I look forward to your posts & seeing your fabulous photos.
happy birthday!
i’m new to your blog and looking forward to following you on your gardening adventures.
Happy Blog-iversary, Pam. Congratulation on 4 years of beautiful photography and sharing a wealth of information. Just reading all the other comments have made me realize you have been an inspiration to everyone who follows your blog. I think one of the things I have enjoyed most is watching you transform your gardens from the ground up. I look forward to many more years of reading and enjoying your blog.
Thank you for all the effort you put into Digging. You’ve given me inspiration, wonderful ideas, and some pretty durn nice photographic images! Happy birthday!
Happy Blog Anniversary, Pam! You were one of the first garden blogs I found and were the inspiration for me starting my own blog!
The pictures on this post are simply gorgeous! The picture of the tulips nearly took my breath away!
Happy Anniversary, Pam – I still remember how exciting it was when MSS of Zanthan linked to your new blog and I saw your design for the courtyard at your previous house. How could it be only four years? Maybe blog years are like dog years compared to real time!
Thank you for being such a spark of inspiration, not only to everyone, everywhere through your words and photos, but in the way you inspired your fellow Austin gardenbloggers to become a community.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Congrats, Pam! Four years is pretty impressive, to say nothing of your wonderful content and images.
You are incredible. Happy Blog Birthday and may there be a 100 more.
Pam,
What a milestone. Congratulations on your journey so far…I can’t wait to see what the next four years bring.
Pam I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – you are a nurturer by nature. You are growing something…a plant, a blogging network, a relationship, a body of information and shared knowledge – all the time. Many congratulations on your blogging milestone and here’s hoping for many more years shared on the interweb!
Pam – this is quite a virtual party you are having – and you deserve the celebration. You have been an inspiration to me and so many others. Congratulations.
Congratulations Pam! Thank you for your native enthusiasm and inspiration. I especially like the personalities you infuse into your plants… especially the Whales Tongue Agave!
Roses are Red
Violets Are Blue
If it was not for “Digging”
There would be no “You”
Thank you for being there and giving us some of your world to encourage the gardening in us! God Bless and Happy Gardening! Pamie G.
Happy blogiversary! It is amazing how blogging opens up a whole world of adventures. 🙂
Happy Anniversary from grey, grey Salt Lake City!
You know, today when I tried to look at your website I got an error code saying that your Digging server could not be found. My heart truly sank! I thought, “Oh no! Does she need money? I’ll send money!” I tried your server again and it popped up, no problem. With half of my favorite magazines going under in this economy, I am a bit jumpy:) I want you to know how much I appreciate your beautiful blog– it combines two of my favorite things– gardening and Austin. I especially love your field trips to local nurseries and the garden tours.
It was so interesting to hear the effect this blog has had on your life, too. And I just assumed all you Austin gardeners knew each other already, somehow. The internet is a wonderful thing! Thanks again for all you do–
A Homesick Texan
Happy Blogiversary Pam. As ever, I enjoy the beautiful gardens and how you elegantly bring them to life on Digging. It is truly a welcoming garden gate to enter.
Jackie
A day late for a Valentine wish but never too late to say “Congratulation” on 4 wonderful yrs. You have provided me with information, views into your lovely garden & seeing plants I never saw before. Thank you very much.
Here’s hoping for many more blogging yrs.
Happy Blogiversary, Pam! I’m very glad you started blogging! Your doing so led to me finding your blog and meeting you and other great garden bloggers!
Happy Anniversary Pam! Your writing and your photos are always a delight. Thanks to you and others I have found the courage to put my own writing ‘out there’, but, truth be told, I would do a lot more writing if I didn’t have so many great blogs to read! Keep it up!
You have been an inspiration and even an addiction at times! Please keep it up, I have learned so much and now I am a bonafide garden blogger stalker! Happy anniversay – I would have never guessed that you are only 4 years old in your new endeavor – obviously you had it hidden inside and finally found your outlet!
Rebecca
Thank you for your blog. I enjoy it immensely.
Always a joy to visit with you! Happy Anniversary.
Happy Blogiversary!
Happy Blogiversary, Pam! I count myself very fortunate to have met you here on your wonderful blog and in person last May. You’ve certainly made your mark in the gardening world in Austin and abroad and are very respected and loved.
Interesting that your Sedum has nearly the same amount of growth that mine does! They’re pretty hardy and are one of the first plants to show signs of breaking away from winter’s hold.
Congratulations Pam–how does it feel to be an “old-timer” after just four years? Thank you for your beautiful blog and the kind leadership you’ve provided to garden bloggers.
Don’t you just love that sedum?
Pam! It is in the 40’s today in Idaho, but spring is around the corner and I’ve started planning our gardening tasks for 2010. I was killing some time looking for good garden blogs and Digging kept being recommended on various blogs, but the links seemed to be out of date. I wound up looking at local blogs and saw Digging mentioned again (with a different URL this time) so I tried it — as the page was loading, I noticed the address and I thought… I know some Penicks and lo and behold it is you! Congratulations on your blog! Your photos are very nice! I hope all is well with you and your family. Team Wiess!
I love all the pictures and you have inspired me to have my own lil garden in Austin! Belated valentines day, Pam 🙂
Hi Pam, I do love reading your blog. I live and work in Dallas, but have a second home outside Dripping Springs, which I love to escape to as often as I can. I have received so many great ideas from your pictures and words. I can’t wait for spring. Keep up the good work. Happy Anniversary.
Hello Pam,
I apologize, but this post must have gotten past me….Congratulations on 4 years of blogging. I can only hope to last as long. Your blog is so informative and well written. I look forward to the next year :^)
Well, how did I miss this one? Happy Blogiversary, Pam! Time flies when you are having fun — and letting us all in on it with your insightful gardening commentary and beautiful photographs. It’s been a delight to read your posts and even more fun getting to know you. To many more years!
Hi Pam,
I discovered your blog last year when I was moving back to Austin. Your site inspires and helps defeat the naysayer within! Thanks
You were my first blog ever! I can’t even remember how I found you, but I did, thank goodness. Not only are you a wonderful gardener and blogger, but a dear, dear human. Congratulations…here’s to many more years!
I am thrilled to have won and can’t wait to get a set of your cards. Thank you!