November 02, 2018
Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011: Sue Nazar garden
May 12, 2011 Sue Nazar’s garden, which you can see Saturday on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour, is a lush, expansive oasis tucked in the hills of west Austin. I got a sneak peek on Tuesday, courtesy of the Travis County Master Gardeners, and I’m sharing it with you. Over …
Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011: Wendy Brennan garden
May 11, 2011 Wendy Brennan’s Zen-style garden, which you can see Saturday on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour, is the creation of her neighbor Link Davidson, whose own garden sits just uphill from Wendy’s. At her request, he continued the terracing from his own garden—designed to slow heavy runoff—with inexpensive …
Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011: Rebecca Matthews garden
May 11, 2011 Whew, I just finished up a whirlwind of posting about last weekend’s Gardens on Tour 2011, and now I’m giving you a sneak peek into this Saturday’s Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011, sponsored by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association. Hang onto your hats, and let’s go! …
Gardens on Tour 2011: Eanes Circle garden
May 10, 2011 Steelwork appealed to me in the final garden on the Wildflower Center-sponsored Gardens on Tour last Saturday. Take this planter box, for instance. The plants will look better when they fill in, but for now the box is fabulous. I also liked these bent-stake plant labels—clever. And …
Gardens on Tour 2011: Ridgecrest Drive garden
May 10, 2011 A recent client of mine wanted design ideas for a pretty, xeric, low-water planting on her septic drain field. The Ridgecrest Drive garden on last Saturday’s Wildflower Center-sponored Gardens on Tour is inspirational in that regard. The septic field is front and center on this West Lake …
Gardens on Tour 2011: Stratford Drive garden
May 09, 2011 Imagine a steep, overgrown hillside of invasive nandina, bamboo, and ligustrum. That’s what the homeowners on Stratford Drive looked out on after building a contemporary, 5-star green home (as rated by the Austin Energy Green Building program) in the Rollingwood neighborhood of west Austin. According to the …
Gardens on Tour 2011: West Monroe Street garden
May 08, 2011 The distinguishing feature of West Monroe Street’s front garden, which I toured Saturday on the Wildflower Center-sponsored Gardens on Tour, is a no-mow Berkeley sedge lawn in place of the standard St. Augustine. Alternatives to the traditional lawn were definitely a theme on this year’s tour. Designed …
Gardens on Tour 2011: Bee Cave Road garden
May 08, 2011 Yesterday I toured the five private gardens on Austin’s Wildflower Center-sponsored Gardens on Tour 2011. The annual tour is designed to showcase gardens planted predominantly with native plants. My favorite garden this year? Landscape architect, plantsman, and rock hound Tait Moring‘s personal garden on Bee Cave Road …
Night Magic, my entry for GGW’s photo contest
May 06, 2011 “Night Magic” Seduced by the glimmer of a single open blossom on my Datura metel, I set up my tripod in the night garden and used an upturned flashlight to create a glowing illumination. A screech owl trilled in the trees above. It was a magical moment …
Read This: Armitage’s Vines and Climbers
May 04, 2011 Vertical gardening has gotten a lot of attention lately (see my recent review of Garden Up!), and deservedly so. While gardeners have always planted vines and greened up their walls, a renewed interest makes sense for those of us who garden on tight urban or fenced-in suburban …
Great horned owl chicks growing up fast
May 02, 2011 The great horned owl chicks nesting at the Wildflower Center suddenly look like owls rather than fuzzy, gray buzzards, which the owlets resembled only a week and a half ago, before their down had been replaced with brown, adult feathers. Yesterday I popped over to the Wildflower …
Plant This: Heartleaf skullcap
April 28, 2011 Heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata) romps through my garden with greater vigor each year. Belonging to the mint family, it spreads with abandon, and yet it never seems a thug because it’s so easy to pull out and dies back in summer to let other plants have their …
What looks good with Buff Beauty rose
April 27, 2011 My new ‘Buff Beauty’ rose is knocking me out with its luscious color and sweet fragrance. I’m giving it some support with a low, arched trellis made of cattle panel. Next to it I’ve planted ‘Acapulco Salmon & Pink’ agastache, whose rosy, warm colors should complement ‘Buff …
Top Landscape Plants for Garden Designers Roundtable
April 26, 2011 Although I’m not posting this time around, I hope you’ll check out my fellow designers at Garden Designers Roundtable, who are offering up their choices today for “Top Landscape Plants.” Of course gardening is local, and top plants for Denver or San Jose will not necessarily be …
