Enchanted evening in Lucinda Hutson’s cantina garden
“Let’s go into the garden! Ai-yi-yi-yi!” trills Lucinda Hutson as she leads her guests, each with a rosy prickly-pear margarita in hand, over the threshold of her purple cottage and into her Rosedale garden.
Lucinda is the kind of hostess who can pull off such cross-cultural exuberance without irony or sheepishness. Raised on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, she favors colorful, flowing skirts and peppers her speech with Spanish.
Her outsized personality and affinity for Mexican culture are reflected in her home’s colorful decor, courtyard-style gardens, and annual celebration of Dia de los Muertos. In her garden, little touches like floating a few blossoms in a birdbath remind me of Mexican courtyard gardens I’ve seen.
Yesterday evening she held a garden soiree to welcome Southern Living‘s garden writer Steve Bender and photographer Ralph Anderson to her garden, and yours truly was delighted to attend.
Her spring garden is delicious—quite literally. Lucinda is the author of a cookbook about herbs, and she mixes them lavishly amid her cottage-garden favorites like these peach-colored roses.
The Jennys joined us: Jenny Stocker (aka Rock Rose), whose stunning England-meets-Texas garden Steve and Ralph had traveled to Austin to photograph, and designer and writer Jenny Peterson. Jenny S. is playfully taking my picture as I take hers.
La Lucinda Cantina the sign reads in a cedar structure topped by metal flames (or a squid agave?) at the back of her garden.
The wall is the back of her garage, and she recently repainted it turquoise to “brighten the place up.” It does!
A tequila and Coke bottle tree stands mulched in wine corks, and a scrap-metal señor takes a swig beside it.
Here’s what I was sipping on: a prickly-pear margarita in a saguaro-shaped glass. Spicy salt lined the rim. Yummy!
The other side of the garage is painted purple; the house is yellow on this side and adorned with children’s chairs from Mexico. Lucinda turned part of her long driveway and side yard into a walled courtyard garden, creating a secluded outdoor living space.
A corner of this space contains a bathtub-turned-shrine—Our Lady of the Bathtub. Potted plants line every wall and even adorn the bench.
Empty Mexican bottles sparkle on a windowsill.
Another seating area offers a shady spot for two.
Lucinda has edged her salad garden with plates as colorful as her vegetables.
A mermaid theme holds sway in one part of the garden. This is just one of her many fish-tailed maidens. She perches on a wall amid the undulating arms of an agave.
Back out front, colorful annuals spice up containers…
…and the garden beds, like this pink poppy.
I don’t know what this pretty, purple-leaved plant is, but I suspect it’s edible. Update: It’s magenta spreen lambsquarters, an edible. Thanks for the ID, Linda.
Stone angel faces overlook the garden…
…and roses scent the evening breeze.
Dill flowers along the street, with pink roses in the background.
In a shady spot beneath a gingko tree, Lucinda is experimenting with a groundcovering combination of ajuga and creeping Jenny. She isn’t sure how the creeping Jenny will hold up in our summer heat, but its golden leaves sure are pretty now. Violas are still fresh, despite the heat we’ve had recently.
Lucinda’s garden is the perfect place to celebrate the beauty of a spring evening.
Thank you, Lucinda, for an enchanting garden party!
I’ve posted about Lucinda’s garden twice before. Click on the links for more:
Lucinda’s garden in October 2009 (with some Dia de los Muertos decorations)
Lucinda’s garden in April 2008
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
What great photos of Lucinda’s garden and a lovely evening. She has a wonderful way of taking lots of different and eclectic things and making the charming and coordinated.
Goodness it’s fun to see Lucinda’s garden in spring. I still have the episode of A Gardener’s Diary where she was visited in the fall. How fun that party must have been. Now, I’m popping over to Jenny’s place.~~Dee
Pam, Lucinda sure can throw a good party! She’s such a free spirit, I love those pics of her garden. And how exciting that Jenny is getting her garden in Southern Living? What a lush place to live, it definitely feels south of the border. That ajuga/creeping jenny combo is apparently catching – Good-n-evil is also using it. I’m doing something similiar with ajuga and volunteer dollar weed, which has a similar feel but less bright green as creeping jenny. Last year, my creeping jenny handled the heat quite well as long as I gave it a little water, and some of it is coming back after the freezes. Thanks for the fun post!
Delightful post Pam~I love your color commentary and Lucinda’s fantastically colorful garden. gail
Wonderful! I wouldn’t believe that this garden is as gorgeous as it’s photographed if I hadn’t been there myself! It’s a good thing one of us remembered our camera (kicking myself still!). Thanks for a colorful reminder of a memorable evening!
I saw you slip off by yourself to take some photographs and what stunners they are. Lucinda is such a delightful host and the setting for a party couldn’t be more perfect. Plus her prickly pear margaritas with hibiscus salt-yum. Can you imagine how thrilled I am that I met you in that garden 4 years ago. Look how it has enriched my life!!
Querida Pam~~
Many gracias for capturing the spirit of my garden and lifestyle with your lovely photographs and comments. I loved welcoming yall into my crazy and colorful kingdom~~a little bit of Mexico in my back yard. I hope everyone survived the Prickly Pear Margaritas! I thank you for your beautiful blog and for delighting and inspiring all of us–what an eye you have for photography as well as a way with words….thank you for celebrating my home and gardens…I am honored!
Felicidades y amor,
Lucinda
Beautiful and colorful, such a fun place. Your great photos tell a fun story.
Creeping Jenny is a perfect color for Lucinda’s garden. It’s one of my favorites, I keep it in containers because it does need regular water in the heat.
*love*
The purple, the turquoise, the weathered wood, the natural birdbath, the little decorative touches… sigh.
Bliss.
The purple leafed plant is called magenta spreen lambsquarters & yes it’s edible. Pioneer women also used the powdery color as rouge & to color their lips.
This is a lady after my own heart! I love her beautiful colorful hacienda garden! Her colorful palate is very inspiring!
I want to live there!!!
Lovely photos of a lovely garden — thank you for taking me along! I am totally stealing the flowers in the birdbath idea. Should I paint my garden shed purple? (Not sure what Jack would think!)
Thanks for inviting me in to visit that beautiful garden. What a beautiful, playful place!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOh! this one really hurts. I miss my incredible FLORA pals so much since moving to SW Georgia. Lucinda is a remarkable hostess and I never missed any opportunity to enjoy her hospitality… even though I’m mostly a non drinker, the last FLORA gathering in her garden required my husband give me a ride home. Lucinda’s recipes are not to be missed…I have both her books full of wonderful herbal recipes and use them often.
Thank you Pam for sharing your beautiful pictures. It’s good to see Lucinda looking so well once more in her delightful garden.
Such a lovely garden. Looks like a good time was had by all.
How exciting, that Jenny is getting her garden in Southern Living.
Thanks for sharing.
Simply lovely!
So beautiful!
I first saw pics of Lucinda’s garden in a magazine — maybe I still have the article — that played up the herbal aspect.
An aside: I hope Sylvia has made new gardening friends in SW Georgia. I’m about sixty miles SW of her, downriver.
such an exuberant garden, home and lady! the colors and decor are so brave, but seem effortless. i wish i could pull this off half as well!
Thank you for such a lovely tour of Lucinda’s garden this spring! I’ve always loved her spirit, fun, and ever outstanding garden. And yours is looking just as very gorgeous!
wow! what a ride! love that garden and all the mexican touches. so playful and full of life and zeal! viva mexico!!!
What a delightful evening it must have been. So much color, texture and lively company.
I always love it when you write about Lucinda’s garden as its truly one of my favorites! And hanging out with Steve and Jenny Peterson? Icing on the cake!! I’m so jealous!!! Thanks for the lovely tour….and looking forward to seeing the ‘other’ Jenny’s beautiful garden in Southern Living soon!!
Oh, I have ALWAYS wanted to see her garden. It is just so cute! Y’all must have had a fun time.
I love the style of this garden- so lively and colorful!
Well, if ever a garden reflected a personality it’s this one. I first met Lucinda at an herb conference many, many, many years ago. She stuck out (in a great way) like a red hollyhock in the middle of a lawn. Wonderful, as is her garden and her gutsy colors. Why am I such a wimp?
Loved this and thanks so much Pam,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
Lucinda’s garden is always a delight. I love the way she makes such bold statements and grand gestures in such small spaces, and yet, with her talent, it all comes together in a delightful symphony of colors and textures. And I heard the margaritas were spectacular, as well. Steve probably didn’t have any of those.