Three more gardens from Open Days Austin
When Annie and I visited the gardens on the Open Days Austin tour two weekends ago, I was bowled over by Stone Palms and Fatal Flower, where the hand of the owners was plainly visible in the creativity of design and plant choices. Two more gardens on the tour didn’t allow photographs, which I don’t get. I’m not going to talk about them because it’s just not the same without photos. So next up was the Modern: Inside & Out garden, a minimalist, serene construction in west Austin’s Tarrytown neighborhood. The fountain pictured above anchors a courtyard visible on three sides from inside the home, with only a stand of bamboo to green things up.
With a limited plant palette, the garden did not appeal to the gardener in me. But I can see how it fit the clean-lined house and would be a snap to maintain.
So it was all the more surprising to see this screaming green shed in the back yard, opposite the potager and an open-air pavilion housing a ping-pong table. They like to cut loose too, don’t they?
Annie and I were delighted to run into fellow blogger Vertie manning the ticket table in this garden, and we also chatted with Linda Lehmusvirta, blogger and producer of “Central Texas Gardener” on PBS.
Next we drove to the Granger garden, also in the Tarrytown neighborhood. The grand house overlooks Lake Austin and has pleasant, well-groomed courtyard gardens.
But mostly I saw lawn, seemingly an acre of it, and the courtyard gardens didn’t express the owner’s personality. This property would surely be a wonderful choice for a home tour, but for a garden tour it simply didn’t offer enough interest.
We saved the David-Peese garden for last, partly because we’d both already seen it a couple of times and partly because we knew it would be a wonderful way to end the day.
The first time I saw this garden, on the Open Days 2006 tour, I visited first thing in the morning and took a lot more photos.
This time, after a long day, I was tired and mainly strolled and admired and commented with Annie about the new features and old favorites.
One change that really jumped out at me was the new openness of the entry garden. We had the pleasure of speaking with owners Gary Peese and James David here, and they told us how they’d pared back this part of the garden. As a big, beautiful agave always will, this ‘Whale’s Tongue’ stole the show, planted high on a gravelly berm and accompanied by aloes and a topiary pomegranate.
The centerpiece of the garden—a descending stone stair divided by a rill—is as memorable as ever.
And the potted succulents still thrill me.
As we headed for the exit, Annie and I ran into Roxane Smith, director of Open Days Austin, and her husband. It was a treat to meet her in person, and I thank her for putting together this fabulous tour.
It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Thanks, Pam! What a lot of stimulation you’ve had in the last few weeks! I so appreciate your pictures and comments.
After spending the day painting the trim on my small shed and dreaming about painting the body of the big one behind it with the same color as I used for the trim on the small one, it was a treat to come in and find your posting. Now I’m going to go sit out on the swing and look at the beautiful full moon coming up over the same two sheds. So much to do, so little time.
Taking time out for moon viewing is essential, isn’t it? I’m glad you made time for that too, Barbara. —Pam
Thanks for the nice new shots of the Open Days gardens. I didn’t make it to the minimalist garden. With only limited time, I knew that while I could appreciate it, it just wouldn’t appeal to any part of me. That isn’t a word I’d use to describe myself or my style in any sense of my being.
I can’t see you as a minimalist, Diana. For one thing, you like plants too much! —Pam
Pam, thanks for posting those. It sounds like you did the tour in the same order I did, ending at the Peese garden. Sorry I didn’t see you on the rounds! And like you, Stone Palms was far and away my favorite…I love shells and use them in my home and garden, so their over-the-top rococo style was a delight for me. Obviously, I’m not alone in that feeling. I didn’t post anything on my blog, as you guys have done a good job posting for me. Thanks for the great pictures, and I agreed with you as well about those “ho-hum” other gardens…
I’m sorry to have missed you too, Robin. It sounds like you made it to all the gardens also. —Pam
I really enjoyed the pictures(-: Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure, Cindee. —Pam
Pam, I loved the Peese-David Garden and it has been a treat to see it again. It is spectacular….so much to see. It seems that it is an evolving garden; they continue to add and improve it! Thanks for sharing the gardens with us, Gail
It is definitely evolving. Despite its grand scale, it’s a gardener’s garden and will never be “finished.” All the more reason to keep visiting it on tours. —Pam
Thanks for the our Pam, I enjoyed it. Why does modern usually mean boring when we’re talking gardens. Such a pity.
The David_Peese garden has starred on your blog before but you can never show enough pics of this garden. Just love that stairway and rill.
I enjoyed your previous post about another garden very much too. Although I’m not keen on agaves, as you know, they work very well in this garden. The hardscaping caught my eye too, very, very nice.
The fun with gardens is, that each and everyone is different, no two are the same.
Yes, that is the joy of tours like this one—seeing the different visions that inform each garden. I’m glad you enjoyed the photo tour, YE, even the agaves. —Pam
Thank you Pam I had a wonderful time!
You’re very welcome, Tyra. —Pam
It’s strange how something like a rill can make an already impressive stairway even more special.
I’m very attracted by the simplicity of the fountain at the top. It reminds me of clean, fresh functional and productive places like dairies.
Esther
I’ve never seen a dairy, Esther, but I like your analogy. The simplicity of that steel trough in such a spare courtyard is indeed magnetic. —Pam
Pam, as usual your pictures make even a dull garden look inviting. I can see why you would save the David garden until last. That way you had a wonderful garden to keep your mind full for some time.
Lisa, I wish I could have shown you the other two gardens as well. They were quite something. But alas for the no-photos rule. —Pam
This is an attractive garden. I love the modern elements, though I wouldn’t do that myself.
Aiyana
Modern elements seem a natural fit with the architecture and clean lines of desert-scapes, Aiyana. I bet you see a lot of that in Phoenix. —Pam
What a wonderful boxwood design in the last garden. I’ve thought about doing something like that, but I’m not sure I would have the discipline to keep it trimmed.
They call it their Embroidery Garden, Randy. Isn’t it amazing? —Pam
That fountain (the first image) – was just wonderful! I love it. Wow. I also love the succulents in the light blue pot in the last image – that color combination is so striking. What fun gardens! Thanks.
You are welcome, Pam. I’m glad you enjoyed the images. —Pam