Whimsical Westview Road garden on Austin’s Funky Chicken Coop Tour
No, I’m not looking for a Mildred or Louise to eat bugs and lay eggs in my garden. But I couldn’t resist buying a ticket to Austin’s 5th annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour after watching a recent Central Texas Gardener episode (below) about Dani and Gary Moss’s charming and playful garden in southwest Austin.
Located on Westview Road, the garden is a homegrown creation by the retired but hard-working owners, who clearly can create anything they set their minds to. Dani envisions projects like their whimsical Chicksville hen house, and Gary builds them. He also welds metal into flowery stair railings, arbors…
…and decorative accents placed throughout the garden, like this metal heart inscribed with Dani’s nickname. How adorable is that?
Their chicken coop is sturdily constructed of wood and wire, with a metal roof for shelter from sun and rain. A ramp leads up through a hen-sized doorway in the stone foundation…
…into the colorful hen house itself, which also offers storage space for food and other supplies. It looks more like a lucky little girl’s playhouse than a hen house, doesn’t it? A tiny chandelier even hangs from the porch ceiling.
Similarly, the English-style greenhouse that Gary built for Dani is dressed up inside with two chandeliers.
In the garden, roses were in bloom—lots of red Knock Outs plus a climbing pink rose and this flaming orange-and-yellow beauty.
Gary’s metal flowers provide nonstop blooms along the fence.
As does a bottle tree set in a garden bed near another of Gary’s heart creations.
What don’t they have? There was even this metal giraffe, cheekily wearing Mardi Gras beads…
…and a banded armadillo made of scrap metal.
Everywhere you looked, there were more of the couple’s creations, as well as lush plantings of evergreens and flowering perennials.
I’m glad I had a chance to see it, along with these two docents wearing hilarious chicken hats.
Happy Easter and happy spring!
All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
a little over the top for me, but I appreciate there hard work. Loved the video.
The Chickeneers? Isn’t that hilarious, Greggo? —Pam
Love the creativity of the Mosses! Austin rocks! I wish I could talk Mr I into moving.
I wish you could too, Gail. The Austin garden bloggers would love to count you as one of their own. 😉 Jean McWeeney was here for a visit this past weekend and joined us at one of our get-togethers. —Pam
Both videos were fun. I’m going to share your post with a chicken-raising friend!
Hope she or he enjoys it! —Pam
I’m sorry I missed this garden! Too much fun!! Thanks for photographing it so nicely so I could see it anyway!! 🙂
My pleasure, Shelby. There really was more to see. I wish I’d done a better job of recording everything going on in that fun garden. —Pam
I, too, do not plan on having chickens, but I really should do the Funky Coop tour just to get more garden ideas.
You never know where you’ll see an interesting garden, Katina, which is what motivated me to seek out the Funky Chicken Coop Tour, especially after watching the CTG episode about this one. But I looked up the other addresses on Google Maps and have to say that I didn’t see evidence of other gardens, unless of course the map picture was outdated, which is possible. I did stop by one more of the coops on tour, which looked promising, but it turned out there wasn’t a garden. It was still worth the stop, though, because that street was full of interesting no-lawn front yards. I took a bunch of pictures and will post them tomorrow. —Pam
I love visiting gardens that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Me too, Ricki. You couldn’t help but smile in this one—the owners were clearly having so much fun! —Pam
This is my dream chicken coop. I saw this garden on CTG and fell in love! I’m trying to persuade the hubby to take up welding so he can make me some metal garden art:)
PS The chicken video is awesome. Thanks for the laugh!
Steph, talk to Bob at Draco for welding work. Artistic or practical, Bob can do it all. —Pam
This chicken coop is nicer than my house!
Tell me about it! It’s a beautiful coop. —Pam
That columnar cactus looks like an Argentine saguaro which is supposed to be more cold tolerant than the Saguaro that grows wild in Arizona. I have one I purchased that was already 4 feet and weighed a couple hundred lbs but I managed to get it in a raised bed. Have not had a tough winter yet but if it gets down to 15 I think I will wrap it (at last the top part) in bubble wrap. I have heard that can work for cacti.
James, thanks for your plant ID for the cactus on my Drive-by Gardens post (4/2/13). I’m going to move this comment over there. —Pam
I could live in this chicken coop. Beautiful.
Yes, it’s pretty nice. The clucking might keep you awake though. —Pam
Pam, what a find those two are! I think they are the project king and queen. Thank you for introducing us to their garden and chicken coop. I’m inspired by their cistern too.~~Dee
What a cistern! I bet it’s all filled up, too, after the heavy rains we’ve received yesterday and today. —Pam
That coop is adorable – although maybe too adorable for the smells and happenings that occur inside. 😉 No just kidding – there is no reason why a coop can’t be an asset on the property. SO PRETTY!
I agree, Heather. Every outbuilding that you look at from your home should be an asset to the garden. —Pam