Modern gravel garden sips water, amps up architecture
Succulent and cactus gardeners and fans of modern design, you’ll want to see this garden on the upcoming San Antonio Watersaver Landscape Tour on October 24. I recently enjoyed a preview visit, thanks to an invitation from Shirley of Rock-Oak-Deer and Heather of Xericstyle.
This contemporary garden belongs to Susan Bhatia and her husband, who live in the same neighborhood as Pat Mozersky, whose garden will also be on the tour (click for my preview). Susan loves succulents and cactus for their architectural beauty and water thriftiness. As she and her husband were constructing their new home, she scoured Houzz for inspiring pictures of drought-tolerant gardens and plants that she wanted to grow.
She and her husband worked with landscape architect Warren Pape of Texas Landscape Nursery to create a garden that complements the modern style of their home. Corten steel retaining walls paired with limestone risers make a dramatic entry walk on the steep lot. An artful arrangement of Corten pieces adds three-dimensional interest to one of the retaining walls, which are softened above by ruby grass (Melinis nerviglumis).
The grasses looked great, but I was drooling over the row of ‘Kissho Kan’ agaves in the first terrace.
Gorgeous! Susan said it wasn’t easy to locate six good-sized plants locally. These will likely need winter protection when it freezes, as various websites say they’re hardy only to zone 9, and San Antonio, like Austin, is zone 8b.
Clusters of cool cactus grow in the top terrace, like fishhook cactus…
…owl’s eye pincushion cactus (I think)…
…and golden barrel cactus.
To the right of the stairs, the garden is terraced with a wall of limestone block and Corten. Fishhook cactus occupies a mid-level niche planter.
Above, a rock garden is studded with architectural beauties like Agave mediopicta ‘Alba’, cow’s horn agave (Agave bovicornuta), and Yucca rostrata.
More golden barrels and ruby grass, as well as a freestanding art piece created from Corten pieces.
It’s a dynamic sculpture.
The gravel garden extends across the entire front of the house, taking the place of a traditional lawn. Live oaks provide shade at right; at left the sunny corner is planted geometrically with dry-loving squid agave (A. bracteosa), variegated flax lily (Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’), giant hesperaloe (Hesperaloe funifera), and yucca. The winding line of darker river rock at right indicates a dry stream that carries runoff from the roof through the garden. Corten terraces at the corner display the striking Agave mediopicta ‘Alba’.
I can’t remember the name of this agave, but look at those teeth. Isn’t it pretty? Update: Susan tells me it’s a ‘Mr. Ripple’ agave. (Thank you, Susan!) I have to say, it doesn’t look as wavy-leaved as I’d expect a ‘Mr. Ripple’ to look, but maybe that’s because it’s young?
Agave mediopicta ‘Alba’ — a beautiful agave
I like that Susan includes some softening plants to contrast with the static agaves, like round-leaf firecracker fern (Russelia rotundifolia), which I just planted in my own garden. I hope it soon grows to this size!
Four Corten boxes hold ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) alongside the house. Three remain in their seasonal leafless state…
…but the one at left has put out green leaves. These must be even better at night, with uplights casting ocotillo shadows on the stone wall.
Corten strips make a horizontal-slat fence along the side and back of the house that will never need replacing.
A narrow side terrace contains a minimalist mix of potted succulents and cactus.
Cereus, a tall vertical presence against stone walls, is utterly heat and drought tolerant. I wondered whether Susan would have to protect these from hard freezes. Perhaps the reflected heat and wind-blocking in this narrow space will be protection enough.
‘Sticks on Fire’ euphorbia blushes in full sun in a tall planter by the garage.
Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale), a bog plant, is being established along a garage wall. Susan has bundled them because they were flopping, and she wanted an erect, vertical form. She’s still experimenting here, seeing if she can make it work, and indulging in extra watering in this bed to help it along. Horsetail is invasive in the right circumstances; the concrete driveway and foundation keep it contained.
Around back, past a small lawn for the dogs, is a lovely courtyard swimming pool. The gray tones of the house are enlivened by an orange-painted steel beam and orange pool chairs.
Those glass doors look like they’d slide open for indoor-outdoor living at cooler times of the year.
Another view
Dry-loving lady’s slipper (Pedilanthus macrocarpus) grows in the narrow strip along the wall at right.
The lady’s slipper bed gives way to a rock garden near the back door. In a surprising move, the planting area is held back with a curvy stone retaining wall, and drainage is allowed to flow under the wall and out to the front of the house.
It ends up flowing through a succulent and cactus bed planted below the entry steps by the front door. It’s just one of the garden’s many unique features.
My thanks to Susan for sharing her striking dry garden with us! Remember, this garden and her neighbor Pat’s garden (click for my tour) will be open to the public, for free, on the San Antonio Watersaver Landscape Tour on October 24.
All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
A prickly garden. Very modern. Neat.
Yes, lots of prickles, plus a wonderfully enthusiastic, decidedly non-prickly owner who loves her plants! —Pam
What a fantastic house and garden. I do love modern and love to see such beautiful succulents and cacti paired together. My heart is pitter-pattering over all those handsome Agave mediopicta Alba! I have wanted to grow them forever and never have.
I grew one in a container for a while, but it kept losing leaves and finally petered out. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it’s such a beautiful agave I may try again one day. —Pam
What a great modern garden, nice mix of textures and plants! I really need to visit San Antonio.
If you have time, go for the Watersaver tour on Oct. 24, Laurin. It’s free, open to the public, and you’ll see some inspiring low-water gardens. —Pam
How wonderful to see another view of this garden, I love it! Thank you for the additional photos.
You’ve obviously seen Shirley’s post already. Here’s the link for anyone else who’d like another view of this garden: http://rockoakdeer.blogspot.com/2015/09/stylish-xeric-garden-complements-sleek.html. —Pam
It is extra fun getting to read both your posts in proximity. I am wondering about hard freezes too – I hope you’ll check back in with Susan to ask how her more tender specimens fare if/when that happens.
Was it your experience that a bit of a heat island could set up on a sunny day with all that reflective surface close to the house? Certainly many of the plants will get larger with time but are the homeowners having to wear Ray-Bans inside when the clouds don’t cooperate until they do?
Deb, good questions. It was a hot and partly sunny day when Shirley and I visited, and I didn’t notice it being significantly hotter in Susan’s garden than others we visited, except for when we were in the sun. (The other two gardens were quite shady.) We did get to see Susan’s office, and the window views from there were lovely. —Pam
I’ll have to check out Shirley’s post too, because I can’t get enough of this house and garden. Could that blue agave be guadalajarana? The Natural Discourse symposium is the same weekend as your Garden Conservancy tours, so no trip to Austin this Oct. San Antonio looks mighty fine too 😉
I can’t remember if that’s the plant name Susan told me. Maybe she’ll comment and let us know. Bummer that you won’t be able to make it to Austin this year. Another time, I hope! —Pam
The name is Agave Mr. Ripple.
Thank you, Susan! Yes, now I remember. Thanks again for a delightful visit too! —Pam
It’s fun to see your post and remember just how beautifully the garden works with the architecture of this house. To answer Deb’s questions the house faces mostly north with limited southern and western exposure plus the window type keeps out the harshest rays while letting in plenty of light.
I enjoyed the day meeting special homeowners and touring their equally special gardens with you. Looking forward to the next tour day in Austin!
Several readers on both our blogs have mentioned a follow up so
(continued) I’ll check back to see if that will work out for Susan.
Yes, I look forward to seeing you for the blogger preview tour soon, Shirley! —Pam
Beautiful and elegant combination of texture and form blending home and garden into a striking sculptural experience.Thanks for the tour.
It was my pleasure, Ellen. —Pam
Her garden sure is cool in every way, isn’t it?! I love that she is so detail oriented, and water conscious. Her garden rocks, and so does she. Thanks for sharing your awesome photos and Susan’s garden with your followers!!!
It was delightful to tour the garden, especially because Susan is so excited about her plants! —Pam
So late to comment, but I’ve kept the tab open forever because there is so much inspiration here, from the use of steel to that fabulous rock garden near the back door. Great post!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Luisa. Thanks for commenting! —Pam
I LOVE THESE TOURS OF GARDENS.YOUR GARDEN IS LOVELY.
I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, B. This one’s not my garden though. It’s one I visited. —Pam
Is that Cereus the same as the ‘Organ Pipe’ cactus I saw in Az at the Desert Botanical Garden? I’ve been covering those ever since my trip. I want a huge forest of them.
I don’t think so, Wendy. Organ pipe is, I think, Stenocereus thurberi. They’re both beautiful, but I’m doubtful that either is winter hardy here in Austin. I have a potted cereus that loved spending last summer outside. It spent the winter on a windowsill, but I’ll put it outside again soon. —Pam