With this killer view of Lake Austin, many homeowners might have sodded a lawn, plunked a few pots of annuals around the pool, and called it done. But Kirk Walden, whose garden was the final stop on the recent Austin Garden Bloggers Fling tour (I photographed it a few days later), was inspired by his home’s Hill Country view to create a garden that “is all about nature, if nature were a little more organized.” Planted with tough but beautiful native and adapted plants, the garden blends a naturalistic swimming pool into the stunning setting; softens and brightens patios, porches, and the entry; and gives Kirk a reason to play in the dirt.

A limestone-slab path leads from the driveway to the gated back yard.

Let’s start our tour here, at the back of the house, where visitors are invited to take in the luxurious view. The house is built to capitalize on it, with lots of windows and a deep, shady porch. Raised beds along the porch bring plants up to the house and allow Kirk to do without a porch railing that would block the view.

A waterwise zoysia lawn is defined by a curved limestone edge, which matches the white flowers of a swath of gaura.

Gaura glowing like daytime stars

Terraced beds surround the swimming pool and stone patio, where comfy seating invites you to sink in and enjoy the view.

‘Livin’ Easy’ rose provides spicy color.

Yellow bird of paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) is a nice change of pace from the more commonplace Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), and its exotic flowers add tropical style.

A toothy agave provides evergreen color and structure.

The naturalistic swimming pool is stunning, designed with two circular pools at different levels. The upper level consists of a 4-foot-deep soaking pool modeled on the pond in the main courtyard at the Wildflower Center, which is designed to look like a spring-fed swimming hole. Kirk says he can stand in this pool and watch boats go by on the lake below. Water spills over a lip on the limestone edging…

…cascades down a series of small waterfalls that attract bathing birds…

…and spills into a deeper swimming pool on the lower patio.

Russian sage blooms along a metal fence separating you from a steep canyon below the pool.

A palm and a potted bougainvillea give a tropical look to the pool patio.

Under a large umbrella, a shady seating area offers a comfortable hang-out spot.

Looking back up toward the house

Gaura’s airy wands are lovely during the daytime and must be even prettier glowing in the evening.

In the upper garden, a sculpture by Austin artist Sun McColgin invites speculation: is it a whale? A dinosaur? A duck? The title offers a clue: Scissortail.

Pausing on the elevated back porch, you get to enjoy that million-dollar view one more time.

Around the side of the house, a large oakleaf hydrangea blooms against the warm stone siding.

Those creamy blossoms look so good with the stone.

In a shady bed along the foundation, the glossy leaves of leopard plant and feathery fronds of foxtail fern provide evergreen interest.

It’s all good! reads a sign on the wire side fence, and indeed it is.

Limestone slabs step up through a wire gate to the parking area at the front of the house.

A grid of limestone pavers makes a water-permeable parking space surrounded by tough, sun-loving native plants like Mexican feathergrass, desert willow, and pink skullcap.

Sitting in the garden along one side, an arched, reddish steel beam makes an impromptu piece of art that recalls Austin’s Pennybacker Bridge.

At the home’s front door, a pretty garden of low, mounding plants keeps the focus on the architecture. A pair of white lions marks the path to the front door.

Mullein, rose campion, Mexican feathergrass, and skullcap mingle in a low tapestry.

Rose campion adds a shot of plum color.

A regal profile

To the right side of the house, the garden gets taller and fluffier but also spikier with a cluster of agaves.

A rain chain directs water running off the eave into a pot, and from there it’s channeled into a French drain.

Near the garage, another rain chain is at the ready.

Potted agave

I think the dark-purple tree is a crape myrtle.

Along the driveway, a tall screen of perforated steel panel and cattle panel hides views of neighboring houses.

Here along the driveway, as everywhere in Kirk’s garden, water management directed the design. “Water was a concern, both in terms of runoff and overall usage,” he says. “The shallow soil and deep limestone made installing a rain-collection system extremely cost prohibitive. The solution was a no-grass front yard, drought-tolerant zoysia grass in back, terracing to capture rain, drip irrigation to avoid evaporation and runoff in the sunniest areas, and low-spray irrigation in other areas. A French drain runs the length of the front of the house, emptying into what appears to be a dry creek bed.”

Annie Gillespie of Botanical Concerns (recently retired) did the design and installation of the garden, and Julie Clark of Stronger Than Dirt helps with maintenance. It’s a beautiful and waterwise garden that capitalizes on the stunning vista without overlooking the pleasures of close-up views too.

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