Spring garden walk
Scenes from a morning stroll in my garden. Bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa ), a clumping grass from Arizona, arches in full, feathery flower over a zexmenia. A variegated privet grows next to it, and the transplanted pomegranate is settling in behind it (not visible here), creating a textural vignette, along with the cedar posts of the Green Hall shed, that really appeals to me.
At the other end of the shed, under the branches of a yaupon holly, a stand of fresh, green inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium ) adds more green texture to the back garden.
Looking back toward the house, you can see the back of the trellis screen and the path to the kids’ play area. The native crossvine growing on the screen has really grown in a year, although unfortunately most of the growth is on top, leaving the patio view of the trampoline more open than I’d like.
Majestic sage (Salvia guaranitica ) electrifies the shade with its tubular flowers.
You Spring Flingers who’ve visited my garden will remember how small it is and how I’ve organized the spaces to try to make it seem bigger. This is a main view corridor in the garden, which runs diagonally to the left corner, drawing your eye along the longest axis to the Green Hall shed. This path also provides access to the three garden “rooms” back here: the flagstone patio near the back porch, the lawnette and the kids’ play area, and the greenhouse and shed.
The reward for taking this path all the way to the shed is a clump of late-blooming purple iris.
Your nose will lead you to the star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides ) growing on a low trellis. It’s the dominant fragrance in my garden right now.
Closer to the house, the patio garden benefits from the color and form of this ‘Bright Edge’ variegated yucca I planted earlier this spring.
Enjoy your spring garden walks today, whether real or virtual.
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
It’s raining here in Nashville, so all manner of household chores ignored while outside all week are being done this morning, but I always find time to visit virtual gardens and stroll about…and I always love to take a walk through yours. Thanks, Gail
Thanks, Gail. I’m glad you stop by and leave comments often. Now that I’ve met you, I can picture you talking to me when I read them. —Pam
Pam, it all looks lovely. Your flagstones look wet in one picture … did y’all get rain, too? The storms hit us in the wee small hours and there’s a chance of more rain. I’d welcome it: like Gail, I need to do some household chores!
I’d watered, Cindy. Things were getting a little dry. But then we did get some rain—and a little hail—last night. —Pam
Sigh. Such a lovely garden! I’ve been wanting a wooden screen door painted red for the front of my house. Yours looks to be the shade I’ve been imagining. Do you happen to still know the name of the paint colour?
It’s a Benjamin Moore paint. I can’t remember the color though. Red doors are welcoming, aren’t they? —Pam
Thank you for the walk in your beautiful garden 🙂
Have a nice weekend 🙂
You too, Marie. Thanks for visiting. —Pam
I love all the textures in your garden. You’re created a very nice unique space. One of the reasons I partial to spring is there is less color so the greenery is more noticeable. We have sandy soil so everything tends to burn out quickly and I miss the lush look of spring.
Spring is pretty colorful in Austin. Summer is when we go into more of a green, jungly mode. Thanks for your comment. —Pam
Oh, that cornflower blue and red combo on your house and door, and even the chair, is exquisite! Everything seems to be thriving in your gardens — your walkways and paths…sigh. It’s all very lovely.
Thanks, Nancy. That cornflower blue is actually purple, but it often reads as blue in photos. I’m glad you like my bold color choices, though. —Pam
I love the photos – is that a tree made out of blue bottles I can see in one of them?
It sure is, Helen. Click here for a bottle-tree post. —Pam
I have had a couple of spring walks today already and I am happy to have found your walk. Your garden is so inviting with all the paths. I am trying to envision how your garden is arranged as to where the rooms are. I have some early purple iris blooming that look much like the ones you are calling late.
One of these days I’ll get up on a ladder or the roof to show the whole layout. Thanks for “walking” with me today, Lisa. —Pam
The “inland sea oats” are intriguing. Can you tell us more about that plant?
Also, in the “long view” toward Green Hall, what is the rounded, white-flowered shrublet, about 2′ tall (?) near the corner of your house?
Chuck, the inland sea oats have a huge range, but maybe it extends east instead of toward you on the west coast. Here’s how they look in summer, as they form their apple-green, fish-scale-like seedheads. In fall, the seedheads turn toasty brown. They spread readily by seed, but I find them easy to contain back here in their rock-lined bed. I just pull the seedlings in spring before they get big.
The white-flowering shrub you see is actually the star jasmine, which completely covers a low trellis that used to arch over the path. It was never tall enough, so I cut it off at the knees a couple of years ago, and the vines just make do with what’s left of it. —Pam
So much fun to walk through your garden as a way to wind down my long day here in the cold, dreary city of Halifax, Pam. It warmed me up considerably to see your garden today, even with so many plants that are unknown to me. I covet the Muhly grass, assuming that’s the one that with the pink flowers. Not hardy here, and I don’t know if it would work as an annual or not?
Thanks, Jodi. If you’re thinking of the muhly with pink flowers in the fall, that’s Gulf muhly ( Muhlenbergia capillaris). Bamboo muhly, however, is a spring bloomer that looks more yellow-green than pink. Both are very beautiful, but neither is said to be hardy above Zone 7. I don’t see why Gulf muhly wouldn’t work as an annual, just as purple fountain grass is used. But the bamboo muhly takes a few seasons to develop its lovely arching form, so it is better suited for perennial gardens in the southwest.
Help…..I’m lost in your blog! I don’t want to leave – it’s wonderful, both your garden and the blog. I too love color so I especially appreciate the purple/red combination and that bottle tree is a real inspiration. I have wanted one in my garden for a long time but collecting the bottles is a slow process. Having seen yours,I will redouble my efforts. Thanks for sharing your creation.
Helen, thank you so much for your kind comment. I’m happy that you’ve enjoyed reading Digging. I got really lucky on the bottle collection—a wealth of blue bottles dropped into my lap from a friend who was cleaning out her shed. But even green wine bottles or clear bottles can make a fun bottle tree. I hope you’ll come back for a visit again soon. —Pam
Your garden looks as pretty as ever. I think I’ve finally gotten rid of all my Chasmanthium latifolium. It seeded about too freely here, and it was very difficult to pull out the seedlings. I seem to be falling into a pattern of planting things, having them run rampant, and then yanking them all out. There’s got to be a happy medium out there somewhere. And now I have to go out & pull some more Lamium.
Sometimes you find just the right spot for a plant that seeds freely, as I did, and other times you just have to rip it all out. I’ve done that before too. Hope you find that happy medium, MMD. —Pam
Your garden is lovely and very well planned. I’m glad I got to see it in person.~~Dee
Thanks, Dee. I am glad you were able to visit also. —Pam
I love seeing more of the backyard in totality! As the salvia picture unfolded I thought I was looking at the top of the blue bottle tree. The colors are that perfect! Your ‘tree’ is just one big artsy salvia! Congrats on the newspaper story. What fun!
A salvia tree! I like that idea, Layanee. —Pam
I always enjoy all your pics, but that trellis screen is marvelous. I have just the place for it. It’s simple, but classy. Thanks for the tip.
You’re welcome, Catherine. I was pleased to find that idea at Zilker Botanical Garden, and to pass it along. —Pam