Julie Ardery’s impossible dream come true
Last week, on her blog Human Flower Project, Julie Ardery wrote a beautiful post about seeing her one-year-old garden spring to life, after years of believing she would never have a garden—and that she was somehow to blame for it. In desperation, she’d hired out the design and installation of a xeric, colorful garden on her sun-blasted corner lot in south Austin, and now, at last, comes the payoff. According to her post, she’s been “staggering around for nearly three weeks…with pop-eyes and the transfixed smile of the believer.”
Yesterday I had the good fortune of seeing Julie’s garden in person. It’s a traffic-stopper. Long, tumbling beds of Texas wildflowers, antique roses (incredibly perfumed ‘Russelliana,’ pictured above), lavender, and poppies wrap around the corner, serving up a fiesta of color at the street. Three enormous American agaves anchor the sea of flowers with strong, steely blue structure.
‘Honey Perfume’ rose, an apricot beauty
Closer to the house, under the canopy of an ancient live oak, pale-pink, fragrant prairie phlox puts on a spring show that harmonizes with the home’s soft-lavender trim.
Agaves and Texas bluebonnets give this garden a strong sense of place.
Agaves are so photogenic. Just look at those red teeth and ghostly leaf imprints.
Blazing double poppies…
…were fading away into quirky, gray-green seedheads.
More bluebonnets and Agave americana, with yellow Jerusalem sage in back.
My visit was all too brief due to the imminent arrival of my father at the airport, but I am grateful to Julie for sharing the bounty of her glorious spring garden with me (plus yummy pastry and hibiscus tea). Thanks, Julie!
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam, What a charming garden! The agave sitting amidst the wildflowers is stellar! Love the front garden with prairie phlox and doesn’t the visiting bird say so perfectly, “What a perfect garden for all creatures.” gail
The birds were really happy in Julie’s garden. And so was I! —Pam
A very lovely garden. It always amazes me how so many people who know little or nothing about plants waste so much money buying for themselves and trying to design and landscape themselves and use the wrong plants etc. which then die, rather than paying a professional for help. I have some friends who did just that, when for a fraction of what they lost in dead plants they could have had professional advice. Same goes for people who “design” their own houses, which is about 60% of the Caribbean. But then maybe they are happy with the results, who knows?
You have a good point, Nicole. Professional design services can be more economical than struggling along on one’s own, and if it saves you heartache and backache too, then all the more reason to hire some help. —Pam
What a beautiful garden!! The agaves add so much to her garden. I bet it was wonderful to see.
It was, Amy—and to smell! —Pam
Dear Pam,
Thank you for making my yard your Digging “cover girl.” Now that the poppies and bluebonnets are going to seed, the sparrows are having a true “field day” — design becomes habitat. Still life photography is one thing; wildlife photography quite another challenge. Your talents are amazing.
The place feels different to me now that gardeners I admire have enjoyed it. Please come again in the summer and we’ll take another look together. Your eye helps me see.
J.
Julie, it was wonderful to see your garden, and even better to see you again after so long! Thank you so much for inviting me over and for the passalong plants. I missed seeing the salvia in your garden, but I will be thrilled if my phlox ever approximates even a fourth of what yours was doing. I would love to come back in the summer (I never pass up a chance to see a lovely garden). —Pam
Stunning!
What a lovely sight for the neighbors, eh, Cheryl? —Pam
Such a lovely garden and home. It certainly shows folks the potential a front yard can have.
It really does, Jean—an inspiring example. —Pam
wow, gorgeous. I wish my yard/garden and house were that wonderful and cute, respectively.
Isn’t Julie’s house darling? Envy! —Pam
What a “happy ending” garden and wonderful photos. I’m wondering when Austin does its garden tours. It’s gotta be when the bluebonnets are in bloom, right? So great to see these beautiful regional gardens. Thanks, Pam. Great post.
Bluebonnets bloom pretty early, Denise. The first garden tour I know of is the Wildflower Center’s Gardens on Tour, which is held Mother’s Day weekend. The bluebonnets will be mostly finished by then, but much else will be blooming. October is another great month for garden tours in Austin. —Pam
my goodness, that is stunningly beautiful.
It is, Keewee—very beautiful. —Pam
It’s nice to see an example of a xeric garden that defies most people’s idea of what one should look like. While the Agave is appropriate it is only part of the mix in this lush garden. Or is it that your photography makes it look so good?
Agaves always look good, Les, and they look especially good in combination with floriferous, billowy plants like roses and xeric, fine-leaved perennials. This garden shows how well this works. —Pam
Lucky you getting to tour a beautiful garden and have tea.
I WAS lucky, Lisa. —Pam
Those agave and blue bonnets are just gorgeous – the entire garden is just beautiful! I’ll have to go read her post.
Please do, Pam. Julie is a wonderful writer. —Pam
What a lovely house and garden Julie has! I love the way the river of phlox runs down the hill as the stairs do, emphasizing the terrain. Beautifully photographed as always, Pam ;-]
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Thanks, Annie. And that river of phlox smells as pretty as it looks. —Pam