Did you ever wish you could tour a designer’s garden with her or him and learn why they made the design choices they did, or how they solved commonplace problems? Do you long to know more about the plants they grow: how much water they need, how much shade they can tolerate, how big they get in real life, where you can buy them, etc.? Does spending a couple of hours in a beautiful garden exploring and soaking up the vibe sound like fun?

If so, and if you’re in the Austin area, you’re in luck! As an offshoot of my Garden Spark speaker series, I’m launching Garden Spark Tours, starting with my own garden. On Saturday, May 4^th, I’m leading two small-group classes in my home garden in Austin. (Rain date will be May 5.) Each class will be limited to 15 people in order to foster conversation and create a more relaxed, less crowded visiting experience than on a public tour, with plenty of time for questions and discussion.

Each class is organized around the topic of one of my books, Lawn Gone! or The Water-Saving Garden, and ticket purchase includes a personally inscribed copy plus a nursery gift card. Each class will start with a brief history of the garden and overall design decisions, and then we’ll go through the garden together. After the group tour and discussion, you’ll be invited to go through the garden again at your own pace, with refreshments to enjoy, and I’ll be on hand to answer questions. You may sit and enjoy the garden, take photos, or explore, as you wish.

Tickets are available on my event page. On that page, select either the morning (SOLD OUT) or afternoon class by clicking on the down-arrow under Date. It will toggle between the two classes, and you can see how many spots are left for each one. Here are the details!

Class 1: May 4^th morning class, 9 to 11:30 am – SOLD OUT

“Lawn Gone: Plant a No-Mow Garden That’s Greener than Turf”

Stumped by what to grow instead of grass? Learn how to turn your front yard, back yard, or both into a no-mow garden for play, puttering, patio-sitting, and plentiful greenery. Sedges and other groundcovers*, paving, and ideas for fun features that take up space formerly devoted to lawn (ponds, vegetable gardens, shade pavilions, play forts for kids, etc.) will be discussed.

*Note: Plants in my garden are largely shade-tolerant plants because I have a lot of tree cover. Questions about sun lovers are welcome though! Deer-resistant plants will be discussed too. And of course design ideas on display are applicable whether you have sun or shade in your own yard.

Cost: $75 (includes book and gift card, a $30 value) – SOLD OUT

Class includes:

• Personal garden tour with Pam
• Signed copy of Lawn Gone! Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard ($19.99 value)
• Discussion and how-to on designing a no-mow garden
• Plant suggestions
• $10 gift card from Barton Springs Nursery
• Coupon from Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery
• Refreshments to enjoy in the garden
• Q&A with Pam to talk about design and plants

Class 2: May 4^th afternoon class, 1:30 to 4 pm

“The Water-Saving Garden: Using Less Water for a More Beautiful, Texas-Style Garden”

When drought and water shortages return, be ready by planting a water-thrifty garden today. Smart water-saving design strategies include holding onto rainwater, slowing down runoff to give it time to soak in, permeable paving, shrinking areas of thirsty turf, and planting native and drought-adapted plants. Waterwise gardening tips, soil preparation, and drought-tough plants* will be discussed.

*Note: Plants in my garden are largely shade-tolerant plants because I have a lot of tree cover. Questions about sun lovers are welcome though! Deer-resistant plants will be discussed too. And of course design ideas on display are applicable whether you have sun or shade in your own yard.

Cost: $75 (includes book and gift card, a $30 value)

Class includes:

• Personal garden tour with Pam
• Signed copy of The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden with a Lot Less Water ($19.99 value)
• Discussion and how-to on designing a water-wise garden
• Plant suggestions
• $10 gift card from Barton Springs Nursery
• Coupon from Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery
• Refreshments to enjoy in the garden
• Q&A with Pam to talk about design and plants

About Pam

After nearly a decade of working with local homeowners to transform their yards into beautiful spaces for play, relaxation, and productivity through her design and garden coaching business, Pam turned to writing in order to reach more people. Her years of working with Austinites trying to save water and cut back on thirsty lawn led directly to her writing two books on those subjects, The Water-Saving Garden and the bestseller Lawn Gone!, as well as numerous articles for magazines like Country Gardens, Garden Design, and Wildflower.

In 2017 she launched the Garden Spark speaker series to engage the community with highly regarded landscape architects, designers, and authors from Austin and beyond, who give thoughtful presentations about a multitude of design issues.

About Pam’s Garden

Pam’s garden in northwest Austin, which you will tour as part of the class, is not a designer showpiece but simply a very personal home garden, built gradually on a DIYer’s budget, and created for the enjoyment of her family and friends. It’s been featured on Central Texas Gardener and in Austin Home magazine, included on public and private garden tours, and will be featured in an upcoming book by Karen Chapman called Deer-Resistant Design. If you read Pam’s blog, Digging, you’ve possibly followed her garden’s gradual progress, its success stories and learning-moment failures, since 2008.

The garden slopes sharply in back toward a forested canyon, making runoff management a priority. Dozens of live oaks create a lot of dappled shade, although some recent tree losses have added areas of sun that will require replanting this spring. To keep water bills as low as possible while still sustaining a garden, to provide habitat for wildlife, and to give her garden central Texas style, Pam grows native plants supplemented by well-adapted and drought-tolerant non-natives, many from northern Mexico. It’s an ornamental garden, not one that produces food – unless you count food for wildlife and food for the soul!

Pam’s goals in making her garden over the past 10 years have been: to create a strolling garden of exploration, with garden rooms and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view; to make a garden that’s welcoming to wildlife (but non-tasty to deer); and above all, to make a visually pleasing garden with strong focal points and bones that help it look good all year.

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I hope you will join me for one of the class-tours! This would also make a great gift for a young gardener or new homeowner you might know in the Austin area.

To attend: Tickets are available on my event page. On that page, select either the morning or afternoon class by clicking on the down-arrow under Date. It will toggle between the two classes, and you can see how many spots are left for each one. Hope to see you then!

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Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.