Thomas Rainer, a Washington, D.C.-based landscape architect and author of Planting in a Post-Wild World, came to Austin last week to give a terrific presentation for Garden Spark, the design-based speaker series I started 3 years ago.

Sixty attendees — home gardeners, designers, horticulturists, landscape architects, and garden writers and podcasters — learned how to use denser plantings, less mulch, and layered groundcovers to reduce maintenance, increase habitat for wildlife, help reduce the heat-island effect in cities, manage runoff, and beautify our urban areas and home gardens.

I really enjoyed Thomas’s talk and learned a lot. Plus it was fun getting to know him, and of course we explored a couple of gardens, including one designed by landscape architect Jackson Broussard, who just so happens to be the next Garden Spark speaker on November 7th. In the photo above, Thomas is on the right, Jackson on the left.

On the morning Thomas flew home, we stopped at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for a short visit, his first.

Virginia creeper on the cistern-tower is doing a good impression of early fall color, but I’m pretty sure it’s drought or heat stress, since temps are still in the upper 90s every day.

In the store, I was pleased to see my books for sale, both The Water-Saving Garden…

…and Lawn Gone! That never gets old.

Huge thanks to Thomas Rainer for coming to Austin to speak at Garden Spark, and to everyone who attended his talk! If you’re interested in the next Garden Spark talk with Jackson Broussard, tickets will go on sale next week, and you must be on my email list to receive the event page link. Simply click this link and ask to be added.

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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.