Gardens on Tour 2010: Sinclair Avenue garden
On Saturday I did the Wildflower Center’s Gardens on Tour, visiting five private Austin gardens that “show the variety and versatility of wildflowers and native plants.” My first stop was the Sinclair Avenue garden in the north-central neighborhood of Rosedale.
Two design firms put their stamp on this property: San Souci Gardens designed and installed the front and side gardens in spring 2007; Environmental Survey Consulting followed up with the all-native back garden later that year. This is the view from the street, part of a deep screening bed between the curb and the gray-green metal fence.
Agave, grasses, lantana, and yucca would be right at home in a deer-visited garden, although this central Austin neighborhood is untroubled by such hungry pests.
Taking the gravel path that leads around the front of the house, looking to the right…
…and looking to the left, a pleasant scene, with salvias, ornamental grasses, winecup, prickly pear, and Anacacho orchid tree mulched directly in the gravel path rather than separated into mulched beds. The deep beds, mid-size evergreen plants, and neighbor-friendly fence work together to bring a feeling of privacy to the front garden, and a separation from the street.
A gate with an interesting spiral design leads into the more wildscaped back garden.
Buffalograss paths bordered by dense shrubbery lead the way. This isn’t my favorite look for a path; I prefer a more structured design. But it does set the tone for what’s to come…
…a naturalistic meadow-scape of wildflowers and ornamental grasses. No typical suburban lawn here.
Mexican hat (Ratibida)
A bench backing up to a corrugated metal fence and overlooking a small pond (not pictured) provides a welcome focal point amid the loosely structured plantings.
As I was leaving this garden I ran into garden-blogging friends Daphne, Robin, and Diana. We ended up touring most of the other gardens together. What a fun crew to hang out with!
Along the way, I also ran into garden bloggers Vertie (and her sweet little gardening buddy Jack), Tom, MSS, and Jenny, plus a few readers of Digging who introduced themselves. The weather was perfect by my standards, if a bit chilly to others, and it was great fun to see all the gardens and meet the homeowners and designers. Tune in tomorrow for a look at the envy-inspiring Bridle Path garden.
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I thought this year’s tour was a good one. Every garden had something good to share about native plant styles. I wonder who cleans up in the back garden when the season is over. I loved the front but the back was a bit messy. I agree with you about the buffalo grass. Does not take well to a lot of trampling. It was nice you caught up with the group. You were the only 5 bloggers I saw. $25 is a bit expensive. I worked the morning shift for my wrist band!
What a beautiful garden. The meadow is marvelous. The buffalo grass is just perfect for this garden. A friend of mine wants to grow this as her lawn. I will have to tell her to look at this post.
Should have gone. This yard reminds me of the joys of home ownership. I’m renting now, and have to water St. Augustine. EEUUU.
Nice post – you captured the spirit of this garden well. I so enjoyed the front of it. Loved the feather grasses in pots there – I will be copying that – maybe even today! Can’t wait to see the rest.
It looks like a beautiful natural garden. Having such a low-maintenance area must be nice!
Do you know what the large tree with the wispy leaves is in the second photo? I love that view. What a spectacular garden. I hope you post photos of the other ones.
I believe it’s an acacia, Phillip. These are common in the Hill Country. —Pam
Great post. I love garden tours – and chatting with the other tourists, comparing notes.
What a wonderful garden tour! Pam, I had the strangest dream about you this weekend. You were traveling thru centeral Alabama and wanted to see our garden. I though how odd that you should be in my subconcious! LOL Hope you had a good weekend– 🙂
Love the Mexican Hat. I planted those from seed last year, and they bloomed the first year. Looking forward to them blooming again this year.
Beautiful. I absolutely love the naturalistic look of this garden.
I always enjoy seeing how others have landscaped with native plants. Thank you for sharing the tour with us!
Just the architecture only is gorgous then you have knowledgable professionals come in and make it even better. It’s fantastic!
What a cutie! oh, the plants are nice too. It was fun touring and running into friends. i also enjoyed meeting your father-in-law. looking forward to your posts on the rest of the gardens. i couldn’t handle the baby and a camera.
The front is nice looking (but my, the houses in Rosedale have grown!!). I’m with others that the back is a little too wild for me (I really prefer to get my hands into gardening although I can see how carefree it must be).