Wisteria-scented Garden Spark at Barton Springs Nursery
Last week I hosted one of my Garden Spark talks at Barton Springs Nursery, and their beautiful outdoor classroom was made even more beautiful by a wisteria in full bloom.
If you know anything about Chinese wisteria, you know it’s a monster of a vine. But its spring show is what seduces anyone who plants it: lavender cascades of sweetly scented flowers.
The back rows of chairs occupied a cloud of delicate, sweet fragrance.
As the sun dropped low, the flowers glowed and swayed in a light breeze. It was breathtaking.
One more photo from underneath — a perspective that also shows the mass of muscular, woody vines. For those who love wisteria but rightly fear its aggressive tendencies, consider planting American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) instead. And never let any wisteria bloom without taking deep, happy sniffs every chance you get.
Barton Springs Nursery has long been a favorite of mine.
Now that the baton has been passed to new owners, the place has seen some freshening up of the grounds and structures, and a more modern aesthetic is being revealed.
Every time I go there’s something new, like the lending library. This time it was a mural that reads, Plants are the family you choose. A stork carrying a bundle of leafy joy flies overhead. How charming is that?
Garden Spark talk
The Garden Spark talk last week was by Canadian garden writer and artist Patterson Webster, who presented an engaging talk about art in the garden.
Thanks, Pat, for coming all the way to Austin to get us thinking about art in new ways! Thanks also to Barton Springs Nursery for sponsoring the talks, and a HUGE thank-you to each and every attendee for coming to hear the speakers. Your support is helping to broaden the conversation about garden design in our community. To be notified of upcoming talks and receive early access to tickets, simply click this link and ask to be added to my email list.
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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.
I loved that Patterson was able to come to Austin. I’ve had the privilege of visiting Glen Villa (and hope to return this summer).
Wisteria is a childhood memory for me in Austin, as my sister and I swapped times with our music teacher and the library. A giant wisteria vine festooned the street where our mom parked.
Ah, that must be a lovely memory. My childhood-memory plants were a weeping cherry right outside my bedroom window and a hedge of enormous sasanqua camellias that flowered beautifully each winter at our home in South Carolina.