While in San Antonio two weeks ago, I met up with my friend Melody, who invited me to see her garden again. I first visited 9 years ago — whaaaat? where does the time go? — and was eager to see it again. In her large flower and vegetable garden, I fell hard for the wine-red foliage of this patio peach tree she got at Home Depot. I think it may be ‘Bonfire’.

Those burgundy leaves combine beautifully with purple coneflower, and her turquoise patio set in the background harmonizes too.

One more (angels singing)

A gorgeous coral dahlia surprised me too. I don’t often see dahlias growing in Central Texas — although Andrew and Jared are pulling it off — but how I adore these ruffled flowers wherever I encounter them.

A quiet moment with a reflective birdbath and ‘Amistad’ salvia

Melody’s creamy stucco-and-limestone home wraps around an elegant swimming pool patio. A frilly wrought-iron accent, lots of potted plants, large shade pergola, creeping vines, and the biggest weeping yaupon I’ve ever seen give it a lush, lived-in ambience.

A cool place to enjoy the garden on a hot day

Crossvine climbs the porch columns, adding soft greenery and a sense of age, plus hummingbird-attracting flowers in spring. Pip the dog gives everything a calm once-over.

Pool view between the crossvine columns

Faux bois is everywhere in San Antonio (faux bois master Carlos Cortes is headquartered there), and I admired this woodsy-looking plant stand with birdhouse.

One of several potted succulents on a brick wall

Behind the pool garden, a wilder aesthetic takes hold, with cottagey plants and a rustic cedar tuteur.

Nearer the vegetable garden, a neat swath of lawn leads to a pair of charming cedar arbors and gravel paths winding through a grove of oaks.

Melody modeled the design on arbors at the (long closed) San Antonio location of Antique Rose Emporium — which reminded me of what a beautiful place that once was.

The path meanders through shade-loving perennials and shrubs — a smart way to handle a part of the yard that’s too shady for lawn.

A planted birdbath with cherub gives you a reason to pause along the way.

As does a hot-pink crinum and daisies

Out by the driveway, another faux bois piece — a shallow, rippling birdbath — draws the eye and birds. It looks amazingly real as a cross-sectioned tree trunk, doesn’t it?

A former horse barn, now Melody’s garden shed, adds a bit of country elegance to the garden.

Warm stone walls, potted sunflowers, and an open window into a cool, shady interior make a beautiful start and finish to the garden. Thanks for sharing it with me, Melody!

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Digging Deeper

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