Drive-By Garden: Waterwise front yard and patio
Driving around the Delwood neighborhood in East Austin last week I spotted this attractive waterwise front yard. A huge crape myrtle shades one side of the midcentury-style home, sheltering a small patio beneath its branches. On the sunny side, Mexican feathergrass, giant hesperaloe, firecracker fern, and fall aster enjoy a fairly open placement, mulched with gravel.
A driveway of alternating concrete strips and gravel allows rainwater to percolate through. In the narrow side yard, a tall hedge of ‘Will Fleming’ yaupon, nicely pruned, provides privacy and enclosure.
A curved path of concrete pavers meanders under the crape myrtle to the avocado-green door. In the shade, dwarf Texas palmetto, lamb’s ears, and cast-iron plant shrug off heat or cold.
Loose gravel — not decomposed granite — means fewer weeds. And I love the concrete circle that delineates a simple gravel patio with two benches near the door. The talented Casey Boyter designed this lovely space. Check out this other garden in her portfolio for more inspiration.
And around the block…
As I drove off and rounded the block, I spotted these cool cats in another yard: a patch of shade-wearing prickly pear! Does anything sum up a hot Texas summer better than this?
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Digging Deeper
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The sunglasses are a hoot but I love that white-flowered crape myrtle!
It’s a beauty, isn’t it? The crapes are having a great year all over Austin.
I really love how this garden is all about texture and solidity vs movement rather than flower color. It’s very calming!
I agree, Lori. There are seasonal flowers, but they aren’t the star.
Pam,
I love the way the gravel areas look and how they frame the plantings. A maintenance question: is a leaf blower necessary to keep the leaves and debris out of the gravel? I can’t see how they could be raked out.
Thanks for photographing these gardens!
I would think so. I use a lightweight battery-powered blower for my own gravel areas. It’s simple to use, not loud like a gas-powered blower, and does the job.
What a nice garden. It makes me want to sit under that Magnolia with a cool drink to chat awhile.
Some people really know how to have fun in their garden.
Crape myrtle, but yes! Me too, Lisa. 🙂
“Loose gravel — not decomposed granite — means fewer weeds.” Are you just identifying that it’s not dg, or are you saying that dg can lead to weeds? You don’t see much dg around here so I’m curious.
Both. DG is a good, compactable surface for paths and patios, and it’s popular here. I have DG paths myself. But it gets weedy in a hurry. I now consider angular gravel (which locks together nicely) or a thin layer of round pea gravel over a compacted base layer to be better options because weeds have a harder time getting a foothold in those, and it’s easier to pull out weeds that do.