Last month I visited my friend Cynthia Deegan’s home and garden, this time with Jennifer Jewell of Cultivating Place, who was in town to give a Garden Spark talk. I wanted Jennifer to meet Cynthia and see the soulful, joyful retreat she’s created at her Tarrytown bungalow with husband Bobby. Sandwiched in an unlikely way between MoPac/Loop 1 and its feeder road, the house defies its location through the couple’s creative screening, planting, and decorating, which focuses the gaze on the garden rather than what lies beyond. Cheekily, Cynthia and Bobby call their home Via Libre, aka Freeway.

You enter the front garden through rustic, yellow-green doors, under the orange blossoms of crossvine. Hands, sacred hearts, and angel wings — Cynthia’s milagros, Mexican charms for protection and good luck — are tacked up on the doors.

Inside the courtyard, a lushly planted pond with a dripping fountain offers the sound of trickling water and a beautiful, expansive view from inside the small house.

A friendly face brought to life with fig ivy and sticks-on-fire greets you from a window box.

Inside, Cynthia indulges her collector’s heart with curated displays of books, art, and found treasures.

Antlers, hearts, and bones are repeating motifs — expressions of Cynthia’s love for nature and the divine.

Milagros, stone eggs, and small skulls are gathered into this tabletop nest.

On another shelf, religious votives flicker amid collected heart stones and silvered glass.

Cynthia has a talent for turning thrifted items into a story about her life and loves. She does the same thing at Artful Eclectic, her booth at the monthly Wimberley Market Day. Her booth is currently on hiatus while Cynthia and Bobby undergo “his and hers joint surgeries.” But she’ll be back at it soon, selling her beautiful, upcycled art and decor in the new year.

On a buffet I admired a display of fall snacks laid out for visiting grandchildren…

…and a pretty tray of wines and glasses for more mature visitors.

Cynthia surprised me with a poem she’d written out in longhand, a meditation on aging and the joy still to be found in nature.

A treasured gift! I can still hear her low, calm voice reading it to us. Thank you, Cynthia, for all the heart and soul you share with everyone privileged to know you.

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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. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.