Profusion of pink cactus flowers
When the heat is on in a Texas summer, this mammillaria cactus puts on a crown of candy-pink, satin-petaled flowers.… Read More
Early summer garden scenes in Austin
What I’m admiring on walks around the neighborhood and in my own garden as the Austin summer heats up. These plants love the heat.… Read More
A curbside garden for pollinators and all-year interest
Yellow sulphur butterflies flitted among zexmenia flowers last evening in this curbside garden in Austin’s Tarrytown neighborhood.… Read More
Agaves by sun and blue moon
As I’ve been waiting for the summer from hell to break, I’ve been admiring stalwart agaves, which look good day or night.… Read More
Spotlight around the garden
Before Halloween I took a few photos of whatever caught my eye in the garden, starting with the whale’s tongue agave. Hello, gorgeous!… Read More
Mellow-yellowing into fall, but the garden still has bite
October rolls around, mellowing out the Texas garden. At last, it’s a pleasure to be outside again. But the garden still has bite.… Read More
The yellow glow of late fall
Yellow is the color of fall in my garden, starting with the wonderful forsythia sage with tall wands of buttery yellow flowers.… Read More
Garden bed evolution and a newly named agave
Garden design is a process! It’s taken over a year, but the corner bed below the deck is finally moving in a good direction. … Read More
Agave ovatifolia switcheroo
Aw, how fast they grow up! Agaves, that is. And then they start nipping at your shins every time you walk past.… Read More
Dusky blues in the garden
While photographing the owls a few evenings ago, I pointed my lens at the Circle Garden for the umpteenth time. This view makes me so happy!… Read More
Xeriscape in bloom at Wells Branch Community Garden
Lemon-lime retama trees in bloom caught my eye recently as I drove by the Wells Branch Community Garden and its native xeriscape.… Read More
Yellow spider lilies at peak and agave weevil death
My yellow spider lilies (Lycoris aurea) are at peak bloom. Every flower has opened and seems filled with golden sunlight. They thrill me every time I look though my office window or step out onto the back patio.… Read More
Happy fall garden
With the Death Star at bay and a little rain last week, the plants are rejoicing with a flush of flowers. It’s a second spring for us Texas gardeners.… Read More
End-of-summer garden
Austin is eager to bid a less-than-fond farewell to summer after a record-breaking hot and dry September. I can already see a change in the light, and my garden got a bit of rain last week. With any luck, by next week temperatures will finally drop.… Read More