Water feature magic in Lori Daul’s garden
Lori’s garden is a lush paradise where bold blue agaves and black elephant ears get equal billing, where dry gardens meet water gardens.… Read More
Tropicalesque Tanglewild, where bananas and palms grow big and bold
Tanglewild Gardens invites you to explore a tropical-style garden in north Austin, where foliage is big and bold.… Read More
Drive-By Gardens: No-lawn front yards in South Austin
Driving through Bouldin and Zilker neighborhoods in South Austin, I cruise slowly to check out the diverse styles of architecture among the many, many remodeled homes. It’s just as interesting to see what people have chosen to plant in their front yards. Many have opted out of the traditional lawn in favor of waterwise alternatives, like a simple meadow of Mexican feathergrass.… Read More
Water-saving Greenway Street Garden: Austin Open Day Tour
Reducing runoff and erosion in a sloping yard like this is challenging when you have mature trees because you can’t just regrade the whole lot without disturbing or covering their expansive roots. … Read More
The happily-ever-after Berger Street Garden: Austin Open Day Tour
This garden is a great example of how to reduce your turf grass by adding low-water groundcovers like sedge and no-water patios, while still growing plenty of wildlife-attracting native and adapted plants and making the garden a place for easy outdoor living — all on a budget.… Read More
Rainy day visit to Jenny Stocker’s garden
October 23, 2018 A visit to Jenny Stocker‘s gorgeous walled garden is always a treat, even on a chilly, rainy day like last Friday (and actually all this month). Jenny kindly opened her garden to me and my friend Susan … Read More
Kirk Walden’s Hill Country garden atop Lake Austin
May 25, 2018 With this killer view of Lake Austin, many homeowners might have sodded a lawn, plunked a few pots of annuals around the pool, and called it done. But Kirk Walden, whose garden was the final stop on … Read More
A little Palm Springs, a little New Orleans, all Texas in the garden of Curt Arnette
May 16, 2018 I’ve been after my friend Curt Arnette, landscape-architect owner of Sitio Design, to open his personal garden on tour for years. But because he likes to change things up at home (plus being busy with his work … Read More
Post-Fling garden exploring with blogger friends
May 15, 2018 Having said goodbye to nearly 100 garden bloggers at Austin Garden Bloggers Fling, on Monday of last week I picked up 4 late-staying blogger friends — Loree Bohl of Danger Garden, Gerhard Bock of Succulents and More, … Read More
Spiky garden of Matt Shreves
December 10, 2017 Six months ago I visited the spikylicious garden of Matt Shreves, an Austin gardener I met on Instagram (see his Instagram page at OG_Agave). Last month, he kindly invited the Austin blogger group over (or maybe we … Read More
Sedgey front garden and xeriscape terrace
December 06, 2017 For one West Austin homeowner, this is the view from her front door: an undulating, rhythmic front walk of poured-concrete pavers wending through a meadowy swath of Berkeley sedge, soap aloes, and purple heart, with a scrim … Read More
Sharing nature’s beauty in the garden of Diana Kirby
December 03, 2017 I’ve enjoyed many a visit at the garden of my good friend Diana Kirby, designer at Diana’s Designs, garden columnist at the Austin American-Statesman, and publisher of the blog Sharing Nature’s Garden. But inexplicably I’ve never done … Read More
Hill Country style in Sitio-designed garden of architect Duke Garwood
November 27, 2017 A month ago I visited a Rollingwood garden designed by landscape architect Curt Arnette of Sitio Design. It’s owned by the architect of the contemporary Hill Country-style home, Duke Garwood, whom I also had the pleasure of … Read More
Canyon-side garden of Tait Moring: Austin Open Days Tour 2017
November 25, 2017 The final garden from the Austin Open Days Tour earlier this month is landscape architect Tait Moring‘s personal garden, which perches on a canyon’s rim just off Bee Caves Road. His entry garden is an appealing mix … Read More