cool gardens in a hot climate™
Candide, a website and social sharing app for gardeners, recently launched in the U.S., after first growing its user base in South Africa and the U.K. Now that U.S. gardeners have access, I’m happy to announce that I’m writing articles for the website and sharing more-personal gardening photos and posts via the app, which is kind of like Instagram for gardeners.… Read More
Coahuila lace cactus blooms extravagantly and is a great plant for a small container. And it’s hardy at least to zone 8b.… Read More
“No Stone Unturned” in Country Gardens magazine shows just how much you can do with artistic stonework and shade-loving plants.… Read More
It’s been a hot, dry summer for a lot of us, and our gardens may be looking pretty parched right about now. I grow a waterwise garden here in Austin, but even so I lost a few plants after the rain spigot cut off in mid-July. There’s always more I can do to make my own garden more of a water-saver, not a water-guzzler, and perhaps you feel the same way. … Read More
I’m delighted to share that I have two articles in the current issue of Country Gardens (Fall 2019), a wonderful magazine filled with design inspiration and the stories of regular gardeners with vision, enthusiasm, and a love of plants.… Read More
Despite its chancy beginning, ‘Purple Pillar’ has thrived, gaining vigor and height each year. Following a wet spring and early summer, when it put on a burst of growth, this hardy hibiscus now stands tall and slender, its showy flowers sporting lavender outer petals with a cherry-red, starburst center.… Read More
Mid-February, right around Valentine’s Day, marks cut-back time for Texas gardeners. Dormant grasses and perennials are getting their annual haircut as I clear away last season’s growth (which I leave standing through the winter for wildlife habitat and its own quiet beauty) in preparation for the fresh green shoots of spring. I use an electric hedge trimmer, which cuts through grasses and woody stems like butter.… Read More
October 16, 2018 When I started this blog waaaaay back in 2006, I wrote a handful of short reviews for my new Book Reviews page, pulling from my then-favorite collection of plant guides, design books, memoirs, garden-related fiction, and even … Read More
August 12, 2018 Stacked pumpkins, grapevine wreaths, and overflowing buckets of mums brighten the Fall 2018 issue of Country Gardens magazine — and I am so ready for that cooler, brighter season to arrive. Even if you’re not, I hope … Read More
July 12, 2018 Here in the South for the next several months, the Death Star is set on high beam, so it’s time to quit trying so hard. Drop your shovel and pruners, grab a cold one, and plop down … Read More
June 22, 2018 When you pick up a copy of the Summer 2018 issue of Garden Design magazine — even better, subscribe to this no-ads, in-depth-writing, photo-rich quarterly magazine — you’ll find 144 pages of gardening goodness, including two articles … Read More
April 10, 2018 When Gardens closed in 2010, it left a void in Austin for a source for high-quality terracotta pottery. Landscape architect Jackson Broussard, who owns and operates Sprout, decided to fill that void by importing Italian Impruneta pots … Read More
March 14, 2018 Honeybees are out in force, and gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) is one of their early spring favorites. I’m abuzz over gopher plant’s chartreuse bracts and yellow flowers too — so sunny on these early spring days. Lemon-lime … Read More
February 14, 2018 Thank heavens for evergreens, grasses, yuccas, and structural features like stock-tank ponds, big containers, and low walls. After this withering, frostbitten winter, my garden would otherwise be flattened. Of course I’ve been moaning and groaning about the … Read More