cool gardens in a hot climate™
Stopping by Christine Ten Eyck’s house to return something after her recent Garden Spark presentation, I was greeted by this beautiful monster. An 8-foot-tall Agave franzosinii droops over a rocky ledge, like a giant octopus crawling over the seafloor. … Read More
Mexican plum and redbud may be blooming at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center by now. But last Sunday afternoon the gardens were still in the “grip” of an unusually mild winter. Flowers were few, but the tawny and russet hues of early February offer their own softer beauty.… Read More
February 01, 2019Years of attending interior design and architecture tours have taught me not to expect much in the way of landscape design. Making a beautifully designed home, for many, doesn’t extend beyond the front stoop, or maybe the money … Read More
December 05, 2018 An invitation to Linda Peterson’s garden in San Antonio proved too tempting a treat to resist on the day before Halloween. I arrived in San Antonio in time to tour the terrific new culinary and adventure gardens … Read More
November 28, 2018 The species Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) at the front corner of our house reliably goes scarlet in December, turning red to match the Christmas balls I hang on an agave by the front door. But this year … Read More
November 26, 2018 My phone buzzed on Saturday as my daughter, home from college for Thanksgiving, and I were heading out to do a little shopping at Blue Genie Art Bazaar. It was Lucinda Hutson, her voice excited as she … Read More
November 11, 2018 I’ve shown you the fabulous new gardens at San Antonio Botanical Garden that have opened over the past year — the culinary and entry gardens and the Family Adventure Garden — but there is more to see … Read More
November 10, 2018 I’ve visited a lot of play gardens, and I play in ALL of them. But one of the most exciting I’ve seen opened this spring at San Antonio Botanical Garden. The Family Adventure Garden at SABG offers … Read More
November 05, 2018 As a native of border city El Paso and a veteran traveler throughout Mexico, Lucinda Hutson has long embraced Mexican culture and traditions like Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. She recently hosted a … Read More
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
October 22, 2018 Hey, garden friends! My 2018 season of Garden Spark talks concluded last Thursday with a terrific talk by designer/author Susan Morrison about small-garden design. Thanks to everyone who braved waterlogged Austin’s wet streets to attend! After Susan’s … Read More
October 01, 2018 When summer’s heat sizzles the back of your neck and it hasn’t rained in a month and the rest of your plants want to give up, Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) sassily unfurls dozens of ruffled, ember-hued … Read More
September 13, 2018 Five inches of rain soaked the soil last week, and the oxblood lilies (Rhodophiala bifida) have raised their celebratory red flags in response. Popping up from dormancy seemingly overnight, they’ve splashed color along the front of the … Read More
August 14, 2018 In part 1 of my recap of my tour of Great Dixter in England earlier this summer, I confessed that I didn’t like the overplanted, claustrophobic feeling of the Peacock Garden and surrounding hedged gardens. But I … Read More