Julie Clark and Mae Sanchez’s desert-inspired garden
Inspired by a trip to the West Texas desert, Julie and Mae craved desert-style openness for their waterwise garden in South Austin.… Read More
Rocking a dry garden at Chanticleer’s Gravel Garden
Many plants we grow in Central Texas appear in Chanticleer’s Gravel Garden, and it’s fun to see them in a new context.… Read More
Pruned-up prickly pear is living sculpture
A pruned-up prickly pear in a gravel garden, with a single bench, makes for a Zen moment at the front door. … Read More
Meadow garden in gravel at Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Olbrich Botanical Gardens’ meadowy gravel garden was lovely even out of peak bloom, when the predominant color was green.… Read More
East meets Midwest in the garden of Linda Brazill and Mark Golbach, Part 1
On a sloping half-acre lot, Linda Brazill and Mark Golbach have made a contemplative Japanese-style garden that leads you on a journey.… Read More
Gravel garden at Chanticleer reminds me of Texas
Chanticleer’s Gravel Garden reminds me of Texas, an idealized version anyway. In October yuccas shimmer among flowering grasses and asters.… Read More
Garden retreat under the oaks in San Antonio
An invitation to tea — the real deal, with scones, clotted cream, cucumber sandwiches, lemon tarts, and champagne — was treat enough to entice me to the San Antonio home of two sisters I’ve gotten to know through a friendship with their mother. But when I arrived at their house, I realized another treat was in store: a lovely garden designed for relaxation and decked out for company.… Read More
Glorious wildflowers and agaves in Jenny Stocker’s garden
April 20, 2018 Spring in Austin is glorious this year, and especially so in my friend Jenny Stocker’s garden. The Rock Rose blogger cultivates a gravel garden of mostly Texas native wildflowers and grasses sown among woody lilies like agave … Read More
Spring flowering in Jenny Stocker’s walled courtyard gardens
March 31, 2018 When I spotted this pool-garden view from inside the home of my friend Jenny Stocker, I nearly tripped over my feet to get outside and drink it in. Jenny, who blogs at Rock Rose, is the owner … Read More
Waterwise drama in Lakemoore Drive Garden: Austin Open Days Tour 2017
November 20, 2017 Continuing my coverage of the November 4th Open Days tour, today I give you the Lakemoore Drive Garden. Regular readers may recognize this garden as one I blogged about, rapturously, in 2013. The outer garden, a sun-loving … Read More
Autumn stroll around my garden
October 27, 2017 Autumn is my favorite season in the garden, when the Death Star abates and cool breezes blow in from the north, pushing that Gulf Coast humidity back to Houston where it belongs. The sky goes china blue, … Read More