This Saturday from 9-4, the Travis County Master Gardeners, are sponsoring their annual Inside Austin Garden Tour.  As always, they have a great garden tour in store — full of interesting gardens sure to give you ideas and inspiration to take home.

You can see the sneak peek of the first 3 gardens in my last post here.  This post covers the other 3 gardens, which incorporate two very different design styles and also demonstrate the broad range of plants that will thrive in the Central Texas area.  

Austin Neal’s garden — a contemporary and rustic design – showcases many water wise plants and creative containers and art work.

 This fabulous fence sets the stage as you enter the garden.

 Grave and wooden walkways create an interesting walk to the front door.

 This mobile of wasp nests dangles in front of you as you approach the door.

 A mix of succulents and native perennials fill this drought-tolerant garden.

 Raised vegetable beds filled with good soil will ensure a season of good crops.



Planters lined the fence, made of re-purposed supplies and filled with tough-as-nails succulents and cacti.

The Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden was filled with native and adapted plants that should be on everyone’s plant list.

Stroll through these plants — they are all labeled so visitors and tour participants can take notes and head to their favorite local nursery with a shopping list.

 Demonstration plants include everything from ground covers to trees.

 Perennials and herbs are also part of the garden.

 This stunning bloom was definitely putting on a show of us.

 Lori Daul’s garden is an amazing display of soft and sculptural plants.

Her entire front yard — only lawn when she purchased the house, is now filled with both sunny and shady spots with layers and layers of plants.

 Texture plays a big role in Lori’s garden, as do sight lines and paths that lead the visitor through beautiful garden spaces.

In her back yard, the beds are very wide, allowing for layers of plantings to stand out.

 Instead of a free-standing, upright bottle tree, Lori created a unique look using her mesquite tree as a bottle tree.

 Whimsical garden art fills her beds.

 Several water features add sound and interest throughout the garden.

Her use of sculptural, drought-tolerant plants next to the soft beauty of her rose collection makes a wonderful contrast.

 Containers also help to add interest and texture to her beds.

 Her coordinating blue fence and swing create a lovely oasis to sit and enjoy the garden.

Mixed among the perennials, Lori also has quite a few edibles mixed in her ornamental beds.

As you might tell, Lori’s garden was my favorite.  And, she’s a personal friend of mine.

Her garden is not to be missed.  So include the Travis County Master Gardeners annual Inside Austin Garden Tour on your Saturday plans.  It’s going to be a beautiful day.  The tour runs from 9-4 and is self- guided.  Click on the link above for ticket information.

Enjoy the tour!