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The New Southern Living Garden Book is a great resource that entices readers with beauty and information…

I’m a collector. I’m a collector of plants, pottery, dishes, bird statuary and many other things. Aside from plants, I derive the most enjoyment from my garden book collection.

I have books on perennials, vegetables, design, famous gardeners and gardens, drought-tolerant gardens, heat-tolerant gardens, children’s gardens, succulent gardens, vertical gardening and gardening inside the home. I love my books. I never tire of pulling one out and perusing all the beautiful photos and unique stories, tips and guidelines.

While I have an assortment of comprehensive and encyclopedic books, I may have just found my new go-to bible.

It’s not always easy to find resources that provide real-life, detailed information about gardening in the south — specifically the southwest. Redesigned and updated, The New Southern Living Garden Book is a beautiful compilation of plant and garden information dedicated to how WE garden in the South and here in Central Texas.

More than 8,000 plants and 2,000 stunning photos of plants fill this 768-page book. The plant encyclopedia includes information about light and water needs, several climate zone designations and adaptability as well as toxicity. The entries also outline many of the different varieties of each plant, highlighting all of their unique characteristics.

Then, it does the work for you. You can slice and dice the information in a whole host of ways in the pages that provide information and recommend plants for seasonal color, cutting flowers, colorful foliage, winter interest, fragrant flowers, showy border perennials and more. When I’m searching for inspiration and ideas, this is how I want my information presented. Next come the sections that highlight plants for coastal gardens, drough tolerant gardens, deer resistant gardens, hanging basket and window-box gardens, southern natives and plants that attract butterflies and birds.

And there’s more – practical garden tips and advice about soil, fertilizing, watering and pruning. It includes a detailed aseasonal garden checklist, and my personal favorite — “Solving the Mystery of Botanical Plant Names.” Wow. Did you know that ‘angustifolia’ refers to a narrow leaf form in a plant? Or that ‘barccata’ means berried or berrylike? Or that riparia means ‘of riverbanks?’ Ah, one I knew — ‘texana’ means of Texas!

As I was soaking it all in, I turned the page and found a double-page spread showcasing the beauty of the fall garden with a gorgeous photo of the Gentling garden that I visited on the Garden Bloggers Fling in Asheville in 2012. You can tour the garden with me here here.

Here’s an excerpt from the book: “Leaves Blazing — Bathed in early November’s late afternoon sun, trees catch fire around Peter and Jasmin Gentling’s rustic home in Asheville, North Carolina. Mountainous locations like this provide the South’s most dependable fall color.”

Just as the computer can entice me into rabbit holes for hours and hours on end, this book lured me in and I soon found myself lost in its glossy, plant-filled pages. It’s the perfect way to spend a winter evening, or two or three or four.

Note: Southern Living sent me this book and I chose to read and then review it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am sharing with you my personal opinion.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:03-06:00January 29th, 2015|Asheville fling 2012, Blog, book review, botanical names, gardening in the south, Gentling garden, plant encyclopedia, plant guide, Sharing Nature's Garden, Southern Living, The New Southern Living Garden Book|0 Comments

Some color in the winter garden…

The sun came out today and I took a tour around my garden, basking in the warmth. As I passed each plant, mental notes began to form.

Cut this one back in a month…this one fared really well in the last freeze…oh no, I should have covered that one…and, best of all…hey — this one is blooming!

Against the backdrop of grey and brown, several bright spots dotted the landscape.

If you were a bird, wouldn’t you love spending the winter here?

Although the roses have turned to hips, the tips of the branches remain alive with budding color.

Apparently, the cold weather agrees with my viburnum.

My absolute favorite spring bloomer, Japanese Quince, has begun showing off bright flowers against it’s spiny, sculptural branches.

And next to it, the primrose Jasmine is bursting into blooms and buds as well.

The variegated ascot rainbow spurge has been transformed from the lime and yellow stripes it sported in summer to this rich, dark green and burgundy.

And the sight of yaupon holly berries brings the woods to life with their shiny fruit.

While I’m certainly eager for the budding days of spring, it brings me a sense that all is right with the world as I watch the garden unfold across the seasons, as it is surely meant to do.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:38:54-05:00January 17th, 2015|berries, bird house, Blog, japanese quince, Sharing Nature's Garden, spurge, viburnum, winter, winter 2014, winter color, yaupon holly|0 Comments

Mellow and not so mellow yellow in my garden….

If you asked me about my favorite colors in the garden, I’d say: purple, lavender, blue, orange, yellow…and trail off about then. I posted this a few months ago and forgot about it — here are the names of all the yellow fellows in my garden:

Thryallis
Lantana Horrida
Lantana New Gold
Zexmenia
Lantana confetti
Cuban buttercup
Candlestick tree
Jerusalem sage
St. John’s wort
Bright edge yucca
Santolina
Daffodils
Calylophus
Damianita
Esperanza
Lemon Mallow
Iris
Hymenoxis
Gopher plant

I wouldn’t even put yellow in my top 3. And yet, as I look around my garden, it’s yellow that I see everywhere. It’s a major element in many of my beds, but it’s gotten there without serious thought to including it.

Let’s face it, there are many plants with yellow blooms that love our hot sun and dry days. So it’s always easy to find something yellow to add to a vignette.

And as I count the yellow bloomers in my landscape, I smile. Yellow makes me happy. That must be why I am surrounded by it. Subliminal intention.

As I was writing this post, I began typing the plant names, and then thought – why now make a contest out of it? Let’s see how many of these perky plants you can ID! I’ll edit the post when the guessing is done and post all the names.

Ready, set, go!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:38:54-05:00October 27th, 2014|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Hill country garden charm in the heart of San Antonio…

The last stop on our visit to San Antonio gardens was another xeric garden, filled with drought-tolerant plants, both soft and sculptural. You can come along on the first two gardens of tour with me to see Melody’s and Heather’s gardens here.

Then we toured the garden of Shirley, who blogs at Rock, Oak, Deer. I ‘d seen Shirley’s garden through her camera lens many times, yet when we arrived, I was surprised to find that she wasn’t gardening in the country, but in a suburban neighborhood. Her style and plant choices created an oasis that made the rest of the world seem far away.

Well-placed plants serve to let the grasses and yuccas and perennials all shine.

Shirley uses repetition in her garden to create a dramatic effect.

Definition draws the eye through the space.

In the back yard, the focus is on perennials and grasses. Her rustic shed with its cedar posts and porch make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The arbor on the right is the entry for a deer-proof fence, protecting delicate plants and vegetables from the curious and hungry deer.

Leading to the shed, this circle garden is filled to the brim with flowing perennials and grasses.

Her unique rock garden design is home to a lovely collection of yuccas, cacti and agaves.

Rustic art and pots are scattered about to add interest throughout the garden.

The river rock path guides you around the plant-filled stock tank and circle garden to the shed.

Garden art on a rustic table is tucked away in the shade.

Whimsical elements make true garden art from a simple grapevine.

A collection of sweet somethings brighten up the front of the shed.

Because deer are frequent guests to the back yard, extra protection for new or special plants is a must. This rough cedar fence fits right into the landscape.

Up on the the large, shady deck, succulent planters adorn the windowsills.

All around the deck, pots and paraphernalia bring color to the shady spots.

Even the outdoor fireplace boasts a collection of perky little pots.

Since we’ve toured Austin gardens often with Shirley, it was a special treat to wander through her garden with her. The entire garden was intentional and peaceful. She’s clearly mastered the art of gardening with the rocks, oaks and deer that she writes about. Special thanks to Shirley and her husband for hosting us in your garden.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:04-06:00October 26th, 2014|Agave, arbor, barrel cactus, Blog, cacti, deer, garden art, garden decor, grasses, paths, pots, Sharing Nature's Garden, succulents, xeric, yucca|0 Comments

Another beautiful San Antonio garden to share…

The second stop on our recent visit to San Antonio was Heather’s garden from Xeric style. Her style is certainly xeric, yet with many soft grasses, draping perennials and ground cover, it has a delicate feel. You can see my post about the first garden here.

Purple fountain grass frames a collection of other grasses and yuccas.

The sun was blazing hot that day, so taking photos was a real challenge. These yuccas were enveloped in a blanket of pretty purple trailing lantana, but it’s hard to see that here.

In this his view of the front of the house you can see that her landscape is well matched to her contemporary style house.

The pots scattered around were also full of drought tolerant native and adapted plants like this cactus, grass and silver ponyfoot.

Another special touch greets visitors at the front door. The sleek orange planter echoes the color of the front door.

This beautiful grass and its inflorescence shine against a backdrop of cacti paddles.

Retro/modern chairs next to the orange door and planted on the front porch complete the look as you enter the house.

Another beautiful agave, a grey weberi, I think, softened by a fuchsia salvia. Two plants that can really handle the heat.

In the shade of the back yard, we were treated to a show by her chickens, who were intrigued by the visitors to the garden.

Also nestled under the tree – a wonderful hammock for lazing about and pondering garden projects.

I was taken with this bed that included drought tolerant plants like the bulbine, with a lovely cairn painstakingly placed in the middle.

lov

Don’t forget the whimsy. This bright seating area was decorated with several plants in unique pots — plastic tub trugs!

I always celebrate Dia de los Muertos since I worked once a week for a year in my company’s Mexico city office. I learned to understand and came to love this unique celebration of the lives of lost loved ones. Needless to say, these beautiful ceramic plates caught my eye.

And yet another special touch — cacti planted in a pipe suspended on the fence.

Okay, so you’ve seen these in gardens, right? These are made from bamboo given to Heather by her neighbor and she spray painted them orange, her theme color. How clever. Now if only I knew someone with extra bamboo!

I was taken with this simple, elegant pot in front of the garage. I don’t know which I liked more — the beautiful pot or the cascading firecracker fern.

And here’s our friend, Lori, of Gardener of Good and Evil, who has found the perfect spot from which to survey the garden.

Heather professes that she’s stingy with water and is always on the lookout for plants and methods that conserve our precious water. Her garden was the perfect example of the beauty of a truly xeric garden.

Thanks, Heather, for sharing your beautiful garden with us!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:04-06:00October 24th, 2014|Agave, Blog, cairn, garden art, garden tour, garden tour 2014, grasses, pots, San Antonio, Sharing Nature's Garden, sun, xeric, yucca|0 Comments

A little garden trip down the road…

Last week I went on a jaunt to visit some of our blogging friends in San Antonio. They’ve come to Austin periodically, so it was time to venture south to see them. Our first stop was Melody’s beautiful and spacious garden. After a treat of delicious mini muffins and ginger cookies baked by her lovely daughter, we stepped into her sanctuary. The first view is a wonderful pool, surrounded by pots and plants that gave it a rustic, more natural look.

To deal with foraging deer, this fence guards Melody’s vegetables, herbs and some perennial favorites.

Garden art like this gazing ball catches your eye as you meander through the perennial garden.

Depending on which way you walk, this beautiful arbor marks the beginning or the end of a delightful path.

A shroud of vibrant green vines clothe the wooden structure.

This long view emphasizes the beautiful, though tough-to-photograph day with its bright light and deep shadows.

And then there were the gorgeous plants, like this salvia madrensis, one of my faves.

And then there were the gorgeous plants, like this salvia madrensis, one of my faves. Clever uses of ordinary things added such a nice touch, like this cracked cement birdbath repurposed as a planter with a small figurine in the center.

Carrying on with the wooden theme, this vignette beckons deep in the path and offers a place to sit and ponder the garden.

Pots like this one, overflowing with bougainvillea, are scattered throughout the garden landscape.

Another striking salvia, Wendy’s wish stands out among lower layers of perennials.

From the distance, the arbor is quaint, but standing underneath, it’s quite grand.

I almost passed this dragonfly by as he was well camouflaged by backdrop of the fence and the surrounding plants.

Another long view across the landscape.

Across the yard, this rustic trellis serves as a home to a vine and a birdhouse.

Coral vine adorns this rustic limestone wall to the tool shed…though it’s really more like a tool house.

Inside the safety of the high fence, a collection of tasty hibiscus grow with impunity.

Sunlight streams in to light up this seating area.

More friendly and welcoming plants in the garden.

My tools don’t look like this!

While not a blogger, we tried to convince Melody to blog so we can keep up with her garden, but we didn’t succeed – yet! Pam Pennick, of Digging, and our hostess, Melody, as we’re saying our goodbyes.

Thanks to Melody for graciously opening her home and garden to us for a wonderful morning.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:04-06:00October 23rd, 2014|arbor, Blog, bougainvillea, garden art, garden decor, garden seat, garden tour, garden tour 2014, hibiscus, pool, salvia, salvia madrensis, San Antonio, seating, Sharing Nature's Garden, Wendy's wish salvia|2 Comments

Blog

The New Southern Living Garden Book is a great resource that entices readers with beauty and information…

Some color in the winter garden…

Mellow and not so mellow yellow in my garden….

Hill country garden charm in the heart of San Antonio…

Another beautiful San Antonio garden to share…

A little garden trip down the road…

Escape in the garden