cypress trees Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Puget Sound Gardeners Fling – People, Plants, and More

Last month 100 garden social media influencers met in Puget Sound WA to tour gardens, share meals, and make new friends. This was the 15th such annual gathering, called the Gardeners Fling. We meet in a different city each year (except for 2 Covid-fraught summers) and the host city gardeners plan a 4-5 day outstanding garden experience.

Our time in Puget Sound was magical. Each garden, private and public, wowed in so many different ways.

I’ll start my virtual tour with the garden of one of our hosts, Camille Paulsen, @tahomaflora .

She has crafted her space to frame and enhance the many gorgeous views of Mount Tahoma, also known as Mount Rainier. The mountain enjoys almost mystical status around Seattle and Tacoma. The days start with an assessment about the visibility of the mountain and end on the same note. How fortunate her family is to have this National Geographic-worthy sight from their deck, their paths, their hills, and so many other vantage points.

We were there on a clear day, and the mountain was glorious.

This little secret seating area on the edge of the hillside had a special view, too.

I can imagine sneaking away to to escape here.

Several paths wind through the property, all of them welcoming and interesting. And many of them with an eye to the view.

On the back deck, a bit of whimsy highlights the distance of treks to similar mountain hot spots.

The light was striking as it poured in between the leaves of a collection of Japanese maples and other wispy trees.

Camille’s artistic flair extends beyond the curating of plants to include an interesting assortment of art in the garden. Various carefully crafted vignettes were tucked throughout.

Sharing the adventure with so many long-time and new gardeners was as fun as discovering the garden itself.

So many unique details caught my eye.

Sweet spaces scattered everywhere.

The pool area was a lovely gathering spot filled with interesting pots and plants.

Tucked down the hill in the forest, koi languished in a beautiful pond, suprised by all their guests.

Enjoying some pats, Camille’s cat seemed unfazed by all the garden gawkers.

Thanks, Camille, for a great tour of your lovingly created garden.

Another post to come soon highlighting other beautiful sights from the 2024 Puget Sound Gardeners Fling.

By Diana C. Kirby|2024-08-18T09:27:49-05:00August 18th, 2024|2024 Garden Bloggers Fling, 2024 Gardeners Fling, 2024 Puget Sound Fling, Blog, bloggers, blogging, cedar tree, Crocosmia, cypress trees, decor, Fairy, ferns, Fling, focal point, foliage, Garden, garden bloggers, garden bloggers fling, garden decor, garden photography, garden statues, garden tour 2024, garden travel, garden visit, garden whimsy, hanging pots, Japanese garden, japanese maple, landscape design, leaves, Mount Ranier, Mount Tahoma, path, paths, pathway, patio, people, photography, plant, pond, pool, rock wall, Sharing Nature's Garden, statuary, statue, succulents, Tacoma, tour, travel, Uncategorized, water feature, water features|9 Comments

Tuscan transformation…

It’s really quite an honor when a former landscaping client calls us back to design again at a new home. Several clients have entrusted us with repeat projects, including our current installation.

Located on a large ranch in the Hill Country, this Tuscan farmhouse begged for a fresh landscape to match the grandeur of this beautiful home.

I was first struck by the way the existing split rail fence seemed to detract from the view of the home. The entrance to the front door came in from a tight, side angle, the existing path gray and worn limestone. As I walked the front of the property, inside and outside the fence, the existing beds appeared tiny and out of scale. I realized that the front of the home, with it’s fairytale front door, roofline and window detail was lost to visitors coming up the walk from the side so close to the house.

As I explored further back, two large oaks caught my eye and I envisioned a new entrance, winding through the oaks and arriving at the front door straight on, giving guests an opportunity to experience the stateliness of the home.

With the cornerstone of the design determined, the rest of the plan fell into place.

We moved the new fence back a full 40 feet from the house, tore up the existing path and front stoop and build a mortared Oklahoma flagstone path that meandered from the driveway to the entrance. New, deeper beds enveloped the front of the home on both sides, anchored by a series of ‘tiny tower’ cypress trees and traditional xeric, Mediterranean-style native and adapted plants.

You can see where the old stone path came out and the new, albeit muddy, flagstone path meandering through the trees.

Having redesigned a landscape with these clients before, I knew their taste well, so choosing plants they would love was easy. We did leave the existing mature Crape Myrtle in the new landscape. The beds include a mix of rich red Salvia Greggii and Texas Betonies along with Zexmenia, Jerusalem sage, dwarf Greek Myrtles, ‘sandankwa’ Viburnum, Foxtail ferns, Dianella, Catmint, ‘new gold’ and variegated gold Lantana, ‘soft caress’ Mahonia, yellow shrimp plant and an existing Sago palm. The blend of texture and form gives the design a lush feel with many traditional Texas plants.

The project is ongoing – we’ve moved onto the back of the property now, building stone beds around the pool and creating a rose garden. More photos to come as we progress, though it may take a while with rain forecast for the next 7 days.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:26:55-06:00May 30th, 2016|cypress trees, Dianella, flagstone, landscape design, landscape project, Mediterranean, path, Sharing Nature's Garden, stone work, Tuscan, xeric plants|0 Comments

Beautiful Green Barcelona

Barcelona is a bustling metropolis. Full of beautiful and historical landmarks and still a sleek, urban landscape with amazing food and wonderful people.

Churches and cathedrals that date back to 11oo, Roman ruins so intact that historians can identify rooms designed for cooking in large vats, dying clothes and bathing — all complete with water channels.

Gaudi’s multiple world-renown art and architecture, including La Sagrada Familia, which I will post about next.

Las Ramblas, the most famous street in Barcelona, is a tree lined paradise of fresh flowers, love birds for sale and the home to the Boqueria market that will make your head spin with fresh food and wine and cava and tastings that make you never want to leave.

The market was filled with fresh fruit of all kinds.

Seafood played a prominent role in the market.
Peppers and spices and garlic galore to season great Spanish food.

And, most importantly, the famed Serrano ham and other charcuterie. I could eat the Serrano ham every single meal, and we almost did! It’s at the top of the list of Tapas in every cafe (and there is one on every corner and 5 in between corner to corner on every block).
We ate dinner one night at a fabulous and trendy restaurant that was an anchor to another fresh market and I fell in love with this green wall. Because it was dark – dinner is LATE in Barcelona – and I didn’t want to disturb the folks sitting next to it – my camera was lacking. But each row features fresh herbs used in the restaurant.
Like Italy, cypress trees are everywhere in Spain.
As were these beautiful trees with vivid yellow blooms. I never did discover the name of the tree, but they were such a breath of fresh air in the heart of the city.

Many balconies also sported beautiful plants and planter boxes.
Cypress trees weren’t the only stars of the show — they had to compete with beautiful palms all over Barcelona. Its beaches bordered the beautiful Mediterranean. Cloudy and rainy weather couldn’t keep us from the beach though.

We did spend a few hours in the sand – button sweaters and all.

Our daughter was oblivious to the wind and cold as she went in up to her knees, searching for shells and rocks and building a sand castle.

And, the port was overflowing with beautiful sailboats, yachts and three cruise ships.

Las Ramblas – which seems to go on forever — is also a tree lined oasis.
More cypress…
Another unidentified and beautiful tree with exotic bark.

It was a fascinating, exciting and educational adventure. And boy, did we eat well and drink fabulous coffee. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Next, how Gaudi’s love of nature turns into art. A UNESCO World Heritage site, La Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia is the most phenomenal architecture I’ve ever seen throughout Europe, Greece, Turkey and the USA.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:23-06:00June 14th, 2011|Barcelona, Blog, cypress trees, La Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, palms, Sharing Nature's Garden, Spain|0 Comments

cypress trees

Puget Sound Gardeners Fling – People, Plants, and More

Tuscan transformation…

Beautiful Green Barcelona

Escape in the garden