garden tour 2014

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.

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!

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.

Beautiful Westwind Farms vista — the backdrop of a colorful prairie-style garden…

The scent emerging from rows and rows of lavender and other wildflowers wafted around us as we descended down a hillside path into the Westwind Farm Studio.

Incorporating a stunning vista, beautiful meadows, sculptures and a refreshing pool, this Garden, nestled in the hills outside of Portland, provided a refreshing stop during the Garden Bloggers Fling tour.

 The view beyond the majestic pines war beautiful.

 Rows and rows of lavender and other wildflowers marked our walk to the house and garden.

 The meadow frames this picture-perfect view.

 Swaths of flowers greet you as you enter the garden.

 Crocosmia were blooming in almost every garden that we toured in Portland.

 And we wouldn’t want to forget the day lilies,

 or the monarda.

 A little toe dip felt very refreshing on this warm day.

 This sculpture was fascinating — and perfectly paired with these blooms.

 On the hillside behind the pool more flowers weave a blanket of color.

All the garden bloggers were taken with the sculpture, including Ally of Garden Ally, one of the members of our Texas contingent.

 Pick your view from this side of the sculptural window.  This one…

 or this one…

The grasses and the seed heads and blooms billow with the hillside breezes.

 The view was as invigorating as the cool pool waters.

 Even the pool house bathroom came with an artistic touch.

 Great views of the gardens and the vista, both outside and in.

 The amazing backdrop goes on and on.

Nestled in a lovely hillside, this garden offered us a unique side of the Portland area.  It inspired and delighted us all. 

Chinese garden is an oasis in the heart of downtown Portland

The second stop on the Portland Garden Bloggers Fling was the city’s Chinese garden, located right in the heart of the downtown bustle of Portland.  It encompasses an entire city block.  Entering the garden, you leave behind the bus fumes, honking horns and scads of people click clacking their heels on the way to work.

 Waiting for the doors to open.

 I’m not sure if this statue was greeting us or trying to keep us away!

 Intricate stone work greeted us as we walked into the garden.

It takes your breath away.  This pearl nestled among skyscrapers provides a welcome respite from city life.The view across the lake makes you feel like you’ve become a time traveler to a faraway land.

 I love the lines and the curves of all the pagodas.

 I can only imagine how long it took carvers to create some of these intricate pieces.

 Beautiful details adorn even the windows.

The point of this pagoda roof looks almost menacing as it peeks out from the trees.

Garden bloggers fan out to check out all the sights.

The sounds from this waterfall add to the spiritual sense in this garden.

 Inspirational writings adorn the rocks along side the waterfall.  I wish I knew their meaning.

The entire garden surrounded this lake.  The blooming water lilies made me think of Monet’s garden and paintings.

A tea room on the grounds offered a resting place from some bloggers. But with the growing warmth and humidity of the day, I passed on the hot tea.

 This clever pepper-shaped window offered a glimpse into the neighboring courtyard.

 The courtyard is framed here by a life-sized circle.

 Our visit to this garden was a beautiful and peaceful start to our day.

And a peek into the distance revealed the glint of the city lurking with its modern skyscrapers as we left the garden.

Beautiful Austin gardens on Wildflower Center tour inspire with details and structure…

One of my annual Mother’s Day treats — the day before Mother’s Day — is to spend the day on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s annual garden tour with my garden blogging friends. 

This year’s tour included exceptional gardens that were previously featured during past tours.  Since I had previously seen three of the gardens,  it was a great opportunity to see how they had evolved over time. 

Our first stop was an early invite to catch the morning sun in Tait Moring’s garden before the crowds arrived.  Situated on a hilltop with an amazing canyon view, this garden is always a treat to visit.  It includes classic elements and eclectic focal points — finely-honed view corridors and magnificent vistas.  Several water features and a range of plants from xeric to native to tropical fill garden rooms with unique appeal.

This beautiful iron gate – which matches several others around the property, is the gateway to the beautiful view.

Strategically placed pottery and other objects serve as focal points around the garden.

Pots decorate patios, too.

I remembered the wonderful sculptural pruning of this pittosporum and after several more years of growth – it was even more beautiful than before.

 More simple, understated pots with lush plants made a perfect match with the clean lines of the house.

Along the side of the house, these dramatic pots planted with yellow hesperaloe grab your attention.

In another vignette – this hardscaping elevates these pots with oversized agaves, both in height and in interest.

This ornate gate mirrors the other iron work on the property.

This wall was created with stones from Moring’s childhood rock collection and other memorabilia and art.

Pieces of glass are interspersed with the rocks in the wall, and a trio of pots adds more color to the display.

 We couldn’t decide if this carving was Aztec or Southeast Asian in origin — but it was very cool.

 And a field of native plants and wildflowers cascades down the hill.

 Wonder what my tour mates are laughing about?  I know!

 This fence was definitely not meant to keep these beautiful blooms on one side of the fence or the other. 

Pops of spring color.

I’m not sure this guy paid for a tour ticket!

This hammock, hidden down in the woods, called to my blogging buddy.

 Intricate raised stone beds in the potager were filled with vegetables and flowers.

 Artichokes on tour.

A small pocket of sun in a secret sitting area in the woods illuminates a blooming cactus.

After a long trek down the hillside and through the woods (no river), we found a beautiful Texas madrone tree.  The Texas madrone is known for is its distinctive exfoliating bark. When the older layers come off, the new bark is smooth and can be white – like this one – or orange or even red. The madrone needs a xeric climate and very good drainage.

Another addition since our last visit – a beautifuldark-bottomed swimming pool.  Subtle and simple, it fades into the backdrop of the garden.

A collection of tropical plants lines the stone wall and wood fence that serve as the backdrop for the pool.

This made me feel like I was in the Yucatan!

A delightful and fascinating garden, I left feeling peaceful and inspired.

Austin Garden Tour on Saturday May 3 will delight and inspire

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!

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