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Stunning San Francisco Fling garden tour of my dream garden…

The San Francisco Garden Bloggers Fling was an amazing adventure into a myriad of unique and beautiful gardens and micro climates. I expected the weather in San Francisco to be cool and comfortable. Not so. As is often the case when I’ve traveled to the annual garden flings, they were having an uncharacteristic heat wave. (The Texas bloggers have a theory that we bring the beat with us – a tradition we’d love to put an end to!)

San Francisco was tolerable, though as we ventured further out from the city, it was hotter (103 one day walking through the gardens) and drier. Of course the beauty of the micro climates is that it enabled us to tour a wonderful variety of gardens, all within driving distance.

On the last day, we visited the Ann Nichols Garden in Oakland. This was my favorite garden by far, filled with mysterious paths, babbling water features, unique artwork and an intricate garden of tropical plants and desert plants mixed with traditional plants. (I have a soft spot for tropicals and I garden in the scorching heat of the southwest in Austin, Texas.)

As you arrive, the garden rises from the street in a succulent-lovers hillside of hot with the tropical colors of agaves, yuccas, phormium and cannas.

Everyone ooohed and ahhhhed over this intricate spiral agave. It can’t take our arid heat, so I won’t be searching for one to plant in my garden.

I finally tore myself away from the hillside to follow a delicate, almost-hidden path up to the house. Lined with papyrus, aloes, ground cover and cannas, it led me to my ultimate destination — a stunning brugmansia, its bell-shaped blooms dripping over the path to envelop garden visitors in an apricot canopy.

Winding on the other side of the house is another path, filled with ground cover, succulents and grasses, that leads you up into the back garden.

Along the property line is a fence/trellis/jungle creation that hosts bromeliads, tillandsias ferns and other exotic

But unlike so many side gardens that are just an avenue for reaching another area, this was a mystical garden of its own. Flanked by layers upon layers of plants, the steps lead through a series of unique, artistic ponds that are part of a larger waterway system and all connected.

The water runs through channels from the upper lever water feature down to the other ponds.

Here’s a garden blogger capturing a photo in the garden…you’ll laugh at this one. I was trying to remember who this was and I remember that I was wearing a peach blouse that day, wondering who else did. Then I realize this is a mirror that was hanging on the fence and that’s ME in the picture! Working on a creative photo shot, I captured myself and then promptly forgot about it. In any case, the mirror, tucked behind a treasure trove of plants, was a delightful find for garden visitors.

Next to the gate at the top of the stone steps, a tile mural covers the wall as a backdrop for the pond. Notice the cat in the mural – you’ll see him again in more art in the back garden.

Now onto the back garden. There are 3 levels in the back garden. Through the gate and continuing up the stairs, you pass another water feature as you’re drawn to another gate.

But wait, that’s a door, or is it. No, it’s a gate… It’s a door to a building, painted to look like the gate, with our friend the cat perched on top and his friend waiting for him at the bottom. So clever and entertaining. (And there’s another brugmansia to the left…sigh…)

And then it’s off to the right and up another set of steps, flanked by glorious loropetalums in pots, and up onto the small patch of lawn. In this lush setting, the grass itself is a focal point.

It was also a perfect gathering spot for the garden bloggers to share their thoughts on this amazing garden. Ann Nichols even invited a few of us inside the house to view the back garden from upstairs, which is the perch from which I shot this photo.

Then it’s up the stairs once more, through this Dr. Seuss-like allee of weeping sequoia, tied together and leading you on to the last gate of the garden, a replica of the first gate and the painted gate.

There are several delightful seating areas in the upper garden, which is filled with fragrant roses, succulents and phormium.

And the look back down the hill, framed by the sequoias, to the back of the house and our friends enjoying refreshments and good company.

The back of the house is flanked by a lower-level patio area, filled with pots of suculents and a rock lined retaining wall filled with hot colors and wonderful textures.

You can see why I fell in love with this garden. I’m sure I could have spent the entire day there and still not seen everything it has to offer,

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:13-06:00September 1st, 2013|2013 fling, 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling, Agave, Blog, bromeliad, brugmansia, garden art, gate, loropetalum, mirror, paths, pathway, phormium, San Francisco fling, Sharing Nature's Garden, succulents, tropicals, water feature|2 Comments

Early bloomers are putting on a show in the spring garden

Even though it’s only March, it’s already spring here in Central Texas.

After our exceptionally mild winter and welcome rains, the early bloomers are already hard at work in my garden.

In addition to the daffodils I included in my last post, many of the other perennials are already flowering.

This loropetalum is bursting with hot pink fringe-like blooms.

It’s the one I’ve pruned to become a small tree.

These pretty little blooms below called to me at the Natural Gardener last week.

And as soon as I started typing, the name flew out of my head! I’m sure you know just what they are – they aren’t mums, they might be gaillardia.

The wisteria is starting to bloom. Like last year, there is some growth on the back side of the fence, but there are plenty of buds for me to enjoy inside the fence.
I love looking at the Mexican plum tree buds against the pretty blue sky.
The stone wall makes a nice backdrop for the trailing lavender lantana behind the pool.
The hellebores would have preferred a colder winter, but some of them are giving me some blooms — this is ‘winter’s wren.’
The strawberries are blooming their ever-loving heads off! Soon we will be able to eat more than one ripe one at a time. I long for the day when we get a small bowl full.
My absolute favorite low-grower is ‘homestead’ verbena. That bright purple color is just stunning.
All of my blackfoot daisies are back again from last year. You just can’t beat these little guys for drought tolerance.
The alyssum is mounding up all over along the rock path already.

‘May night’ salvia can do great in the garden here, but my luck with them has been hit and miss. I love their low-growing form, but they are hard to get established.
Kallie’s window box is full of little pretties that I got last weekend at the Natural Gardener.
After some slacking last year, many of my irises are showing off for the first time. I don’t know the name of the purple or the white iris, though I believe the white one may be a pass along from Pam of Digging or Annie of The Transplantable Rose.

As always, Fletcher wanted to know what I was doing in the garden with that camera around my neck, so he had to come check out the salvia, too! I’m sure he thought there must be something edible in there!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:19-06:00March 4th, 2012|alyssum, blackfoot daisies, Blog, Fletcher, Hellebore, iris, irises, Lantana, loropetalum, May night salvia, Mexican Plum, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring, spring bloomers, strawberries, verbena, winter's wren hellebore, wisteria|0 Comments

Beautiful bursts for fall foliage follow-up…

Fall has arrived in Central Texas.

Thank Goodness!

We’ve been eagerly awaiting its arrival, having tired of endless summer.

But the days are in the 70s and the nights have even dipped down to 40 a time or two.

Our prodigious perennials have begun to wane, blooms fading, leaves yellowing and stalks turning spindly.

I love fall.

It’s a great time to grow fall vegetables. And I’m always amazed at the fall color.

We certainly don’t get the brilliant displays of color like gardeners in the north and east, but we do get some small bursts by certain trees and shrubs.

This small Crape Myrtle in my front bed has transformed itself with these beautiful hues of yellow and orange that almost make it look illuminated.

The big Burr Oak has some warm color, too, though it’s a little slower to change — perhaps this lumbering giant is slow to do many things. But it does drop the biggest leaves on the planet! (I might be exaggerating just a bit here.)
The Loropetalum love the chill – their deep plum-colored leaves provide a wonderful contrast in the garden.
My other Crape Myrtles – at least 15 feet tall – are reaching into the big blue sky with their fall colors and seed balls.
This Dwarf Pomegranate is still green as green can be, but the fruit is ready to ripen and bringing on its own fall color.
And one of my favorite color combinations – a coleus and a potato vine. Both seem unfazed by the cooler weather and I’m so glad.