statuary 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

Winter warm up — hot colors in the garden…

Even here in Central Texas, our winter’s freezing temps and cold, damp, grey skies are hanging on. I’m done with it. And I know my gardening friends to the north are exasperated by the volume of snow that continues to plague them.

At the Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland last spring, I was struck by the overwhelming use of color in the gardens there. Plants, pots, furniture, you name it, vivid colors perked up each and every garden. With a climate filled with its share of grey days, these pops of color their gardens not only brightened up the space, they brightened my mood.

As I’m sure they were consciously or subconsciously intended to do.

So for everyone who is exasperated by the lingering blanket of winter that covers our souls and our gardens this year, here are some of my favorite photos of tropical style gardens, plants and decor.

A little garden statuary can help to enhance your garden style.

Even if you’re in a drought, a pretty rain chain can make it seem like you might be having a late afternoon tropical shower.

With only a few exotic-looking plants and the right leaf shapes, textures or forms, you can create your own resort-like retreat in your back yard.

Hot, contrasting colors embody the tropical style.

Bananas, crotons and coleus are true tropical plants.

Even if your design doesn’t include many tropical plants, you can add some pops of color with garden art and decor.

While most coleus are shade plants, there are new sun-loving varieties that you can use in sunny spots.

Texture, second only to color, typifies traditional plants of the tropics. Big, bold foliage with exotic patterns and texture abound in this section of the world.

Elephant ears can set the mood in your island oasis.

Giant planters filled with eye-popping color can seem tropical, even if the plants in it aren’t.

Tropical style is all about big, bold design that packs a punch. Simply looking at these hot colors warms me up and gives me the itch to garden.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:38:53-05:00March 5th, 2015|banana tree, Blog, coleus, elephant ears, garden art, garden statues, ginger, rain chain, Sharing Nature's Garden, shell ginger, statuary, texture, tropical color, tropical style, tropicals|0 Comments

Austin Nurseries Giveaway: Emerald Garden Nursery & Water Garden

Isn’t this a beautiful fountain?

The birds love to perch on the pineapple and drink from the bubbling water.

I love to listen to the sound of moving water in the garden as I garden or just sit outside. (The gardening part is often, the sitting part, rare!)

This fountain is from the great folks at Emerald Garden.

They helped me find the right water feature for my landscape, they came out and set it up and got it all running and told me everything I needed to know.

They answered my questions about caring for it.

If you haven’t already left me a comment to enter the Austin Nurseries Giveaway for the Emerald Garden Gift certificate, read on down for your chance to win!

If you have entered, I just wanted to add this to my post and show off my fabulous fountain so you can see firsthand what great water features they have to offer.

As part of Support your Independent Garden Center month, several Austin bloggers are posting about local nurseries every Wednesday in October. Today, eight Austin bloggers are offering 8 exciting giveaways as part of this effort. Visit the blogs listed below to enter and win great prizes from participating nurseries. Visit all 8 to maximize your chances to win.

Leave a comment on my blog here today, and you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate from Emerald Garden Nursery & Water Garden.
Contest rules are listed at the end of this blog post.

As we ease into fall we want to give back to the wonderful local nurseries that have helped us enjoy our gardens over the years. We know nurseries have weathered tough times lately, with the downturn in the economy and the drought, so we’re encouraging other gardeners to support them with their gardening dollars.

Cooler night-time temperatures and warm (but not baking) soil mean it’s time to get back into the garden. It’s the perfect time to replace plants that didn’t make it through the summer, make some changes to a more drought-tolerant garden or plan a new garden project to get plants established over the winter.

One of my favorite Austin nurseries is Emerald Garden Nursery and Water Garden. Owned by Trey Wyatt and Luke Hogan and managed by Jeff Yarbrough, Emerald Garden is located at 5700 Highway 290 West, just before the “Y” in Oak Hill.

For many years, I have enjoyed their plants in my garden and one of their fountains in my back yard. The birds love the fresh bubbling water (when it’s not restricted) and the sound of water in the garden is so peaceful.

The demonstration water features are woven all through the nursery, designed to inspire creativity. Water lilies and a wide range of other water plants fill the ponds and fountains.

They also have an excellent supply of disappearing fountains in every style, shape and size.

Need help? These friendly staff members will be happy to befriend you and show you around.

Their extensive statuary collection covers every style imaginable, from Zen to formal to whimsical. If you’ve lost some plants during this drought, am interesting piece of garden art might be just the thing for that empty spot.

Sometimes I wonder if the decor is there to accent the plants or the plants are there to accent the decor.

Either way, Emerald Garden has what you’re looking for.

And if you don’t want to plant anything else in the ground right now, they have a broad selection of glazed and terra cotta pottery.

Healthy specimens of trees, shrubs, vines, agaves, cacti, succulents, perennials and annuals await you around every corner. No matter what’s on your list, you’re sure to find it at Emerald Garden. And you’ll enjoy a magical tour through their delightful nursery. You can learn more about Emerald Garden here.

Rules for entering prize contest:

1. You must leave a comment on this post to enter.

2. Each participating blog will hold its own random drawing, so leave a comment on each blog to enter all the giveaways.

3. Only one comment per person per giveaway.

4. Participating bloggers and their families are ineligible to win.

5. Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on 10/26.

6. Winners will be announced on each blog on 10/27.

7. Winners must go to the nursery with a photo ID and pick up their prize in person within two weeks of winning. Prizes will not be mailed.

Visit these blogs to learn about and enter the other giveaways at local Austin nurseries:

J Peterson Garden Design — $50 gift certificate from The Great Outdoors
Go Away, I’m Gardening — $100 gift certificate from Sunshine Landscape and Garden Center
Great Stems — $50 gift certificate from Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery
The Whimsical Gardener — $25 gift certificate from It’s About Thyme
Rock Rose — $50 gift certificate from Shoal Creek Nursery
Digging — $100 gift certificate & a Fall Power Package (valued at $50) from Barton Springs Nursery.
Growing Optimism — $25 gift certificate from the Natural Gardener.
Visit the other blogs for more chances to win and visit the nurseries for a great local gardening experience.

Leave your comment below for your chance to win the $50 gift certificate from Emerald Garden Nursery & Water Garden.

By Diana C. Kirby|2019-07-15T19:14:23-05:00October 15th, 2011|Blog, Emerald Garden, Emerald Garden Giveaway, fountain, giveaway, Sharing Nature's Garden, statuary, statue, Support your Independent Nursery Day|0 Comments

statuary

Puget Sound Gardeners Fling – People, Plants, and More

Winter warm up — hot colors in the garden…

Austin Nurseries Giveaway: Emerald Garden Nursery & Water Garden

Escape in the garden