April 24, 2024
I’ve been running around visiting gardens in Austin and beyond this spring, but every day I stop and breathe deep in my own garden, taking in the green freshness of the season. The Circle Garden view from the deck makes me particularly happy right now. Its graphic design shows up well from above. Six ‘Winter Gem’ boxwoods (survivors, somehow, of last year’s ice storm) bop around the sunburst stone path. A froth of woolly stemodia is submerging the stock-tank planter in the center, creating the effect of a silvery green mound. A trio of ‘Color Guard’ yuccas add their own spiky circles in the foreground.
In the tank, a variegated whale’s tongue agave is slowly filling out, paired with small native wildflowers like four-nerve daisy and Texas bluebonnet. A tentacle-like bottle tree adds height and a sculptural element.
Along the coyote fence (shaggy cedar poles wired to a chain-link fence), ‘Peggy Martin’ roses have been putting on a romantic show for weeks. Yucca rostratas make bobblehead companions.
Purple coneflower adds more pink along the path.
Delicately twining up a cattle-panel trellis to the deck, ‘Etoile Violette’ clematis displays starry, grape flowers.
I love when they reach the deck to greet me.
Hello again!
‘Bright Edge’ yucca has sent up a tower of creamy, bell-shaped flowers, tall enough in the raised bed to enjoy at eye level.
Good from all angles
Blazing red flowers have turned leggy peanut cactus into a stop-and-stare attraction.
Shazam!
The potting bench, tidied up after the early spring rush of repotting, is showing some red too: a soap aloe in flower and a late flush from ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine. Keep it coming, spring garden. I’m enjoying all you have to give.
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Digging Deeper
May 4: Explore “brilliant backyards, perfect pools and pergolas, and outdoor rooms and gardens” on the ATX Outdoor Living Tour on 5/4, 10 am to 3 pm. Landscape architects, designers, and builders will be on hand to answer questions. Tickets are $33.85 for adults, $17.85 for kids age 10-17.
May 11: Tour four Austin gardens on 5/11, from 9 am to 3 pm, on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour. Each garden “is created and cared for by a Travis County Master Gardener and demonstrates realistic gardening practices that inform and inspire.” Tickets are $20 in advance, available through May 5, or $25 on the day of the tour. Children 12 and under get free admission.
May 11: Save the date for Austin Home’s Great Outdoors Tour on 5/11.
May 18: Pop up to Dallas for the 2024 DCMGA Garden Tour on 5/18 from 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets are $18 if purchased online prior to 6 pm on 5/17, or $22 after 6 pm on 5/17 or at the event. For a sneak peek, click here.
June 1-2: Take a self-guided, 2-day tour of ponds and gardens in and around Austin on the annual Austin Pond and Garden Tour, held 6/1 and 6/2, 9 am to 5 pm. Tickets are $20 to $25.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!
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