Foliage with wow power at Allen Centennial Gardens

Foliage with wow power at Allen Centennial Gardens

September 16, 2010 During our visit to Madison, Wisconsin, last weekend, I noticed that big, bold tropical plants were used everywhere to great effect far from their natural climate. For this month’s Foliage Follow-Up, I’ll show you what caught my eye at Allen Centennial Gardens on the University of Wisconsin ...
Camera practice at the Wildflower Center

Camera practice at the Wildflower Center

September 07, 2010 Sea holly, or eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) I tried watching an instructional DVD about using my new camera on Sunday but fell asleep halfway through. When I awoke I decided a real-life test drive should be the first step, at least to try out the semi-automatic settings. So ...
Lovely Lancaster Ave gardens at Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

Lovely Lancaster Ave gardens at Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

July 19, 2010 Playful wall decor in a Lancaster Avenue garden Wrapping up my series about Garden Bloggers Buffa10, I’ve saved some of the best gardens for last, as did our hosts in arranging access to the remarkable Lancaster Avenue gardens for the final day of the event. We had ...
High tea in the garden of Mike and Kathy Shadrack: Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

High tea in the garden of Mike and Kathy Shadrack: Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

July 16, 2010 Two buses carrying the garden bloggers of Buffa10 jounced slowly down a long, skinny driveway in the woods near Hamburg, New York, to deliver us to the creekside glen that is Kathy and Mike Shadrack‘s garden. A former London bobby with a sly wit, Mike has authored ...
Japanese Garden in Buffalo's Delaware Park: Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

Japanese Garden in Buffalo’s Delaware Park: Buffalo Garden Bloggers Fling

July 14, 2010 One of the stops on Friday’s bus tour at Garden Bloggers Buffa10 was the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. Part of Buffalo’s historic Olmsted Parks System, the garden was constructed in 1974 by its Japanese sister city, Kanazawa, but as Buffalo fell on hard times the park ...
More magic at East Side Patch garden

More magic at East Side Patch garden

June 12, 2010 When the Germinatrix came to visit her Austin Twitter and blogging pals last Wednesday, we capped off a day of garden visits with a happy hour at the East Side Patch, Philip and Leah’s magical garden in east Austin, which, by the way, will be open to ...
Succulent extravaganza: More of Jeff Pavlat's garden

Succulent extravaganza: More of Jeff Pavlat's garden

June 11, 2010 While visiting Jeff Pavlat’s succulent and cactus garden on Wednesday, I couldn’t resist snapping a few more photos than I showed you yesterday on my post about The Germinatrix’s visit. Pictured above is his millstone fountain, given an Asian flavor with the addition of smooth, gray Mexican ...
Gardens on Tour 2010: Highway 45 South garden

Gardens on Tour 2010: Highway 45 South garden

May 12, 2010 The final garden I visited last Saturday on Gardens on Tour 2010 is a large rural property tucked at the end of a long, gravel drive off Highway 45 South, not too far from the Wildflower Center. Wildflower meadows surround the home and nearby guest house/retreat center ...
Gardens on Tour 2010: Forest Trail garden

Gardens on Tour 2010: Forest Trail garden

May 11, 2010 The next garden I visited on Saturday’s Gardens on Tour 2010 was the Forest Trail garden, located in Tarrytown, the same west Austin neighborhood as the Bridle Path garden. The most eye-catching—and nose-catching—scene in this garden was a stunning star jasmine vine, in full bloom, arching across ...
Gardens on Tour 2010: Bridle Path garden

Gardens on Tour 2010: Bridle Path garden

May 10, 2010 The Bridle Path garden in the Tarrytown neighborhood was my favorite on Gardens on Tour 2010 because it had the best of both worlds: a naturalistic garden for sun and shade in the front, with a charming council-ring style seating area tucked out of sight of the ...
Gardens on Tour 2010: Sinclair Avenue garden

Gardens on Tour 2010: Sinclair Avenue garden

May 09, 2010 On Saturday I did the Wildflower Center’s Gardens on Tour, visiting five private Austin gardens that “show the variety and versatility of wildflowers and native plants.” My first stop was the Sinclair Avenue garden in the north-central neighborhood of Rosedale. Two design firms put their stamp on ...
Sneak preview of Gardens on Tour 2010: Reynosa Drive garden

Sneak preview of Gardens on Tour 2010: Reynosa Drive garden

May 04, 2010 One of my favorite Austin garden tours occurs this Saturday, May 8: Gardens on Tour, produced by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I’m pleased to offer you a sneak preview of one of the gardens on the tour, the Reynosa Drive garden, which I’m particularly fond ...
Feeding the soul in Jenny's garden

Feeding the soul in Jenny’s garden

April 28, 2010 While my dad was in town last week, I invited us over to Jenny Stocker’s garden for a visit, knowing that it would be spectacular at this time of year. Jenny, who blogs at Rock Rose, kindly overlooked the pushiness of my request by not only welcoming ...
Feeding the soul in Jenny's garden

Feeding the soul in Jenny's garden

April 28, 2010 While my dad was in town last week, I invited us over to Jenny Stocker’s garden for a visit, knowing that it would be spectacular at this time of year. Jenny, who blogs at Rock Rose, kindly overlooked the pushiness of my request by not only welcoming ...
In the garden of good and evil, it's all good

In the garden of good and evil, it's all good

April 12, 2010 Anticipating the peak bloom of her roses, Lori of The Gardener of Good and Evil invited the Austin garden bloggers to a happy hour visit yesterday. Overcast, almost misty conditions enhanced the romance of her garden, which is billowy and pillowy with roses, flowering vines, and feathery ...
In the garden of good and evil, it's all good

In the garden of good and evil, it’s all good

April 12, 2010 Anticipating the peak bloom of her roses, Lori of The Gardener of Good and Evil invited the Austin garden bloggers to a happy hour visit yesterday. Overcast, almost misty conditions enhanced the romance of her garden, which is billowy and pillowy with roses, flowering vines, and feathery ...