The awesome crowd at my talk last Saturday

My 7th blogiversary came and went on Valentine’s Day, and I forgot all about it until last night. Seriously, it’s a wonder I remember my own name after the whirlwind ride of last week. My book, Lawn Gone!, debuted on Tuesday, and I’ve been focused on publicity for it, plus working the busy spring season for my design clients, and then on Saturday I gave my first public talk and book-signing at The Natural Gardener. What a ride!

When I showed up at the nursery, it was about 45 degrees F, which is pretty chilly for us Texans. But the day was sunny, and the nursery was humming with early shoppers. My fears that no one would come because of the cold—the garden talks are held outdoors under a tent—were soon laid to rest. And when I stepped inside the gift shop for a moment, I had the thrill of seeing my book prominently displayed. Woot!

My friend Shirley Fox, of the terrific San Antonio blog Rock-Oak-Deer, kindly shared her photos of the event with me. This is me speaking. I’m happy I don’t look like a total dork (I’m sure she edited those out), and I’m even more happy and grateful for the crowd of eager, inquisitive, enthusiastic gardeners who showed up on that cold morning to hear my talk. If any of you are reading this, THANK YOU so much for making my debut speaking experience so fun. A special shout-out to those who drove in from out of town: Shirley, John, Caleb and mom, plus a few others whose names I didn’t get—you guys rock!

I also had a support crew of blogger friends and other dear friends whose smiling faces in the audience made me feel comfortable and who took photos for me, brought me water, got my posters back to the car, and helped me not forget to attach my head to my shoulders in all the excitement. Thank you so much!

The talk was fun, the audience asked some great questions, and if anyone fell asleep I didn’t notice. And then things became kind of surreal, as I walked over to the deck to sign books. Look at the line! People were standing in line, looking through my book, and waiting for me to sign it.

I was so surprised, delighted, and honored. The Natural Gardener sold out of their stock of Lawn Gone!, and I met all kinds of friendly, interesting people as I signed. Big, BIG thanks to the great folks at The Natural Gardener, Rosina and John especially, for inviting me to speak, publicizing it so well, and making the experience so enjoyable.

What a lovely way to wrap up my blogiversary and debut-author week. I’m so glad to be a part of such an enthusiastic, passionate, and supportive gardening community, here in Austin and here online as well!

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Hey, Austin friends! I hope you’ll come on out to The Natural Gardener nursery tomorrow, Saturday the 16th at 10 am, to hear me talk about lawn alternatives for central Texas. I’ll be signing copies of my brand-new book, Lawn Gone!, afterward. Meet me in the big, white tent at 10 am, and dress for the weather. We’ll stay warm with our enthusiasm for going lawn-free!

Location:
8648 Old Bee Caves Road
Austin, Texas 78735
Phone: 512.288.6113

Note: This venue requires that books for signing must be purchased from The Natural Gardener.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Does the ubiquitous, blonde-maned Mexican feathergrass have a worthy rival at last? I’m beginning to think so. ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’), a statuesque cultivar of our native blue grama, is a bunching, blue-green grass that grows to about 12 inches tall and wide. In late summer it blooms on 18-to-24-inch stems—a fireworks-like explosion of pale, comb-shaped flowers with a bent appearance, held as they are on one side of the bloom stem, like flirtatiously winking eyelashes.

Tolerant of hot, dry sites and also cold winters, ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama is adaptable across a wide range of the country. Here in Austin it’ll accept full sun or partial shade, but more sun leads to a fuller shape and better bloom. Planted en masse, it makes a shaggy carpet that can take the place of lawn grass, with a lot less water and no mowing required. One cut-back in late winter is all it requires.

Cosmo wants to know why we aren’t growing more ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama. Well, maybe because it hasn’t been as easy to find in nurseries as Mexican feathergrass. But that’s changing. I found my three plants at The Great Outdoors a year ago.

I’m sure other nurseries are carrying it now too, especially since it’s getting star treatment by designers like Mark Word, who planted a long line of ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama along a wall at El Monumento.

Farewell to High Country Gardens
Plantsman David Salman of mail-order nursery High Country Gardens in Santa Fe, New Mexico, discovered and introduced ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama to the nursery trade. David is a great guy who’s been generous to me over the years with plants to trial (agastaches in particular) and with photos of xeric groundcovers when I needed images for my upcoming book. High Country has for 19 years been an important resource for gardeners of xeric (dry-loving) plants, and so I was saddened to learn last week that High Country has closed. The plant catalog and greenhouses are no longer in operation. David announced on his website that he closed because sales were down for four years due to the bad economy, ongoing drought, and wildfires in New Mexico.

Gardeners in central Texas understand the pain of extreme drought and wildfires, and how these twin natural disasters impact regional gardening habits—or even the desire to garden. More than ever we need plants of the sort that High Country promoted. Its closure is a real loss.

Note: My Plant This posts are written primarily for gardeners in central Texas. The plants I recommend are ones I’ve grown myself and have direct experience with. I wish I could provide more information about how these plants might perform in other parts of the country, but gardening knowledge is local. Consider checking your local online gardening forums to see if a particular plant might work in your region.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.