Plant This: 'Purple Pillar' Rose of Sharon

Plant This: ‘Purple Pillar’ Rose of Sharon

August 05, 2019 Do you ever come home with a plant you don’t know what to do with and just stick it in the most neglected, out-of-the-way place, dust off your hands, and say, “Well, little plant, good luck”? I know you do. All gardeners do this. That’s what I ...
Spring is abloom in shades of pink and turquoise

Spring is abloom in shades of pink and turquoise

May 01, 2019 I haven’t done a photo tour of my own garden in a while, so let’s go, starting with a new planting of Gulf Coast penstemon (Penstemon tenuis) and winecup (Callirhoe involucrata), both Texas natives. Along with an artichoke — I’ve always wanted to try one — they’re ...
Spring marvels and cleanup

Spring marvels and cleanup

April 17, 2019 April unfurls new marvels to appreciate each day, like the glaucous berries of ‘Marvel’ mahonia that appeared after its yellow flowers faded in late winter. I’ve been trialing ‘Marvel’ mahonia from Southern Living Plant Collection since fall 2017. A handsome evergreen, it’s thriving in a tall container ...
Abuzz over gopher plant, plus new plants!

Abuzz over gopher plant, plus new plants!

March 14, 2018 Honeybees are out in force, and gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) is one of their early spring favorites. I’m abuzz over gopher plant’s chartreuse bracts and yellow flowers too — so sunny on these early spring days. Lemon-lime rules out front right now, with ‘Color Guard’ yucca, gopher ...
Mowing the sedge, and other expressions of hope for spring

Mowing the sedge, and other expressions of hope for spring

January 30, 2018 Central Texas gardens got walloped by Old Man Winter this year, and a lot of plants that normally contribute to Austin’s evergreen palette — bamboo muhly, sago palm, flax lily, even ‘Alphonse Karr’ bamboo — are sporting sad shades of tan or brown. With a garden tour ...
Autumn stroll around my garden

Autumn stroll around my garden

October 27, 2017 Autumn is my favorite season in the garden, when the Death Star abates and cool breezes blow in from the north, pushing that Gulf Coast humidity back to Houston where it belongs. The sky goes china blue, fall perennials burst into bloom, and fall-blooming grasses incandesce in ...
Oxblood lilies popping up after Hurricane Harvey

Oxblood lilies popping up after Hurricane Harvey

August 30, 2017 Hurricane Harvey dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on my garden between last Friday and Sunday, and high winds littered the ground with leaves, twigs, and ball moss. A Texas mountain laurel fell over in the sodden soil, and we lost power for 6 hours. A weather ...
Potted patio where succulents rule

Potted patio where succulents rule

August 08, 2017 Shaded by a big live oak, our back patio stays relatively cool, even on hot days. That shade also makes it a good spot for a variety of potted plants, especially succulents that prefer bright shade in our blistering climate. Agave parryi var. truncata is one of ...
Summer-tough Foliage Follow-Up

Summer-tough Foliage Follow-Up

July 16, 2017 Summer is my most challenging season as a gardener. Yes, really — not winter. I don’t care at all for hot weather, so I retreat indoors and don’t venture outside much until that first hint of cooler air and lessening of the Death Star that typically occurs ...
Summer solstice evening

Summer solstice evening

June 21, 2017 A pink sunset through the trees drew me outside this evening, but then I got sidetracked by the garden, including this pretty combo of ‘Color Guard’ yucca, Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora), and ‘Vertigo’ pennisetum, which has been a successful trial plant from Proven Winners for me, returning ...
A little winter greenery, and trying to find a plant I love

A little winter greenery, and trying to find a plant I love

December 05, 2016 It’s been raining since last Friday, so I thought I’d share a few garden pics taken before the deluge. This is one of my favorite combos for winter and indeed all year long (clockwise from top): ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia, Everillo sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’), and ‘Sparkler’ sedge ...
Mellow fall garden for November Foliage Follow-Up

Mellow fall garden for November Foliage Follow-Up

November 16, 2016 Today is Foliage Follow-Up, a day to celebrate great foliage after the flower celebration of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Let’s take a spin around the back garden for my foliage faves this month, starting with the stock-tank pond garden. No flowers here since the water lilies slowed ...
Catch me on CTG, at Wildflower Center book-signing & more!

Catch me on CTG, at Wildflower Center book-signing & more!

October 13, 2016 It’s back-to-the-garden time in Texas, and it’s also garden-talk season! I’m making a few appearances around Texas this fall (see below), and you can also catch me this weekend on Austin’s own Central Texas Gardener TV show. Last fall, right before my garden was on tour, CTG ...
Catch me on CTG, at Wildflower Center book-signing & more!

Catch me on CTG, at Wildflower Center book-signing & more!

October 13, 2016 It’s back-to-the-garden time in Texas, and it’s also garden-talk season! I’m making a few appearances around Texas this fall (see below), and you can also catch me this weekend on Austin’s own Central Texas Gardener TV show. Last fall, right before my garden was on tour, CTG ...
Grasses and deer-smashes for December Foliage Follow-Up

Grasses and deer-smashes for December Foliage Follow-Up

December 16, 2015 A hard freeze has not yet walloped my garden, but even if it had I’d still be able to enjoy the plants I’m showing today for Foliage Follow-Up. Take pearl millet, aka ‘Vertigo’ grass (Pennisetum purpureum ‘Vertigo’), for example. This was the most-asked-about plant on my garden ...
The garden knows summer is slipping away

The garden knows summer is slipping away

August 20, 2015 As yet another long, hot Austin summer drags on, with no real relief expected until early October, I start combing the garden for signs of a change in season. Late yesterday afternoon I found quite a few — hallelujah! The dangling seedheads of inland sea oats (Chasmanthium ...
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