At a New Year’s Day get-together at a neighbor’s house, talk turned to the creatures that share our suburban northwest Austin neighborhood: deer, armadillos, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, and alligator lizards, which someone said they never see anymore. “They’re still here,” I protested, to dubious looks. “I see them basking on the deck sometimes, and they live in the trees.” I’d taken a picture of one, I remembered, just before the holidays.

Well, you native Texans reading this no doubt realize that I’d confused two distinct types of lizards, the alligator lizard (Gerrhonotus infernalis) and the smaller Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus), pictured here. Now that I’ve done a little research, I know the difference, though if you’d asked me before, I’d have said the Texas spiny lizard looks a little gatorish.

More often, however, the arboreal Texas spiny lizard is mistaken for the ground-dwelling Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), commonly known as the horny toad. The horny toad is iconic in Texas and is, in fact, the state reptile. (Does every state have a state reptile? I have no idea.) Once common throughout Texas, the horny toad is now rare in the eastern and central parts of the state and is listed as threatened elsewhere because of habitat loss, the illegal pet trade, pesticide use, and the spread of nonnative fire ants.

The Texas spiny lizard suffers none of these problems, living as it does in the trees and perhaps being a little less distinctive and “collectible.” It grows to 8 to 11 inches long and dines on beetles and other insects. Males have blue markings along each side of the belly. Compared to the approachable, smooth-skinned, green anole, which is commonly found in Austin gardens, the Texas spiny lizard looks fierce, spiny, and, well, coldly reptilian. It’s a total chicken, however, fleeing at human approach into the trees.

I spotted the Texas spiny lizard pictured above on a live oak in the front garden and was struck anew by how well its coloring matches the tree trunk. This one froze as I neared, then skittered around the other side of the trunk. I managed one quick photo before it disappeared into the canopy. I may not see them often, but I like knowing they’re up there, eating bugs and sunning themselves under the Death Star.

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

I’m continuing my sneak preview of the upcoming Inside Austin Gardens Tour, hosted by the Travis County Master Gardeners. In my last post I showed you Donnis Doyle’s colorful, whimsical garden. This garden belongs to her next-door neighbors, Ann and Robin Matthews, and they’ve been friends and neighbors for nearly 40 years. The Matthews got started on their garden first, and then Donnis followed suit, and the two gardens riff on each other nicely.

The Matthews’ front-yard garden is lawn free, with decomposed-granite paths winding through curved beds filled with native and largely xeric plants. They favor electric blue accents, like this painted table-and-chair set, positioned behind a screen of plants for privacy while still allowing them to enjoy their front garden and say hi to the neighbors. A swath of Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) blankets the foreground, and you know this attracts swarms of butterflies on warm days.

Sotol (Dasylirion texana) and red-flowering lantana are tough, drought-tolerant survivors—and beautiful too.

The Matthews incorporate a lot of rock into their garden, but it’s not a boring sea of just one kind. They use decomposed granite for paths, light gravel for accent areas, and river rock for decorative touches, like this spiral.

They humorously embrace flaws, like this long crack in their concrete driveway, and turn them into fun features. They filled the crack with a river of blue glass beads, and a nearby sign advises, “When life gives you cracks, make rivers!”

Another look at the front patio. You can see neighbor Donnis’s blue-bottle-and-coffee-mug arch in the background. A friendly path connects the two gardens.

Robin and Ann are serious about collecting rainwater from their roof. When they installed a large cistern directly in front of the house, Robin built this screen of wooden posts and metal pipes to support a star jasmine vine. It screens the cistern so well I didn’t notice it until Robin pointed it out.

Sotol and esperanza (Tecoma stans), with another glimpse of Donnis’s house behind. Notice that she has a screen along the front of her house that echoes the screen Robin made to hide his cistern.

From the corner of the house, looking across the front garden. Isn’t this a nicer view to walk out to than a flat, boring lawn?

Jewels of Opar (Talinum paniculatum) in front of Gregg’s mistflower

More water-collection tanks, which the Matthews have decoratively painted. This will be the garden to see if you want info on harvesting rainwater.

The back garden opens spaciously, with a gravel patio extension providing spillover room for entertaining and eliminating the mowing and watering needs of a lawn.

The back of the property is more wooded, and a colorful bench and lattice arbor provide a sheltered spot to enjoy the view. A curtained faux window made with a mirror brightens up the shady space and creates the illusion of more garden behind.

I love this blue arbor looking onto a circular herb garden anchored in the center with an exuberant blue bottle tree festooned with party lights.

What a cool focal point this must be at night.

Colorful garden decor

Raised beds for vegetables along the back fence

Another view of the herb garden and blue arbor, looking back toward the house

Where the Matthews needed privacy along one side of their yard, they built a faux-stone pictograph wall that represents actual Native American pictographs, which these former schoolteachers have an interest in.

Other Southwestern accents include this metal lizard and cactus-and-succulent planting dish…

…as well as this clever homemade spiral made from metal tubing.

I like that the Matthews made a photo display of the evolution of their garden, which is easier to view on a tour than a photo album. Plus it shows that a garden doesn’t just happen overnight. When they were younger and busier with work, they didn’t have much time for gardening, but as their kids grew up they started making gardens, and in retirement they found time to really transform their yard into a personal retreat.

Tour Info
Date: October 20
Time: 9 am to 4 pm
Tickets for the tour (all of the gardens) are $15 in advance, or $20 on the day of the tour ($5 for individual gardens).

Gardening Demonstrations/Education Sessions at the Matthews Garden (same as for the Doyle garden since they are next door to each other)
9:30 am – A Fest for Wildlife with Valerie Bugh
10:15 am – Austin Grows! with Jake Stewart
11:30 am – Unconventional Landscape Snacks – Collecting and Cooking Insects with Wizzie Brown
1:30 pm – Planning an Edible Landscape with Sheryl Williams
All Day – The Wall Trip DVD by Ann and Robin Matthews

For a look back at my post about the colorful Doyle Garden, click here. Tomorrow join me for a tour of the herb-a-licious Studebaker Garden.

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

When I started blogging in February 2006, I had no idea I’d still be so passionate about it 6 years, or even a couple of years, later. But blogging has introduced me to so many friends (online and offline), helped me build my garden design business, spurred the establishment of the annual Garden Bloggers Fling (hosted this year in Asheville, North Carolina), and even helped me land a book deal (see my Facebook page, Lawn Alternatives, for more info)!

Blogging can be whatever you want it to be: a personal record of your garden, a way to converse with other plant geeks, a vehicle to engage your customers, a place for you to rhapsodize about your favorite plants or dish the dirt on the gardening world. With the rise of Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest, I don’t know what the future holds for blogs. Will they one day seem outdated and struggle for readership like so many gardening magazines and newspaper columns? I sure hope not. There’s still nothing like a blog for sharing real-life information, inspiring photos, and the gardener’s hard-won wisdom and giddy delight, and the back-and-forth conversations that blogging allows through reader comments are still valuable.

So thank you, dear reader, for your continuing interest! And thanks to the many other garden bloggers and commenters for keeping the conversation going and continuing to inspire me!

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