Have we outlasted the heat-wave summer?

Have we outlasted the heat-wave summer?

August 31, 2022 What a summer this has been for Austin. Hot as Hades, rainless and parched for months and months. And then, finally, flooding rains in mid-August drenched parts of the city — I got 4.75 inches over a few days, although friends in South and West Austin got ...
Cornerstone Sonoma showcases conceptual gardens in scenic wine country

Cornerstone Sonoma showcases conceptual gardens in scenic wine country

August 20, 2017 It wasn’t easy, but I finally visited the gardens at Cornerstone Sonoma in Northern California, which have been on my bucket list for years. Due to my own poor planning, I first missed them after the San Francisco Garden Bloggers Fling, when I rented a car to ...
Festival of Flowers in San Antonio this Saturday: I'll be speaking!

Festival of Flowers in San Antonio this Saturday: I’ll be speaking!

May 23, 2016 Central and south Texas gardening friends, are you going to the Festival of Flowers in San Antonio this Saturday? I am! In fact, I’ll be giving a presentation at 10:30 am 10:45 am about how to make a garden that is both water thrifty and beautiful. With ...
Come to my water-saving talk Saturday morning

Come to my water-saving talk Saturday morning

February 26, 2016 It’s a beautiful day, and our gardens here in central Texas will be green, lush, and flowery again in a matter of weeks, if not days. Now’s a great time to plan for the hot, dry summer! Join me this Saturday morning, February 27, at 10 am ...
Water lily collection is hidden gem in West Texas town of San Angelo

Water lily collection is hidden gem in West Texas town of San Angelo

September 15, 2014 Perched on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, about 200 miles northwest of Austin, the small city of San Angelo is, surprisingly, home to a locally treasured and internationally known water lily garden, the International Waterlily Collection. Then again, maybe it’s not all that surprising, given ...
Water as a "sacred element" in southwestern gardens

Water as a "sacred element" in southwestern gardens

August 27, 2009 Softleaf yucca (Y. recurvifolia) I nearly always read the last page of a magazine first. So when my Garden Design (Sept/Oct 2009) arrived today I flipped to the back to read about Arizona landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck. I’ve seen her work featured in magazines, and I ...
Water as a "sacred element" in southwestern gardens

Water as a “sacred element” in southwestern gardens

August 27, 2009 Softleaf yucca (Y. recurvifolia) I nearly always read the last page of a magazine first. So when my Garden Design (Sept/Oct 2009) arrived today I flipped to the back to read about Arizona landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck. I’ve seen her work featured in magazines, and I ...
Well, it looks pretty to me

Well, it looks pretty to me

September 19, 2006 Damianita foliage coming back after drought Why am I showing you a brown, twiggy, half-dead looking plant? Because I’m thrilled to see sprigs of greenery sprouting from those dead-looking twigs. Interplanted with Mexican feathergrass, damianita lines the hell-strip of my yard along the curb. It’s a tough, ...