Drab fall? Not in this colorful streetside garden

October 09, 2012


Cool weather might make some people think of brown leaves and shriveling plants, but not me. October is, I think, the best garden season—both for planting and photographing—in central Texas. Certainly my streetside garden is fuller and more flowery than at any other time of year. The color and blissfully cool temperatures drew me outside last weekend, and I took a few more pictures of the gardens along the street.

Pictured above is a narrow garden shared by me and my neighbor Dell. It replaced a boring stretch of lawn that crisped up in the drought. Now we both enjoy orange-flowering globemallow (Sphaeralcea incana), purple sage (Salvia officinalis), and ‘Color Guard’ yucca. Gulf muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is in there too, and about to burst into pinkish purple bloom.


The frosty green leaves and tangerine flowers of gray globemallow, a tough, drought-tolerant native of the southwestern U.S. Give it good drainage and full sun for best flowering.


On the other side of my house, I’m sharing gardening space with my neighbor Donna, and this is the view from her driveway, with the garden in full fall bloom.


There’s Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) and an orange lantana…


…plus dwarf firebush (Hamelia patens var. glabra) and a few eryngium poking their thistly, purple heads up through the lantana.


‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (A. ovatifolia) and Autumn sage (Salvia greggii): cool vs. hot color; bold vs. fine texture.


David Salman at High Country Gardens sent me a few plants to trial this spring, including ‘Summer Love’ agastache. I wrote him over the summer to tell him it wasn’t really thriving, but now that fall’s cooler temperatures (especially at night) have arrived, ‘Summer Love’ has perked up quite a bit. It’s only about a foot tall, but the rosy pink color is intense and showy, and I’m glad to see it looking so much happier.


A long view across Donna’s garden and my streetside garden reveals the tall, dusty pink, feathery blooms of ‘Pink Flamingos’ muhly grass.


Here’s another look, with the blue ridgeline of the surrounding hills visible between the trees. We’re surrounded by forested canyons in this neighborhood, which accounts for the heavy deer population. Everything in the front yard must be deer resistant, and of course grasses always fit the bill.


The curb strip in front of our house, with annual purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’) still showy but fading on the right, garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) gone to seed in front (I’m holding up the floppy heads with a hastily fashioned bamboo “fence”), Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima), and Autumn sage (Salvia greggii). Easy, readily available, and deer resistant plants.


The inflorescence of purple fountain grass is particularly beautiful, dark pink and as fuzzy as a wooly caterpillar.


A wider view


My husband made this swing for my daughter right after we moved into this house four years ago. Now that she’s older, she doesn’t swing so much, but I made the garden around it, and it’s a nice place to sit and rest and just look at the garden on a beautiful fall day.

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

12 responses to “Drab fall? Not in this colorful streetside garden”

  1. Scott Weber says:

    OMG…I love ‘Pink Flamingos’! It really does look like the love child of the two Muhly grasses! My M. capillaris has just started blooming in the past week or so…just love them! I totally agree about this time of year…everything seems bigger and fuller…and are loving the cooler temps 🙂 Now, if only it would rain! I should really try Salvia leucantha again…but I don’t have any patience for borderline-hardy plants 🙁

    I thought you’d like the ‘Pink Flamingos’ muhly, Scott. My M. capillaris haven’t started blooming yet, but they’re close. —Pam

  2. Shirley says:

    It is bright and cheerful, this has been a beautiful fall for blooms here.

    Agastache is so pretty and fragrant that it’s nice to see they are working on heat tolerant selections. I’ve moved my remaining ones into afternoon shade.

    I keep trying agastache, with haphazard success. It’s so gorgeous in higher, drier climates than ours, like Denver and Albuquerque. But even the ones that hang on for me don’t ever look as happy to be growing in a central Texas summer. (And who can blame them?) —Pam

  3. commonweeder says:

    Your beautiful photos, and plants, make me wish I had a streetside strip. I love the new look and organization to your blog

    Thanks, Commonweeder. I’m glad you like the facelift here at Digging. —Pam

  4. It looks beautiful.

    I’m not as happy, with my new beds. Went out Sunday, and found an agave that had finally gotten some size, shredded by the ‘cute little deer’….grrr…Our deer are just impossible.

    I do like that Pink Flamingo. Being a grass, maybe they’d leave that alone.

    Perhaps they would, Linda. You definitely do have the worst deer conditions I’ve read about. It must be very frustrating. —Pam

  5. Jason says:

    I love the globe mallow and the lantana.

    They are easy too, Jason. All they need is lots of sun and heat to thrive. —Pam

  6. Everything is looking fabulous as usual at the digging homestead Pam! I planted a lot of gulf muhly this year….and I think I have a few that were mislabeled at the nursery, and are the pink flamingos. When I post i’ll give you a heads up…would love your thoughts! Don’t know yet if it was a good thang or a bad thang….ha!

    Aha! Maybe you have a love child or two in the mix, Heather. 🙂 —Pam

  7. Indie says:

    A lot of things are perking up here as well, probably thankful for the relief from the heat!

    The gardens are beautiful. I’ve always loved Mexican bush sage, and it looks so nice with the orange lantana underneath. I love Salvia greggii as well – the little blooms give such an airy feel. (Really, I have yet to meet a Salvia that I did not like!)

    I feel the same way, Indie. If only I had more sun, I’d have more of them. Luckily there are some that will grow in shady conditions too. —Pam

  8. Matt says:

    I tried two of the agastache salmon & pink varieties after reading yours posts. They’ve been great for me this year blooming for months and all through summer. Just pruned them back a couple weeks ago for the fall and I’m hoping to get more blooms November-December. I think I’m going to buy more for a mass planting.

    I’m glad it’s growing well for you, Matt. That agastache has definitely performed best for me too. —Pam

  9. Pam, your garden and shared gardens look great. Your photos are tempting me to try Pink Flamingos. I have had good luck with its parents, Gulf Muhly and Big Muhly.
    I agree that fall gardens are the best. It amazes me how dismal mine can look during the summer and then it bursts into bloom with the first rain and cooler weather and then continues to bloom until the first hard frost. Fall gardens are great for butterfly watching too.

    That’s true, Michael. It’s a great time of year for bird watching too, as the migrations start. —Pam

  10. Layanee says:

    Love this garden and especially that swing. That says welcome to me.

    A swing does seem welcoming, even if the child it was intended for is growing up way too fast. 😉 —Pam

  11. Nicole says:

    Very lovely-you know I love hot colors, and as you pointed out in your clime these are all easy, available plants. Our hellstrip is just 12 inches wide though 80 feet long and we’ve planted it with aloes succulents, to be complemented with annual flowers in the rainy season.

    That sounds lovely, Nicole. I bet it’s stunning when the aloes are in bloom. —Pam

  12. Bob Pool says:

    Wow, the street side garden has matured into a real beauty since the last time I was there. They are stunning.

    I so enjoyed you dropping by the other day. Your Mother is a real hoot. She is on my favorite people list. I sure hope to enjoy her company again some time.

    She really enjoyed meeting you and Lyn too, Bob. And she definitely is a hoot. I am so glad to have had the chance to see your lovely home and garden in person, and to have met Lyn too. —Pam