Come see my garden on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour

August 25, 2015


The Inside Austin Gardens Tour is coming up soon, in a little less than two months, and my garden will be on it. This will be my first time on a public tour, and I hope that you’ll come and say hi.


I love the slogan for this tour — For Gardeners, By Gardeners — because it speaks to the accessibility of the 6 private gardens on tour. This is not a mansion-laden tour of gardens maintained by landscaping crews but a peek into gardeners’ gardens, with all the passions, quirks, and real-life trial-and-error they offer.


Each garden has a theme, and mine is “Oh Deer!” — for obvious reasons. My front garden is largely grassy, with scented and fragrant foliage that deters deer from browsing. They love to sleep in the sedge lawn, though. And yes, I’ll be glad to tell you all about the sedge as a lawn alternative for shade.


In back, where deer are fenced out, I cut loose and plant a variety of other things in terraced beds built around an existing swimming pool. Because of a dense canopy of live oaks, my garden tends to be evergreen, with pockets of seasonal color. It’s accented by a variety of agaves and yuccas, which I love for their sculptural beauty and Texas toughness.


The Inside Austin Gardens tour is held every 18 months (allowing for alternating spring and fall tours) and presented by Travis County Master Gardeners Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-Travis County.


Tour tickets may be purchased online in advance for $19 or at any of the gardens for $20. Click here for tour information and ticket info.

Update 8/28: Also, see Lori Daul’s beautiful photos of my garden, which she took for the tour website.

Inside Austin Gardens Tour
October 17, 2015
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
6 private gardens and 1 public garden

I hope to see you then!

All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

38 responses to “Come see my garden on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour”

  1. Alison says:

    Oh, I really wish I could come and see your garden, Pam! I’m surprised it has never been on a tour before. I’m very apprehensive about opening my own, so I think you’re very brave. I love the concept of a tour for gardeners, by gardeners. I’ve seen a few too many “installations” on tours.

  2. rickii says:

    Makes me want to be a Texan for a day.

  3. Jean says:

    That sounds like a great tour. I love seeing gardeners’ gardens. Your waterlilies sure look like they’re doing well.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Thanks, Jean, although I must point out that none of these photos was taken recently. These are images I provided to the tour organizers for their website several months ago. The best of the best, you might say. 😉 —Pam

  4. I always look forward to seeing gardens on tour through your eyes (camera). This time I look forward to seeing what other bloggers see when they tour your garden. May all go well.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Austin bloggers are actually getting a preview, about two weeks before tour-day, of all the gardens on the tour. So maybe you’ll see my garden in a preview post, Jean. —Pam

  5. Jenny says:

    I’ll be there.

  6. I wish I could visit to see your gardens and meet you personally. Good luck, it will turn out amazing and your gardens will be talked about for a long time. I really like the idea of normal people showing real gardens.

  7. Kris P says:

    Would that I could, Pam! I look forward to seeing photos from the tour, be it yours, other bloggers, or both.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      I doubt I’ll be taking pictures on tour day (maybe I can get my husband to take some), but the bloggers will get a tour preview about two weeks ahead, so maybe you’ll see something on their blogs. —Pam

  8. Considering you have one of the most well known private gardens in Austin, it is sure to be a hit on the tour.

    I understand what you mean about the prep work. Whether or not it is needed, you think it is because inviting people into your garden with photos where you can control the view is completely different from physically inviting people into the garden where you cannot control their view.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Yes, it is a completely different experience, both as garden host and as a visitor. A blogged-about garden shows off vignettes very well, but an actual visit gives an overall sense of a garden that can’t easily be conveyed in photos. That puts a lot of pressure on to make every view as good as it can be, as I’m sure you know from your own tour participation. —Pam

  9. Had a garden club tour our garden yesterday. Maek and I were working like crazy to get it in shape after the big driveway project. I’m sure you will get lots of kudos and folks will find lots of inspiration. I’ve enjoyed watching it all come together, albeit at a distance.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Nothing like a tour to motivate you to get a project done, right, Linda? I bet your visitors were wowed by your driveway project. I’ve followed it from start to finish on your blog, and the stonework and craftsmanship are absolutely wonderful. —Pam

  10. I wish I could shuttle on down for the tour, Pam. Your garden is amazing. Good luck and enjoy!

  11. Xericstyle says:

    So. There.

  12. Oh Deer is almost as good as Shelter From the Death *tar!
    Hmmm, a trip out there might make a good diversion. Weren’t you on a tour recently, or is the one you mentioned a while back? It will be fun. Your sedge area out front looks even better than I envisioned…

    • Pam/Digging says:

      You should definitely road trip in for the tour, David. No, I’ve never had a garden on tour before, but I’ve attended this one a number of times. Austin is down to just two big garden tours now: Inside Austin Gardens and Open Days. We’ve lost the Wildflower Center’s spring tour, sadly. —Pam

  13. I am sure it is a lot of work but I know it will look amazing! I love your garden!

  14. Diane says:

    How do I get the addresses of the gardens on the tour?

  15. Marilyn Rodriguez says:

    I am so there! After following your blog for several years, it will be such a treat to see your garden.

  16. Tina says:

    What fun!! Wishing fabulous October weather for that special day.