Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2009: Eleanor Pratt's garden

October 26, 2009


My favorite color echo on Saturday’s Inside Austin Gardens tour appeared in Eleanor Pratt’s garden in the Brentwood neighborhood of north-central Austin. Eleanor repeats the red of a Japanese maple red-leaf hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella) with a swath of bachelor’s buttons. Vivacious!

Eleanor also grows the plant I most want in my garden (after that Bismarck palm, which I do not have room for): this gorgeous Manfreda undulata ‘Chocolate Chips’. She told me she got it from Yucca Do, which sadly is sold out of it right now.

A close-up of its spotted, wavy leaves

Another of Eleanor’s plants that attracted attention is this Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata). These are bulbs for shade, of which I have plenty. I should try a few.

White spiderwort brightens up a shady nook.

Pitcher sage (Salvia azurea), a xeric native for sun or light shade, also caught my eye.

Red zinnias add pop along the sunny drive.

All the gardeners on the tour, it seemed, were using cattle panel wire in unique ways. Framed in wood that’s painted to match the siding, cattle panel makes a generous trellis against the garage.

Eleanor has a knack for using commonplace items creatively in the garden. Here she’s stacked round, concrete pavers as a pedestal for a lovely water bowl.

I met Eleanor, who blogs at Garden of E, in her sunny, colorful front garden. She seemed so relaxed at the end of a long day of people traipsing through her garden.

It was a pleasure to meet her in person. Thanks, Eleanor, for sharing your beautiful garden!
For a look back at my visit to the garden of Gail Sapp, click here. Tomorrow I’ll have “the best of the rest” from other gardens on the tour.
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

0 responses to “Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2009: Eleanor Pratt's garden”

  1. Nell Jean says:

    Commonplace creativity, what a wonderful notion! I’m loving these Texas garden visits, thank you for taking us there.

  2. Jenny B says:

    Love the tour, Pam. One of these days, my life is going to slow down enough to get to do them–in the meantime, I get to see them through the eyes of your camera–which is always a treat.

  3. cheryl says:

    Bletilla striata is blooming NOW in Austin?? Mine bloom in the spring here on the West Coast. They are currently on the verge of dormancy.
    This was the only one in bloom. Perhaps it’s been fooled by the hot, then cool, then hot cycle we’ve gone through recently. —Pam

  4. Jenny says:

    As you ,I found It was fun to meet Eleanor in her own garden, I met her for the first time at the last blogger’s get together. I took a photo of the manfreda too. It certainly caught my eye and is such a good subject for the camera. Eleanor had also given me some of the spiderwort which I am trying in a shady spot. I did miss the pitcher sage though so I am glad you posted about this plant. Did we ask for more rain?

  5. Iris says:

    Lovely! I really have to get some of that pitcher sage! The delicate bright white spiderwort blooms really catch my eye, too. Thanks for the tour, Pam.

  6. Hello Pam,
    What a beautiful garden. Thank you for sharing it with us!

  7. Cindy, MCOK says:

    Another fabulous garden with great ideas I may borrow! You know, I’m not sure that ground orchid is a Bletilla. I bought 3 pots of them at my local Home Depot, thinking that’s what they were, but the blooms are different from the images I found online. I suspect it’s actually a Spathiglottis. I thought $3/pot for Bletillas was too good to be true!
    Perhaps you’re right, Cindy, though I don’t know enough about the various ground orchids or Eleanor’s in particular to judge. Hers was simply labeled Chinese ground orchid. Maybe she’ll see your comment and let us know. —Pam

  8. Diana says:

    Great coverage of Elaine’s garden. I love that Manfreda, too. I’ve got one similar, the Manfreda sileri, it has about half the chocolate chips as this one! I saw several of my new plants in her garden so it gave me good ideas for planting locations. Thanks for providing me with the permanent reference!

  9. chuck b. says:

    That cattle panel wire* looks very functional indeed. I like yellow houses.
    *I guess you know the name of it if you live in Texas!

  10. Gail says:

    It’s a really lovely garden Pam. Have you put your order in for the Chocolate Chip manfreda…it’s a beauty! Blogging sure has expanded my tastes! I have a fine appreciation for all plants spiky now! Recently, my spouse said that Austin is a very attractive place to consider moving~~ except for those terrible summers! He has no idea does he! I love the cattle pen wired trellis and the stacked concrete pavers is inspired. gail
    You’d like the manfredas, Gail, because they have that spiky-looking star shape without actually being spiky. The leaves are pliable, not sharp. Yes, Austin is a wonderful place to live, even taking the summers into account. There are plenty of beautiful spring-fed pools and lakes to cool you off until gardening season comes back around. —Pam

  11. Well I guess I know which Manfreda I will be adding to my collection next! Thanks Pam!

  12. I so love seeing the gardens through your lens, but hate not being there in person!

  13. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Another inspirational garden. I can see why you would want those chocolate chips in your garden. It looks delicious.

  14. Frances says:

    Oh that red just pops out of the screen! Those gomphrenas are fabulous, looks like possibly Strawberry Fields? The zinnia is unusual in that color as well. Cattle fencing is the perfect trellis. And those are stacked step stones? What a great and simple idea. Thanks for the tours, Pam. 🙂
    Frances
    Yes, Frances, they look like round concrete pavers. It’s a simple but brilliant idea. —Pam

  15. Sweet Bay says:

    Beautiful garden!!

  16. Nicole says:

    Nice pics, Pam. Plant Delights has the Manfreda undulata
    http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/08355.html
    I know because I have been eyeing it to get on my next trip to the US!
    Thanks for the link, Nicole. It’s sure a beauty, isn’t it? —Pam

  17. That trellis is a great idea! It does look very sturdy. Great tour.
    Cameron

  18. Loree says:

    Darn you Nicole! 🙂
    I just had to look at this post again and click on the link! And I just ordered a chocolate chips Manfreda! Pam….get one!
    Ooh, you guys are really tempting me! —Pam

  19. Eleanor says:

    Pam, I enjoyed seeing my garden through your eyes, and it was great meeting you. The problem with having 600 people see your stuff is that now the manfreda undulata will be as common as dirt. Just kidding! Hope y’all have fun watching it grow into monster size. It blooms too, I’m told, in June or thereabouts.
    It was wonderful to meet you too, Eleanor. Thanks so much for sharing your garden with all of us. Yes, it’s hard to keep a great plant to yourself. 😉 I keep thinking that all the Austin bloggers will be growing the exact same plants eventually, as we keep sharing our cuttings, seeds, and divisions with each other. It’ll all be in the arranging. 😉 —Pam

  20. This is a great garden. The stacked stepping stones are such a simple, but wonderful idea. I’ve used them to raise pots, but never to make a pedestal. Eleanor is right….lots of her ideas will be popping up all over the Austin area.
    Yes, they will! —Pam