November 02, 2018
More Texas wildflower joy near Independence

March 26, 2024

More Texas wildflower joy near Independence
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Screech owl in the April garden

Screech owl in the April garden

April 26, 2013 Someone’s been watching me as I amble through the garden in the morning and evening. Whooo? I didn’t see him when I was dazzled by the variegated agaves and yuccas in the raised bed along the back of the house. I didn’t see him when I stopped …
Lucinda Hutson's purple cottage, cantina garden, and Viva Tequila!

Lucinda Hutson's purple cottage, cantina garden, and Viva Tequila!

April 24, 2013Lucinda Hutson’s festive home and garden in Austin My friend Lucinda Hutson invited me over to her purple cottage on Sunday to see her angel’s trumpets in bloom, plus all the rest of her exuberant, flowery garden. Lighting up her quiet Rosedale neighborhood street like a fiesta in …
Lucinda Hutson's purple cottage, cantina garden, and Viva Tequila!

Lucinda Hutson’s purple cottage, cantina garden, and Viva Tequila!

April 24, 2013Lucinda Hutson’s festive home and garden in AustinMy friend Lucinda Hutson invited me over to her purple cottage on Sunday to see her angel’s trumpets in bloom, plus all the rest of her exuberant, flowery garden. Lighting up her quiet Rosedale neighborhood street like a fiesta in full …
Blazing Indian blanket and more at the Wildflower Center, part 3

Blazing Indian blanket and more at the Wildflower Center, part 3

April 23, 2013 So many wildflowers were in bloom last Friday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center that it’s taken three posts for me to show you everything. Today I’m leading with the eye-popping hotness of a swath of Indian blanket, also known as firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella). Can’t you …
Bonny bluebonnets and more at the Wildflower Center, part 2

Bonny bluebonnets and more at the Wildflower Center, part 2

April 22, 2013 I promised you Texas bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) in my previous post, part 1 of last Friday’s visit to the Wildflower Center, and bluebonnets you shall have, with a bonus of winecups (Callirhoe involucrata)! This little boy was certainly enjoying the bluebonnet meadow, running his hands along the …
Blossoming spring morning at the Wildflower Center, part 1

Blossoming spring morning at the Wildflower Center, part 1

April 21, 2013 April is high season for wildflowers in Texas, and if you can’t get out for a country drive to admire them in meadows and fields, an Austinite can always get a fix at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I stopped by for a wildflower stroll on …
Meet Austin designer Mark Word

Meet Austin designer Mark Word

April 18, 2013 Photo by Maggie Goen. Used with permission from Mark Word Design. For Austin designer Mark Word, selecting plants for clients’ gardens is akin to playing a good jazz set at a hopping nightclub. “You do plenty of crowd-pleasing standards,” he says—the Deep South evergreens and Hill Country …
Leafy spring Foliage Follow-Up

Leafy spring Foliage Follow-Up

April 16, 2013 In the wake of the bombing in Boston yesterday, putting together a Foliage Follow-Up post seemed awfully trivial, and I didn’t have the heart for it last night, even though I’d already taken my photos that morning. As the wife of a former marathoner, I’ve stood at …
My article about John Fairey's Peckerwood Garden wins award

My article about John Fairey's Peckerwood Garden wins award

April 15, 2013 Last year I wrote an article for Garden Design magazine about Texas plantsman John Fairey and Peckerwood Garden, his decades-in-the-making collector’s garden in Hempstead. “The Plant Man” appeared in the June 2012 issue of Garden Design (now, sadly, out of business). I’m surprised and happy to tell …
My article about John Fairey's Peckerwood Garden wins award

My article about John Fairey’s Peckerwood Garden wins award

April 15, 2013 Last year I wrote an article for Garden Design magazine about Texas plantsman John Fairey and Peckerwood Garden, his decades-in-the-making collector’s garden in Hempstead. “The Plant Man” appeared in the June 2012 issue of Garden Design (now, sadly, out of business). I’m surprised and happy to tell …
Lawn Gone! going into 2nd printing, plus a sneak peek of new alt lawn

Lawn Gone! going into 2nd printing, plus a sneak peek of new alt lawn

April 12, 2013 Holy smokin’ lawn alternatives! My publisher just told me that Lawn Gone! has gone into its 2nd printing, just 2 months after publication! Huge thanks to everyone who’s purchased a copy, carried it in your store, or given Lawn Gone! a shout-out or positive review. Oh, and …
Austin's Graffiti Hill

Austin’s Graffiti Hill

April 11, 2013 Pulling out of Whole Earth Provision Company on N. Lamar Blvd. the other day, I spontaneously turned west, heading uphill on the alley-sized road behind the store, which dead-ends onto Baylor Street just below the “castle” that Castle Hill neighborhood is named for (originally built in 1869 …
Spring garden stroll

Spring garden stroll

April 09, 2013 After the big rain of last week (3.75 inches recorded in my garden), accompanied by an instant freshening and greening up outdoors, I feel it’s time for a garden stroll. The annual garden-burying live oak leaf drop is over, but you’ll have to ignore remnant leaves and …
Read This: Yards and Fine Foliage

Read This: Yards and Fine Foliage

April 08, 2013 Two new books from St. Lynn’s Press are well worth some of the precious real estate on your bedside table as you start making plans for your garden this spring. I’ve followed Santa Barbara, California, landscape architect, garden writer, and funny guy Billy Goodnick online for several …