Winter beauty along Hamilton Creek
December 30, 2010 Last week, when the balmy weather included a high of 80 degrees, we went for a hike at Hamilton Pool, a beautiful collapsed grotto (click for a previous visit). After skipping a few stones in the pool, we took the trail along cypress-lined Hamilton Creek, following it ...
Pomegranate in fall glory, but spring is near
December 27, 2010 This buttery yellow pomegranate, with red fruit dangling from its branches like Christmas balls, stood as a last tribute to autumn a few days ago, when I spotted it while driving through Allandale neighborhood. Yesterday I noticed that my neighbor’s Bradford pears are in bud, and on ...
Japanese maple at peak fall color
December 17, 2010 After school today my daughter and I simply stood amid the green branches of the Japanese maple at the front corner of the house, immersing ourselves in precision-cut, flaming red leaves. Blushing hotly, the maple is at its peak of fall color, and the very first leaves ...
Japanese maple fall foliage finally
December 13, 2010 Christmas trees go up before many a central Texas tree accepts that autumn is here and drops the green facade to reveal its fall colors. My Japanese maple, a species Acer palmatum, is one of the holdouts, waiting nearly until the winter solstice to blaze forth. Rich ...
Hits of green (and tan) in the winter garden
December 12, 2010 This post is for Linda and Mark of Each Little World, who are blanketed under their third snowstorm of the week in Madison, Wisconsin, and who asked for “hits of green” from southern bloggers. A twilight stroll reveals soft blue-greens amid the leafy exposed limestone in my ...
Rich autumn color at Lady Bird Lake
November 23, 2010 Lady Bird Lake blazed with fall color last Friday afternoon. Strolling the 3-mile loop on the hike-and-bike trail, my daughter and I were captivated by the beauty of rusty bald cypresses and golden cedar elms and realized we’d lucked upon the peak of fall foliage. Admittedly, the ...
Mellow & not-so yellows
November 14, 2010 Is this the week of peak fall color (such as it is) in Austin? I think so. All over town crepe myrtles are turning a burnished orange, cedar elms shine pale yellow, and flame-leaf sumacs are, well, flaming red. The tint of my sunglasses adds richness to ...
Golden autumn along Bull Creek Greenbelt
October 28, 2010 As October draws to a close, I thought I’d share a few images of Bull Creek in west Austin on a recent golden morning. Limestone and water. Central Texas was, eons ago, a shallow sea. The limestone is what remains of the sea creatures that once inhabited ...
Austin Open Days Tour 2010: East Side Patch
October 18, 2010 There was plenty of Patch magic to go around during the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days tour last Saturday. Designer Philip Leveridge, who blogs about his garden at East Side Patch, his wife Leah, and their two young children seem to derive much enjoyment from their enticing, lawn-free ...
Gardens of Lake Austin Spa
October 14, 2010 Yesterday the Director of Flora & Fauna at Lake Austin Spa, the talented Trisha Shirey, gave me an early morning tour of the spa’s gardens, which she has tended for more than 26 years. A staff of nine full-time gardeners assists her in organically maintaining and updating ...
First spider lily in flower
September 30, 2010 About two weeks after the big show of oxblood lilies (though a few of mine are still flowering), the spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) have unfurled their frilly, red parasols. I’ve carried these bulbs with me through three moves in Austin. They were planted in the garden of ...
Celebrate foliage! Foliage Follow-Up to Bloom Day
December 16, 2009 Jellybean plant, one of the increasing number of succulents in my garden Yesterday garden bloggers across the globe posted pics of their flowers as part of Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, started by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Bloom Day is not only a fun meme but a ...
Japanese maple says it's still autumn
December 11, 2009 Is it just me, or do you see an elfin face too? Hi, there! Although our Christmas tree is up, colored lights glow on our neighbors’ houses, and a few holiday cards line the mantle, the Japanese maple knows that autumn isn’t over yet. Hold on, it ...
Japanese maple says it’s still autumn
December 11, 2009 Is it just me, or do you see an elfin face too? Hi, there! Although our Christmas tree is up, colored lights glow on our neighbors’ houses, and a few holiday cards line the mantle, the Japanese maple knows that autumn isn’t over yet. Hold on, it ...
Visit to Westcave Preserve
November 30, 2009 On Saturday we returned to the Hill Country to see Westcave Preserve, a 75-acre nature sanctuary located about 40 miles west of Austin. Westcave is known for its beautiful grotto hidden at the end of a sheltered canyon “created more than 100,000 years ago by the gradual ...
Falls & fall color at Pedernales Falls State Park
November 29, 2009 After a decadent Thanksgiving Day feast of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie on Thursday, we needed a little fresh air and exercise, so on Friday we headed out to Pedernales Falls State Park, about 35 miles west of Austin in the rolling green Hill Country ...
