January 07, 2014 Revisiting my trip to Beijing proved so enjoyable on a cold winter day that I’m continuing the travel theme. Next up: Mexico! In March 2006, just one month after I started this blog, my husband and I traveled to San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico. I …

January 04, 2014 While the garden sleeps I thought I’d start off the New Year with a post about the most foreign place I’ve ever visited: China. (Tanzania in Africa might have won that distinction but for the fact that I was on a guided tour and mostly in national …

December 31, 2013 Last year I had fun selecting my 10 favorite photos from 2012, an annual meme led by Les at A Tidewater Gardener. So here I am again, sitting at my computer in stretchy pants and a cuddly cardigan, with the spicy scent of a baking pumpkin pie …

December 22, 2013 We tooled into Johnson City at dusk after a day spent in charming Fredericksburg, in the Hill Country west of Austin. After dinner at a local brew pub, we stopped by the electric company, just a block off the main road, to view the lighted trees that …

December 19, 2013 My 6-year-old nephew, who was here for Thanksgiving dinner, asked why I’d put cages around some of my plants. Isn’t it the silliest looking thing? Wire cages are not exactly my idea of fine garden decor. But short of ditching agaves, yuccas, and other stiff-leaved or woody …

December 16, 2013 Edged with mellow-yellow stripes, Yucca filamentosa ‘Bright Edge’ adds a little sunshine to my garden on chilly winter days. Evergreen, drought tolerant, deer resistant, heat loving, and cold tolerant to US hardiness zone 4 or 5, ‘Bright Edge’ proves adaptable to everything except shade and damp soil …

December 11, 2013 Somebody stop me! No — don’t! I’m having too much fun pinning my favorite holiday gift ideas on Pinterest. I’m a Pinterest regular (see my boards for Lawn Gone!, Digging, and Garden Inspiration, among others) because it’s a great way to share ideas and posts with people …

December 10, 2013The Bulb Hunter Flower bulbs — those turnipy looking, husky things in mesh bags, crowded into crayola-bright display bins at the big-box stores — suffer from granny’s-garden syndrome: they’re seen as old-fashioned, fussy, and patience-straining in today’s want-it-now culture. Unlike a flat of annuals, they don’t offer instant …

December 04, 2013 It’s December, when our thoughts turn to Christmas trees and holiday baking and battening down the hatches of the garden for the winter. My green Japanese maple takes this moment every year to go all autumnal, flaming into the most spectacular fall display in my garden right …

December 02, 2013 Is it too early for a Christmas tree post? I hope not because last night we attended the lighting of the Zilker Christmas Tree and got into the holiday spirit. This is the tree’s 47th year, and it is as magical as ever. At 155 feet tall, …

November 27, 2013 Two of my design clients in Austin’s Northwest Hills neighborhood have recently mentioned this front garden to me as one that inspires them, so I thought I’d feature it for a Drive-By post. Blessed (cursed?) with an enormous, corner-lot expanse of thirsty St. Augustine lawn and a …

November 22, 2013 A blue norther blew in last night, chasing away yesterday’s 80-degree F high. The glow of the copper canyon daisies (Tagetes lemmonii) out front was just as warm as the temperature yesterday, and I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures. I’m glad I did since it’s too …

November 21, 2013 Overlooking Lady Bird Lake and backing up to the tall codominiums of downtown, Austin City Hall delights me every time I drive by. With an angular, contemporary exterior clad in copper and limestone and a front facade that steps down toward the lake, the building has a …

November 19, 2013 Austin has an extensive tree canopy, but fall color is not something we can brag about. Our deciduous trees generally fade to a pale yellow or brownish red right around the time people are putting up their Christmas lights. But this year would-be leaf peepers in Austin …