Plant This: ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood
February 18, 2014 Winter is when you really appreciate the evergreens in your garden, even in green-winter places like central Texas. While I rely heavily on non-shrub evergreens like agave, yucca, and sotol, I also have a soft spot for oh-so-English boxwood, specifically the cultivar ‘Winter Gem’ (Buxus sinica var ...
Plant This: Evergreen sumac
January 28, 2014 Is your garden winter-dreary, lacking in greenery after the latest sub-freezing blast? Or is your tired, old red-tip photinia hedge finally succumbing to photinia fungal disease? If so, take a look at evergreen sumac (Rhus virens), a small tree or large shrub native to the drylands of ...
Plant This: Chinese mahonia for Foliage Follow-Up
November 16, 2012 I inherited two Chinese mahonia (Mahonia fortunei) when I moved into this house, a plant previously unknown to me. In all my frequent nursery visits for 2-1/2 years, I never saw another one offered for sale, and it wasn’t until I visited the Rister-Armstrong Garden in Dallas ...
Azaleas in bloom at Zilker Botanical Garden
March 30, 2011 A bit of the Old South blooms at Zilker Botanical Garden each spring. Under a green canopy of new-leafed trees, banks of pink and fuchsia azaleas remind one of Austin’s split personality, where alkaline-loving plants of the arid southwest mingle with acidic-loving plants of the lush southeast ...
Pineapple guava’s flowers gross me out
May 02, 2009 I inherited five large pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana ) with the new house, which line the live oak-shaded back fence, alternating with pyracantha. Neither pineapple guava nor pyracantha is said to prefer shade, but these seem to be doing okay anyway. I love the dusty bluish-green foliage ...
Pineapple guava's flowers gross me out
May 02, 2009 I inherited five large pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana ) with the new house, which line the live oak-shaded back fence, alternating with pyracantha. Neither pineapple guava nor pyracantha is said to prefer shade, but these seem to be doing okay anyway. I love the dusty bluish-green foliage ...
Rocks and trees: My new garden-to-be
October 08, 2008 With temps in the 50s this morning, milder afternoon heat (80s), and even an inch and a half of rain yesterday, it’s feeling autumnal. I can never resist a hint of fall, so I abandoned my unpacking to take some photos and show you my new garden-to-be ...
A visit to Chanticleer: Hydrangeas & House Garden
July 21, 2008 I’m sure something shines brightly every month that Chanticleer is open (April through October). But I felt fortunate to see the hydrangeas in full bloom since I rarely see one in Austin. I can never decide whether I prefer the pink or the blue. The lacecaps are ...
Little John bottlebrush sherwood make you happy
April 27, 2008 Is that the corniest title in the blogosphere or what? Thankfully, I can’t think of any more Robin Hood puns, as Callistemon viminalis or C. citrinus (websites differ as to the name) ‘Little John’ hails from Australia anyway, not England or Sherwood Forest. If you live in ...
Gardens on Tour 2007: Maury Hollow
May 15, 2007 The second stop on our tour included two gardens on a cul-de-sac in the hills of northwest Austin, one belonging to Cathy Nordstrom, owner of San Souci Gardens, the second belonging to her client and next-door neighbor. We visited the designer’s garden first. Native bee balm and ...
Tour of Deborah Hornickel garden
October 26, 2006 A pear allee is the highlight of Hornickel’s garden Warm, accessible, personal, with striking plant choices and a Gardens-inspired feel, this Bryker Woods garden, located within walking distance of James David and Gary Peese’s famous garden shop, is Gardens on a budget. And I mean that as ...
Tour of Arth garden
October 24, 2006 Entering James Arth’s garden from the street, you step onto a small lawn punctuated by a “chess pawn” (similar to one in my own garden’s border). Visiting this central Austin garden right after the David-Peese garden was a big change, but its spare geometry rendered in limestone ...
