June 01, 2011 The heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata) is going to seed against a backdrop of chartreuse bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa) and burgundy cordyline (Cordyline australis ‘Red Star’). Tough plants, every one. Heartleaf skullcap is the spring-blooming native. Cordyline is a cold-tender but dry-shade-tolerant subtropical that I replant every year …

May 31, 2011 ‘Peter’s Purple’ monarda, which I ordered from Plant Delights last fall, is the first bee balm I’ve tried. In its description, Plant Delights quotes Jimmy Turner, director of research at the Dallas Arboretum trial gardens, as saying that ‘Peter’s Purple’ is “the only Monarda that doesn’t die …

May 29, 2011 A madly singing mockingbird wakes us up most mornings. Through another window I can hear a nest of new chicks peeping for breakfast. Though no morning person, I headed outside with the camera to see what has all the birds in a tizzy. Well, it’s spring, of …

May 25, 2011 I think the Munsterman garden, soon to be sold to some lucky buyer, along with the house, was my favorite on the May 21 Dallas Open Days tour. What can I say? I’m a sucker for garden rooms and colorful, inviting seating areas surrounded by striking foliage …

May 24, 2011 Our second stop on the Dallas Open Days tour last Saturday was the Anglophile garden of Alan Rister and Greg Armstrong in the Knox/Henderson neighborhood. Beautifully crafted formal hardscaping by landscape architect Susi Tompson is softened by lavish plantings designed and maintained by the owners. Anchoring the …

May 23, 2011 As if there weren’t enough garden tours in Austin this spring, I drove up to Dallas on May 21st for that city’s Open Days tour benefiting the Garden Conservancy, accompanied by my daughter. Undaunted by the 3-hour drive, we arrived first at the exotically named Blue Lotus …

May 21, 2011 Manfreda undulata ‘Chocolate Chips’ is in bloom all over Austin, judging by posts on various local garden blogs. I have two of these striking plants. The more mature one bloomed several weeks ago, but my newest, a passalong from Eleanor, is doing its Dr. Seussian thing now …

May 19, 2011 My gardening rule of thumb, frequently broken (the rule, not the thumb), is to stop planting by May 1 in order to avoid having to establish new plants under the Death Star. But I make exceptions for cacti and succulents, which require little supplemental water. Still our …

May 18, 2011 My current garden is much less cottagey than my former garden. But some cottage-garden favorites will always have a place in any garden I make, including purple coneflower. I grew this stand from seed collected from the coneflowers in my old garden. They are easy to grow …

May 17, 2011 “I’m an enemy of the average,” declared Ganna Walska, a Polish opera singer who went on to create the fantastical garden Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California. It’s high on my bucket list. One day I will visit. Until I make the pilgrimage, I’m enjoying the decidedly above-average …

May 13, 2011 I was particularly interested to see Sheryl Williams’s garden during our sneak peek on Tuesday because she’s a fairly new Austin garden blogger, and, well, y’all know how I love our garden-blogging group. I’d met Sheryl before, but this was my first time to see her garden …

May 12, 2011 Sue Nazar’s garden, which you can see Saturday on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour, is a lush, expansive oasis tucked in the hills of west Austin. I got a sneak peek on Tuesday, courtesy of the Travis County Master Gardeners, and I’m sharing it with you. Over …

May 11, 2011 Wendy Brennan’s Zen-style garden, which you can see Saturday on the Inside Austin Gardens Tour, is the creation of her neighbor Link Davidson, whose own garden sits just uphill from Wendy’s. At her request, he continued the terracing from his own garden—designed to slow heavy runoff—with inexpensive …

May 11, 2011 Whew, I just finished up a whirlwind of posting about last weekend’s Gardens on Tour 2011, and now I’m giving you a sneak peek into this Saturday’s Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011, sponsored by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association. Hang onto your hats, and let’s go! …