January 04, 2017

What is Garden Spark?

Inspired by the idea of house concerts -- performances in private homes, which support musicians and give a small audience an up-close and personal musical experience -- in 2017 I began hosting a series of garden talks by top-notch design speakers out of my home. I called it Garden Spark.

Garden Spark talks are for anyone with an interest in gardening, garden design, and learning from design experts. You won't find anything else like this in Austin! I know because I'm always looking for garden presentations geared to avid and experienced gardeners, by well-known designers and authors, and they just don't come around that often.

To attract excellent speakers and design experts, I'm paying them a fair speaker fee, raised through ticket sales. For the cost of a movie, drink, and popcorn, you can hear entertaining and thoughtful speakers sharing their design ideas. I organize 3 to 5 talks per season, held at Barton Springs Nursery's outdoor classroom on Thursday evenings.

Get info about the 2023-24 schedule here!

How to Attend

Talks are limited-attendance events and generally sell out within just a few days -- or even a few hours. I open ticket sales to subscribers first, so please join the Garden Spark email list in order to receive these early notifications. Simply click this link and ask to be added. I'll never share or sell your email address.

When I launched the Garden Spark talk series, I was sure there was an unmet need in Austin for engaging and thought-provoking talks about garden design. The response has been greater than I hoped. My thanks to all who have attended a talk and to the speakers who've shared their ideas and knowledge with us. Your participation is helping to broaden the conversation about garden design in our community!

Past Lineups

2023-24 Garden Spark Schedule

2022-23 Garden Spark Schedule

2021-22 Garden Spark Schedule

2020 Garden Spark Schedule

2019 Garden Spark Schedule

2018 Garden Spark Schedule

2017 Garden Spark Schedule

Read more about Garden Spark

Read more about Garden Spark

I’m on Cultivating Place talking about growing community, coping with climate change, and my fave plants

This week I’m on Cultivating Place, talking with host Jennifer Jewell about building a gardening community, how I got into gardening, my Garden Spark speaker series, gardening in the challenging conditions of Central Texas, coping with climate change, meeting Lady Bird Johnson one time, and my top 5 plants for ...

Garden Spark kicks off 6th season with exciting new speakers

Garden Spark returns for its 6th season on 9/22, kicking off a new series of exciting speakers who'll be sharing their expertise and ideas at in-person events here in Austin ...

At the Wildflower Center with Jennifer Jewell

Jennifer Jewell and I visited the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in early May, when the late-spring wildflowers were in party mode ...

Come hear Garden Spark talk by Jennifer Jewell

Austin readers, you're invited to a Garden Spark talk on May 5! Jennifer Jewell presents “Cultivating Place: How a Place-Based Garden Culture of Care Strengthens Places and Their People.” ...

Wisteria-scented Garden Spark at Barton Springs Nursery

I hosted a Garden Spark talk at Barton Springs Nursery last week. Their lovely outdoor classroom was scented by a wisteria in full bloom ...