Containers

March 22, 2011 I’m joining my colleagues at Garden Designers Roundtable today on the topic “Vertical.” Introducing vertical elements into the garden is a time-honored technique for bridging the gap between earth and sky. You can do so much more than just plant a tree! Here are my favorite techniques ...

March 21, 2011 Thank you to everyone—all 145 of you!—who left a comment on last Monday’s cyber book party post celebrating the publication of Garden Up!. Everyone who commented was entered into a random drawing for a Succulent Living Picture Kit (valued at $70) from Succulent Gardens. And the winner ...

March 09, 2011 Balmy weather last week and a few hot days this week (Tuesday’s high reached 85F/29.4C), and my garden is sitting up and taking notice. A warm, golden glow lights the afternoons. The aloes—the ones that survived the deep freeze this winter—are seizing the moment and sending up ...

March 09, 2011 Balmy weather last week and a few hot days this week (Tuesday’s high reached 85F/29.4C), and my garden is sitting up and taking notice. A warm, golden glow lights the afternoons. The aloes—the ones that survived the deep freeze this winter—are seizing the moment and sending up ...

March 07, 2011 A two-week frenzy of outdoor projects has accompanied the first stirrings of spring here in Austin. This weekend I completed a project I began in January: a succulent wall planter made of cinderblocks, inspired by a photo I saw at Apartment Therapy of a project created by ...

February 28, 2011 Winter has ceded ground in Austin, and I’ve caught a bad case of spring fever. The garden and I are showing distinct symptoms. What are they, you wonder? Well, doctor, I’m seeing… New plants! This is the worst symptom of spring fever: the unchecked buying of new ...

February 05, 2011 An inch of beautiful, powdery snow—the most snow Austin has received since 2004, the Statesman reported today—greeted us when we awoke on Friday. Three days of below-freezing weather (since Tuesday!) had made the ground cold enough for it to stick. School was cancelled, and our kids took ...

February 05, 2011 An inch of beautiful, powdery snow—the most snow Austin has received since 2004, the Statesman reported today—greeted us when we awoke on Friday. Three days of below-freezing weather (since Tuesday!) had made the ground cold enough for it to stick. School was cancelled, and our kids took ...

January 18, 2011 The sun came out and I went out, out into the garden to explore after several dreary days spent indoors. Delightfully spongy earth, fungi on the coir doormats, and a revitalized winter garden attested to our recent rainfall—who knows how much, as I had turned my gauge ...

January 18, 2011 The sun came out and I went out, out into the garden to explore after several dreary days spent indoors. Delightfully spongy earth, fungi on the coir doormats, and a revitalized winter garden attested to our recent rainfall—who knows how much, as I had turned my gauge ...

January 15, 2011 On this rainy, chilly Bloom Day I’m just not going to venture into the garden to poke around for a tiny rosemary bloom or withered Knock Out rose petal. Instead I’m treating you to a reprise of images from the Stone Palms garden, located in the Clarksville ...

January 07, 2011 The ‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper finally bit the dust after a couple of hard freezes. Although the withered plant is bent and droopy, I still like the bright-red berries and will leave it uncut for the time being. Maybe the birds will eat them. Maybe I’ll even ...

January 06, 2011 Austin has so many mild winter days that it’s really a shame not to be out enjoying your garden at this time of year. But what if your flowery perennial garden dies back in winter and you’re left with brown grass, leaf-strewn beds, and a shade tree ...

November 30, 2010 My northwest Austin garden experienced its first hard freeze of the season on the 26th, but I didn’t have a chance to inspect what got zapped until Sunday, when I took these pictures. ‘Radrazz’ Knock Out rose is, not surprisingly, unfazed. I’ve been wanting a metal arbor ...

November 05, 2010 I spent yesterday in the garden, digging holes for new plants, delighted not to break a sweat in the perfect fall weather (mosquitoes didn’t bother me either–yea!). Beforehand I snapped some photos of the fall garden and new fence. Pictured above, fragrant-leaved Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) ...

November 03, 2010 With a strong north wind blowing yesterday, I was almost chilly at Barton Springs Nursery. What delight to be almost chilly! And to pick up a bunch of cool new plants to try in my garden! Here’s what I got. In back, there’s ‘Don’s Dwarf’ wax myrtle, ...