Nurseries/Shops

October 17, 2010 ‘Sharkskin’ agave and ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave at the Utility Research Garden The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Austin tour was held yesterday, with 6 private gardens open to the public. My first stop was the ambiguously named Utility Research Garden, which I imagined to be an experimental garden ...

August 21, 2010 For a nursery located within spitting distance of downtown, on South Congress Avenue, The Great Outdoors is surprisingly large, which befits a place featuring a nearly life-size topiary elephant as its mascot and another on its sign. From the street you glimpse a colorful mural, a screen ...

August 18, 2010 Hello, my name is Pam… I spotted this T-shirt at the Great Outdoors Nursery‘s gift shop. Perfect, eh? No, I didn’t buy it. I saved my money for plants I shouldn’t have bought at this time of year. (Come on, autumn!) I also took a lot of ...

January 13, 2010 An Austin nursery landmark has succumbed to the ailing economy. Gardens — a boutique nursery, home-and-garden gift shop, and design firm located on 35th Street — announced a 40- to 70%-off sale yesterday. I heard about it on Twitter and then via a forwarded email from Gardens ...

December 08, 2009 Agaves—I just love them. So you can imagine how it’s been tormenting me to drive past Agave Landscape & Nursery every time I take busy Hwy. 290 West to my favorite stoneyard in Oak Hill. On Thursday, as the gardeners of Austin prepared for Friday’s predicted hard ...

December 08, 2009 Agaves—I just love them. So you can imagine how it’s been tormenting me to drive past Agave Landscape & Nursery every time I take busy Hwy. 290 West to my favorite stoneyard in Oak Hill. On Thursday, as the gardeners of Austin prepared for Friday’s predicted hard ...

December 04, 2009 As Austin awaits its first freeze of the season and squints skyward for a few predicted snowflakes, I’ve been showing my visiting mom and cousin around town in very chilly weather. Yesterday we spent the day shopping in Dripping Springs, about 30 minutes west of Austin, and ...

December 04, 2009 As Austin awaits its first freeze of the season and squints skyward for a few predicted snowflakes, I’ve been showing my visiting mom and cousin around town in very chilly weather. Yesterday we spent the day shopping in Dripping Springs, about 30 minutes west of Austin, and ...

November 09, 2009 Garden path at the Antique Rose Emporium Rose Garden: two words that induce irrepressible yawns. I’ve never enjoyed traditional rose gardens, where different varieties of roses are spaced out across a sunny square and unaccompanied by any other plants. It makes for a hodgepodge of color and ...

August 02, 2009 Have the drought and heat wilted your enthusiasm for gardening, Austinites? May I suggest two things to renew your gardening joy? Water plants and cacti. I’ve gone on lately about my new water garden, but long-time readers know that I also love agaves, yuccas, and other plants ...

April 21, 2009 Before the roller derby, we spent part of a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon at Living Desert, a cactus nursery and gift shop out on Highway 71 West in Bee Cave. Living Desert is known for piles of colorful slag glass for sale in the back yard and ...

March 26, 2009 Golden barrel cactus, ‘Angelina’ sedum, and two ‘Elegans’ sedums For anyone in the Austin area who’s interested in green roofs, I thought I’d share info about this Saturday’s tour of the largest green roof in town. Casey Boyter of GRoWERS writes: I am pleased to announce that ...

March 26, 2009 Golden barrel cactus, ‘Angelina’ sedum, and two ‘Elegans’ sedums For anyone in the Austin area who’s interested in green roofs, I thought I’d share info about this Saturday’s tour of the largest green roof in town. Casey Boyter of GRoWERS writes: I am pleased to announce that ...

January 23, 2009 My pictures of the blue adobe courtyard at the Antique Rose Emporium in San Antonio drew several comments from readers who didn’t know about the Alamo City location. While ARE in Brenham/Independence is better known, the Emporium in San Antonio is actually closer to us Austinites. As ...

January 22, 2009 After feeding the lories at the San Antonio Zoo, we stopped by the Antique Rose Emporium in north San Antone. In winter the roses are quiet, but the adobe walls are always colorful. And at any time of year they show off evergreen yuccas and agaves to ...

January 22, 2009 After feeding the lories at the San Antonio Zoo, we stopped by the Antique Rose Emporium in north San Antone. In winter the roses are quiet, but the adobe walls are always colorful. And at any time of year they show off evergreen yuccas and agaves to ...