An extravaganza of bluebonnets and other Texas wildflowers
March 15, 2024 Texas bluebonnets are coloring fields and roadsides a month early this year, and they’re already at peak in certain areas. I follow Facebook page Texas Wildflower Report each spring to learn where good fields have been spotted. And so when I found myself with a free afternoon ...
Early March visit to Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble
March 12, 2024 Two weekends ago, during a trip to Houston to see family and friends, I made a morning visit to Mercer Botanic Gardens in the northern suburb of Humble. The gardens were just waking up for spring, and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll along garden paths and trails ...
Crossvine, plum, and spiderwort at peak bloom
March 10, 2024 What’s making me happiest in my garden right now? Let me show you! My favorite plant this week is ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine. Look at those crinkled, open-throated, mango-hued blossoms, singing spring for all they’re worth. A single vine has crept along the coyote fence at the back ...
Texas flowering trees for bees
March 05, 2024 The sweet, grapey fragrance of Kool-Aid wafts on the breeze at this time of year in Texas. Purple flower clusters that put wisteria to shame dangle from Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora) trees. Bees go mad for these purple pom-poms, and so do I. Every time I ...
Early spring walk at Lady Bird Lake
March 01, 2024 The trail around Lady Bird Lake was pink, brown, and blue last weekend. Peach trees were flowering against a bluebird sky. Bald cypresses were biding their time, waiting to be sure all freezes are over. Eager redbuds proclaimed that spring is here. Their pink-and-fuchsia flowers clustered along ...
Earliest spring flowers are popping
February 27, 2024 Spring has arrived in earnest in Austin, and it feels about two weeks early. Is that right, long-time Austinites? Temps have been in the mid- to upper 80s F for the past several days, and although that’s warm, it’s still very comfortable in the shade. In response ...
Wildflowers, breathtaking views at Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Dam
June 16, 2023 Hatted and sunscreened against the intense desert sun, we took a morning walk out to see Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona, before our tour of Antelope Canyon. This was back in late April, during our 5-week RV trip to see western National Parks. Wild rhubarb (I think?) ...
Golden hour with a canyon view
May 31, 2023 On a recent golden afternoon I snail-crawled my way through my friend Cat‘s garden as she narrated its spring journey. The tale happily meandered, and so did our feet. I stopped to admire each glowing moment. Isn’t this a charming vignette, with a terracotta frog perched among ...
On the hunt for a Shantung maple at Metro Maples
April 18, 2023 One thing that may surprise you about North Texas gardens is they frequently indulge a passion for Japanese maples. In the leafy, older neighborhoods of Dallas–Fort Worth, Japanese maples fill the understory with wine-red leaves and a ballerina’s grace. Although they need deep soakings during droughty Texas ...
Last of the bluebonnets in Ruthie’s garden
April 14, 2023 Whenever there’s a chance to show more bluebonnets, before they’re gone, show more bluebonnets. I spotted these in Ruthie Burrus’s garden last week. Her spring garden is always a vision, but the last of the bluebonnets, mingling here with pink evening primrose, are what I’m thinking of ...
Spring spurs spuria irises
April 07, 2023 The spuria irises have sprung! Their burnt gold, droopy-petaled flowers perch atop tall stems, surrounded by slender, sword-shaped leaves, sheltered under a crape myrtle canopy. Their distinctive color pops against a green backdrop. They glow behind mauve, fleshy ‘Fiercely Fabulous’ mangave. They make a golden filling between ...
Fields awash in Texas bluebonnets and other wildflowers
March 25, 2023 Galvanized by swaths of bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) coloring Austin’s urban roadsides, I drove east on Thursday morning to wander the dirt roads of Industry, a town of around 273 people. There I found farmsteads in rolling fields of denim blue. The bluebonnets are showing off this spring, ...
Crossvine trumpeting spring’s arrival
March 12, 2023 Of all the vines that grow well with little care in Central Texas, ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine (Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’) may be my favorite. This spring-flowering beauty blushes with abundant orange blossoms with golden centers, and the vine is semi-evergreen in winter too. It has always bloomed, even ...
Poppies a-popping at Antique Rose Emporium, plus Round Top shopping
May 10, 2022 A month ago it wasn’t blazing summer in Austin but gentle spring. Early April found me on a wildflower safari with Patterson Webster, visiting from Canada, and my friend Diana Kirby. The Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham We drove out to Brenham for lunch at Truth BBQ ...
Gathering spaces in Ruthie Burrus Garden, part 2
May 02, 2022 In my last post I hope I wowed you — as I was wowed — by the colorful wildflower meadow and textural spiky-soft shade garden of Ruthie Burrus. If you missed it, check out Part 1 of my visit to Ruthie’s West Austin garden. Today we’ll explore ...
Wildflower-palooza at Ruthie Burrus Garden, part 1
April 30, 2022 I first photographed Ruthie Burrus’s garden 8 years ago, when she emailed an invitation to come visit. I was wowed by her wildflower meadow, textural foliage garden at the front door, giant rainwater cisterns, charmingly rustic garden haus, and skyline view. Here’s her garden haus in spring ...
