Contemporary xeric garden
I spotted this beautiful curbside garden at a house near St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and had to stop to admire it. While my own garden is cottage style, with a combination of drought-tolerant natives and tough cottage favorites, I find myself drawn more and more to this xeric, minimalist style, which is increasingly seen around town at “hip” businesses and mid-century modern homes. A small but significant percentage of my clients want a design like this too. Sculptural. Dramatic. “Green” by virtue of being xeric and requiring no fertilizer.
Here’s a closer look. This is not, perhaps, a garden for the plant lover who wants to putter (like most readers of this blog, I suspect). But for the homeowner who desires a great-looking, contemporary, Austin-style landscape that requires less work than flowering perennials and annuals—or a lawn—it’s a natural choice.
To the right, a shot of sun-drenched color dazzled my eyes in the form of a Chinese pistache in peak leaf.
Wow! Unfortunately, this tree is now considered invasive in Austin.
I spotted this Knock Out rose (Rosa ‘Radrazz’, a tentative ID) nearby. All this makes me want to go home and redo my front garden. Or buy a bigger lot.
Wonderful photos, Pam! I so much enjoy reading your blog, and looking at the pictures – no better way to relax besides reading gardening books or journals.
What a terrific thing to hear, Sky. Thanks for reading and looking! —Pam
I think you need to buy a bigger lot. I like your garden but like you I like the simple look of the xeric scaping. Too bad we can’t have it all. I am a cottage style gardnener but I have a knot garden started as my nod to formality.
If only I could buy the dilapidated house next door and knock it down to make room for more gardens, like Tennessee blogger Frances did. Don’t we gardeners want it all? —Pam
How attractive the minimalist look is. It would take more self discipline than I can muster to use so few plants. Looking for new and unusual specimens is a big part of the fun of gardening.
Well, it would take more self-discipline than I have too, but I do think it’s a terrific look, especially in Austin. Who knows, maybe inside their wall they have a more varied garden, and the minimalist one at the street is meant to cut down on garden chores. —Pam
I’m guessing that they use leafblowers to keep that gravel clean. Gravel beneath trees is a headache, I’ve discovered. But I can’t stand the air and noise pollution emanating from leafblowers.
Good point, MSS. —Pam
I like all those plants individually. It bothers me that all the tall things are the same height. Perhaps that would remedy itself in time. I also don’t like the way the grass is evenly spaced. Maybe if the grass were clustered in a couple of close groups with expanses of gravel separating them.
I think the cypresses will grow taller, don’t you? Knowing the self-seeding capabilities of Mexican feathergrass, I think they’ll soon have seedlings coming up throughout that space. Unless they’re diligent about weeding, the grasses will randomize themselves soon enough. —Pam
Wow! the color of the Pistache tree rivals the yellow of the Ginko here. The greenery in your photos are a balm for my already color starved eyes. The drab winter months are soon to be a reality.
I saw a gorgeous ginko at Barton Springs Nursery recently, but I don’t often see them growing in Austin. The pistache is one of the few trees that gives reliably good fall color in Austin, but, alas, it’s now on the invasives list. —Pam
I love that architectural look, Pam! No, no puttering in a garden like that, but it is just so aesthetically pleasing to me. The Pistache tree is so pretty. Now can’t it be controlled by that “puttering” we were talking about?
Puttering would certainly take care of the problem in one’s own garden, but if it’s somehow escaping into the greenbelts that’s another matter. I’m not sure how readily it spreads here. —Pam
Wow Pam! Your photos are more beautiful each time I visit your blog. I love the xeric garden and the fall colors you’ve displayed here. You have an inspiring talent. 🙂
Thank you, Dawn! —Pam
Ugh, I don’t like those minimalist gardens. They may be okay for businesses, and would be better than no plants at all, but they seem too cold and stark for a home. But you wrote that you thought most of us plant putterers (gardeners) wouldn’t like them. Keep your front garden with its cottage feel to it.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Oh, don’t worry, I’m keeping the cottage garden. But I am in the process of opening up the space a little more with elements of this look. Time will tell how how well it works, but I’m having fun experimenting. —Pam
That chinese pistache is gorgeous!
I believe I caught it at peak color. I felt lucky to have my camera on me that day. Last week I saw an incredible, red flameleaf sumac off Bee Caves Road, but I didn’t have my camera with me that day. Argh. —Pam
Although I like the minimalist look in both homes and gardens it is not for me. It would bore me to death I’m afraid. Love that Chinese pistache tree, those leaves are gorgeous!!! BTW Your best bet IMO is to buy a bigger plot. 😉
That seems to be the consensus. I’m glad everyone’s not telling me to rip out my cottage garden because that wasn’t really going to happen. 🙂 —Pam
I’d love to have some space for minimalism, but when push comes to shove I’m going to be cottaged out every time. But you can get a nice relaxed vibe in a minimalist garden where the eye can settle on just a few lines. On the other hand, those pencil cypresses could provide some nice, easy structure in a cottage garden. And my thing with opuntia is that they always look better thinned out so you can appreciate the quality of negative space they generate.
Yep, and I need to thin my own opuntia. They’re getting a little thick. —Pam
What’s not working for me in those pictures are the hair plugs, erm feather grass.
I will readily admit that I LOVE the minimalist look above… but the idea of having to create one scares the living heck out of me design-wise. When there are so few things, they all have to work well and together. When you have a meshed-up garden like mine things can creep into the minimalist areas a bit and hide any design flaws. lol.
I bet you could make a terrific garden in any style, Kim. I have no doubts. —Pam