Rainy day visit to Jenny Stocker’s garden
A visit to Jenny Stocker‘s gorgeous walled garden is always a treat, even on a chilly, rainy day like last Friday (and actually all this month). Jenny kindly opened her garden to me and my friend Susan Morrison, who was in town for a Garden Spark presentation, and we showed up in rain jackets and umbrellas to explore.
Gomphrena was the star of the sunken garden by the swimming pool. Jenny grows this pink gomphrena as well as hot-pink ‘Fireworks’, red ‘Strawberry Fields’, and dwarf ‘Buddy Purple’.
The heat-loving sunken garden looks lovely even after the chilly, rainy weather we’ve had for several weeks.
The view from the back porch, with a bottlebrush-headed Yucca rostrata for company.
When I stepped into the potager, I spotted a patch of stunning pink Japanese anemones against the water-stained stucco wall and went nuts over them. Those wiry black stems! Those cheery pink blossoms with fringed yellow centers! Those cute little blue-green leaves!
Turning to Jenny, I calmly said, “I DIDN’T KNOW YOU COULD GROW THESE IN TEXAS!”
She nonchalantly said they’re easy to grow, and she has them planted in several sunny places in her walled gardens where the walls give protection from afternoon sun. They are watered on drip, she said, but not excessively. Needless to say, I will be trying these if I can find a spot with enough morning to midday sun.
I also congratulated Jenny on the beautiful pruning of this spineless prickly pear, and she said it just grows that way. It’s stunning.
This vignette caught my eye as well: a pumpkin-hued gate and the orange-red berries of pyracantha. A hanging vase on the gate contains a sprig of dried flowers.
Venn diagram garden art
In the agave garden by the driveway, native goldeneye daisies (Viguiera dentata, I think) were abloom. This is one of my favorite fall wildflowers here in Austin, where you can see them in full bloom on rocky hillsides along the highways.
Another door planter hangs on the gate to the front garden.
Inside the walled garden, it’s a dry-lush scene of small grasses, agaves, cacti, and fading wildflowers.
Thanks, Jenny, for another opportunity to enjoy your stunning garden!
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Wow, such a beautiful garden! Love the gomphrenas. Strawberry Fields is my favorite.
Thank you for sharing this great garden with us.
It’s my pleasure, Olga. Thanks for your comment!
Her garden looks so lush after the hot summer. Those anemones are stunning. I don’t think I have seen the ones with black stems.
The black stems are perfection. I always covet maidenhair fern for the same reason.
I can only wish Japanese anemones grew so well in my SoCal garden! I had less than a dozen stems this year and still counted myself lucky as many years there are none.
I hope your rain abates – or at least is paced with breaks that allow the soil to absorb it.
More rain is expected tomorrow, but at least the water treatment plants are starting to get a handle on things again, on our second boil-water day here in Austin. Hope that lifts soon!
I’m not surprised that there would be something excellent to see in Jennys garden any time of the year, rain or shine .
Now that you’ve seen it, you know.
Jenny’s garden just has so much interest in every season. It was such a thrill to have toured it on the Austin Fling.
I’m so glad she shared it with everyone on the Fling. 🙂
Oh wow, another plant I have to fit into the garden! I completely agree – that anemone is gorgeous! And the gray wall just sets it off to perfection. Thanks for a beautiful post, and thanks to Jenny for sharing her garden so generously.
I’m glad you enjoyed the tour, Maggie.
Do you which variety of anemone that is? I have seen other pink ones that I was not impressed with. That one is striking!
I’m afraid I don’t, Wendy. You might try visiting Jenny’s Rock Rose blog to ask her directly.
Fabulous pics of a wonderful garden!
I have done well with fireworks gomphrena, and it sure would go well with those anemones! I haven’t ever seen them for sale at nurseries, maybe too humid for the coast?
I also loved the circular wall art and the stuccoed walls, your visual gardening encouragement is appreciated.
Thanks for visiting, Heidi. Jenny has a way with plants — and art!
The anemones floating against the wall is a setting not often seen. Since they need shade, they often disappear amidst greenery. Love Jenny’s instincts!
Good point about the anemones, Denise. If one doesn’t have a wall, I guess planting them in front of evergreens would be another way to get this effect.
Those Japanese anemones are GORGEOUS!! I will be adding those to my garden also! By the way – the circle art is from Pier 1. I bought two of them years ago and have them hanging in a 4′ round window in my bathroom.
It’s a really pretty piece of art!