Linda’s live oak courtyard garden in San Antonio
Linda Peterson’s San Antonio garden is one of my favorites in all of Texas, and is home to several charismatic live oaks.… Read More
Prickly pear growing in live oak
I was on wildflower safari south of San Antonio when I spotted a venerable live oak with spiny opuntia growing along one huge limb. It must have found a crevice on the branch, but how did it get up there? Do mammals or other creatures eat prickly pear tunas (fruit) and deposit seeds up in trees?… Read More
Losing shade trees and replanting
February 04, 2019For 10 years I’ve gardened under dozens of live oaks on our 1/3-acre lot. Last month we lost two of our treasured trees (center of photo above), which shaded our patio and one end of the pool from … Read More
New leaves coming up, old leaves coming down
March 16, 2018 Spring looks a lot like fall in my garden, as this photo shows: fresh green leaves surrounded by brown live oak leaves. Live oaks stay green all winter, like an evergreen tree, but come spring they do … Read More
The twinkliest town in the Hill Country
December 22, 2017 If you want to see trees made of light and a charmingly illuminated main square, go visit Johnson City, a small town of 2,000 residents, located about an hour west of Austin. Every December they turn their … Read More
Losing a tree diseased by hypoxylon canker
December 28, 2016 A few days before Christmas, the front garden endured a major change: a fatally diseased live oak near our front door had to be removed. I’d had an arborist out the week before to give me a … Read More