cool gardens in a hot climate™
June 06, 2018 Hot weather and sunshine bring out the beauty of prickly pear (Opuntia) flowers. This gigantic spineless prickly pear growing in a neighbor’s yard stands about 6-1/2 feet tall, and it’s covered with butter-yellow flowers. The toughest plants … Read More
March 15, 2018 It’s Bloom Day, and Austin is abloom right now in Texas mountain laurel grapiness. Grapiness, you ask? Yes! Purple blossoms that draw comparisons to wisteria hang from every glossy-leaved branch and scent the air with the fragrance … Read More
March 09, 2018 One of the few things I didn’t plant in my garden, the Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) came with the house. When I first saw the buckeye-shaped seedpods dangling from its branches, I was excited to realize I’d … Read More
July 31, 2017 Unirrigated and thriving in decomposed granite, West Texas native silver ironweed (Vernonia lindheimeri var. leucophylla) powers through the depths of summer. I enjoy its silver sheen and purple pom-pom blossoms and its Texas-tough attitude. For more info, … Read More