I am always on the lookout for unique landscape design, seeing how others create beauty in the garden so that I can help inspire you with your outdoor spaces. So, here are some design notes from the field that I found that I hope you will find useful.
REFLECTIONS:
Often when walking through the garden, I find myself pausing to admire the view of a garden’s beauty reflected on a window.
It is much like looking at a landscape in a mirror, which expands on its beauty while making it appear even more extensive.
SUCCULENT NOOK:
On a visit to a client’s landscape, I noted a unique way that they display their succulents. Little nooks were created along the bare expanse of wall, where small pots filled with succulents were nestled inside.
What a lovely way to break up what would otherwise be a bare wall.
CIRCULAR STEP STONES:
Pathways are an essential element of the landscape, allowing us to move from one area to the other. Normally, you see square step stones, a continuous path, or flagstone in a variety of shapes forming the path. However, I like these circular step stones, which create a distinctive look. The concrete is poured into molds onsite to make these step stones.
COLORFUL PORCH:
While strolling among the buildings of the La Villita Historic Village in downtown San Antonio, Texas, I spotted a delightful splash of color on a front porch. Vintage-inspired chairs in vibrant red and turquoise created a welcoming seating area in front of an old, historic home.
I hope that you enjoyed these design elements that speak to me. This is a series of design-inspired posts that I hope to feature from time to time with you. Have you seen any unique design that inspired you?
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Exploring the Largest Therapeutic Garden in Arizona
Discover Arizona’s Largest Therapeutic Garden in Bisbee. Explore healing outdoor spaces and inclusivity at this remarkable resource and heal your soul. On a recent visit to southeastern Arizona, I was invited to visit a special garden in Bisbee, a small community with a big heart.
The Significance of the Founder’s Garden
My husband and I visit Bisbee every spring and enjoy walking through the older part of town with its historic buildings and exploring the mining history.
A Healing Oasis in the Desert
During this visit, I was to speak about gardening to a community group and was given the opportunity to tour a recently completed garden. It gave me so much joy.
The Largest Therapeutic Garden in Arizona
So what is so special about this garden? Well, it is the largest therapeutic garden in Arizona. Its goal is to “serve as a space for our community partners—including hospitals, nonprofits, and other organizations—to incorporate into their services plans for individual and group therapy, day programs serving individuals with additional needs, and other forms of healing.”
Designing a Healing Outdoor Space
The garden is a 3.5-acre outdoor space designed by Norris Design of Tucson and was completed two years ago. That was plenty of time for the plants to become established and to get a feel of what the garden will look like as it continues to fill in.
We toured the garden with the CEO of Premier Alliances, and the history of its humble beginnings was fascinating to learn about.
A water feature that is safe to touch and feel while visitors enjoy the sound of water.
Promoting Healing and Inclusivity
In 1962, a group of mothers came together to find and create learning opportunities for their children with disabilities. Back then, few resources were available, so the women took matters into their own hands. They initially raised money by selling homemade cakes.
Over the years, the group evolved into Premier Alliances, which serves people with disabilities in southeastern Arizona. I love how the CEO, John Charley, refers to people with special needs as “People with additional needs.”
A with raised dots (Braille) for the sight-impaired.
Inclusivity Through Design
Throughout the garden are wide, winding paths taking visitors along landscape beds with plants that invite you to touch and feel.
Over the years, the group evolved into Premier Alliances, which serves people with disabilities in southeastern Arizona. I love how the CEO, John Charley, refers to people with special needs as “People with additional needs.”
The plants are drought and desert-adapted to handle the cold(er) winters of the high desert and hot summers. Many of the plants are found in low and mid-altitude gardens as well. All are meant as a therapeutic garden in Arizona.
New greenhouses are ready for growing projects.
Personal Perspective on Therapeutic Gardens
Gardens can be places of calm and healing. Unfortunately, not all gardens are accessible to people who may have limitations. It’s easy for people without special needs to be unaware of the obstacles that stand in the way of enjoying every day experiences, like parks or gardens.
As a parent of a daughter with “additional needs,” I know how important spaces like therapeutic gardens are and their function within the community.
The therapeutic effects of gardens are for everyone – they reduce stress and enable you to enjoy nature.
A river rock dry bed helps channel water during rain storms. Firecracker and Parry’s penstemon add welcome spring color.
Visiting Founder’s Garden in Bisbee
I encourage you to learn more about the Founder’s Garden in Bisbee and its resources. The garden is open to people with extra needs and the general public, Monday through Friday.
The entrance to Founder’s Garden
Click here to learn more about their mission and how you can visit the garden.
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Do you ever wish you had flowers to give to a friend or to decorate your table?
Garden Blooms: A Personal Touch
Instead of heading to the store for a generic bouquet, how about creating a lovely bouquet straight from your garden?
Now before you say that you don’t have any flowers suitable for a bouquet, think again.
Here are several bouquets from my garden and a few that my mother put together from her own garden…
Isn’t this a lovely arrangement?
Believe it or not, the flowers in these vases all came from plants that many of you probably have in your own garden.
Creating Beauty with Garden Blooms
My mother created this arrangement using gold lantana (Lantana ‘New Gold Mound’), orange jubilee (Tecoma x Orange Jubilee), and Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) flowers. As you can see, it is beautiful, didn’t cost her anything, and took minutes to create.
This is a bouquet that I created using flowers from my late winter garden. Pink and white globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) coupled with Goodding’s verbena(Glandularia gooddingii) is a vision of pinks and purples.
Flower Bouquet Elegance in Simplicity
I used a small pitcher to put cuttings of purple trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis), angelita daisy(Tetraneuris acaulis) and flowers from my cascalote tree(Caesalpinia cacalaco).
This antique milk of magnesia glass jar makes the perfect vase for sweet white alyssum (Lobularia maritima) , purple violas and pink bower vine(Pandorea jasminoides) flowers.
Fun and Creative Bouquet Materials
Flowers aren’t the only thing from the garden that you can use to create a bouquet with.
A mason jar filled with cut branches from a kumquat tree looks lovely on this table in winter.
Maybe your winter garden has no flowers. Well, don’t let that stop you. A small vase filled with seedpods and dried leaves from a Texas mountain laurel(Sophora secundiflora) looks great on my mother’s diningroom table.
Personal Garden Elegance
Perhaps you’ve never thought that petunias could look be used in a vase. But, if you use a small, shallow bowl, they can add a beautiful spot of color on your table.
Of course, roses always make a lovely bouquet.
Bouquets created from items in your garden are a great way to add a personal touch of beauty to your space.
So, are you inspired to create your own unique garden bouquet? Step outside in your garden and take a new look at your plants – you’ll probably be surprised at how many would look nice in a vase.
**How about you? What plants would you use to create a bouquet with?
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Last month, I diagnosed my first ever case of garden color blindness.
Now, I realize that I am no doctor or medical authority. However, as a horticulturist, I am somewhat of an expert in the garden, which is where I made my diagnosis.
Attractive drought-tolerant landscape in the Southwest
Appreciating the Beauty of Drought-Tolerant Landscapes in the Southwest
Before I tell you more about my unorthodox diagnosis, I invite you to look at this photo. It’s of a lovely low-desert landscape filled with a mixture of trees, shrubs, and cacti.
Front entry to desert garden with flowering Parry’s Penstemon
Front entry to desert garden with flowering Parry’s Penstemon
Here is another lovely desert landscape with succulents, vines, and a flowering Parry’s Penstemon.
My client has a garden much like those photographed above. It’s filled with a variety of flowering shrubs, agaves, cacti, and ground covers.
Don’t Worry; Everything is Going to Be Okay
So when he called me in a panic telling me that the plants in his garden were doing poorly, I came ready to help him out.
However, once I got there, I didn’t see any problems. His plants looked great! He told me that his plants did look fine before he left on vacation. But, when he returned, they seemed less green and somewhat sickly.
It took me a while to assure him that his garden was healthy, and then we made small talk and I asked him where he went on vacation. His answer? Michigan!
That was an AH-HA moment! I now knew what the problem was, and it wasn’t with his plants. It was his eyes and his perception of green.
A large lilac bush next to a winery in Traverse City, Michigan
Let me illustrate:
A large lilac bush next to a winery in Traverse City, Michigan
Michigan is one of my favorite states to visit because my oldest daughter lives there with her family.
It is a beautiful place to explore with lovely gardens.
Colorful bearded iris in the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
There are stunning botanical gardens awash with vibrant flowers spring through summer along with vivid greens.
Example of a Michigan Farm at Frederik Meijer Gardens
Example of a Michigan Farm at Frederik Meijer Gardens
Visiting Michigan in summer is something that I look forward to every year. The gardens with their lush greens are a soothing balm when I’m tired of the hot, dry summer heat back home.
My client had an experience much like this, enjoying the saturated greens of a Midwest summer before he returned home to his garden.
Now, take another look at the desert landscapes below:
Do they look a little less colorful to you? Dare I say drab?
When we travel to regions outside of the desert, our eyes become accustomed to bright, saturated colors that are part of that landscape. Then, when we return home, the soft, subtle shades of green are less evident to us due to the ‘green overload’ we are returning from.
It is Only Temporary Color Blindness
As I explained this to my client, he finally understood that there was nothing wrong with his plants, just his eyes.
The good news is that this is temporary color blindness and that his garden will soon look as beautiful and vibrant as it did before he went on vacation.
Have you ever suffered from temporary color blindness in the garden?
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Have you ever taken a peek behind the scenes? If you have, you know it reveals so much that you never knew. In the past, I’ve had a look at what goes on in the background in a variety of places including a Kentucky bourbon factory, the Lawry Spice Company, the Wheel of Fortune game show, local television news programs, U.S. Mint, to name a few.
Well, now I can add a visit to a seed company – ‘Botanical Interests’ to be precise.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
AZ Plant Lady (me) and my friend and fellow blogger, Teresa Odle of “Gardening in a Drought”
Last month, I toured gardens in the greater Denver area where Botanical Interests also is. We had the unique opportunity to visit their facility and learn all that goes into getting high-quality seeds into hands of gardeners throughout the U.S.
Exploring the Seed Warehouse
The first floor consists of a large warehouse with floor to ceiling shelves filled with the 600 different varieties of seed. The seed they carry include heirlooms, organics, and open-pollinated flowers, and vegetables.
Imagine a seed warehouse filled with 80 garden bloggers, and you have a pretty good idea of our vision of heaven! I admit it was hard to keep up with the tour as I wanted to read each package of seed we passed by.
Guided by the Owner, Judy Seaborn
Our tour was led by the owner of Botanical Interests herself, Judy Seaborn. She is warm, funny, and passionate. I am so impressed with her attention to detail. From the artistic seed packets to how the seeds are packaged as ‘gifts.’
Here are what the seeds are kept in before they are put into individual packets. Seeds like to be kept in a cold, dry area. Not surprisingly, Denver is the perfect location for a seed company.
Ensuring Seed Quality
Seed quality is essential as you want it all to be viable. Unlike many seed companies who have their seed tested by outside companies, Botanical Interests do their own testing to ensure that the seed is up to their high standards.
Can you guess what this is? It is a special machine from Germany with a micro-doser and seed counter. It makes sure that the exact amount of seeds make it into each packet.
Protecting Valuable Seeds
Here’s a fascinating tidbit: Many seed companies have a ‘vault’ where they store expensive seeds to maintain their peak quality.
Judy tells the story of when a delivery of seed came in via FedEx. The driver didn’t understand why the owner of the company had to sign for the delivery. That was until she told him the small bag of rare tomato seed was worth $10,000.
The Artistry Behind Each Botanical Interests Packet
If you’ve ever marveled at the beautiful and realistic artwork on Botanical Interests seed packets, you’re not alone.
Upstairs is an entire art department made up of several artists who are responsible for the drawings on each packet.
I have a confession to make – I wish that I could create drawings like this. My siblings and I are artistic, but display it in different forms. My sister is good at watercolors, my youngest sister is a sought-after professional photographer, and I show my creative talent in designing gardens.
Our tour wrapped up too quickly, but we each carried a gift of seeds to take home to our gardens.
I buy seed from Botanical Interests and have done so for years. I encourage you to do so as well as you will have a garden full of beautiful plants.
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For those of you who have been following me for any length of time, you know that my love affair with roses is something that I like to share with others. For that reason, on a lovely day in May, I made a visit to the Old West town, Tombstone, Arizona.
This historic town has two different attractions that appeal to me and my husband. He loves old westerns, and walking along the main street and seeing where the famous gunfight took place is something he enjoys. While it’s fun to explore the real-life places from long ago, my favorite destination lies just a block off of the main street…
At first glance, you would never know that a famous plant resides beyond the front door of this historic inn that is now a museum. However, it is in the backyard of this building, the “Rose Tree Inn”, which lies the “World’s Largest Rosebush“.
Due to my love of roses, and having heard of this famous rosebush I am excited to see it in person.
As you walk into the little museum, you feel as if you have stepped back into time within its rose-scented interior. As I venture toward the back where the rosebush is, my first impression is of a beautifully shaded patio area.
Over the patio, the outer branches of the rosebush create dappled shade.
As you make your way toward the main part of the rose bush, the sheer enormity of its size begins to be evident.
In the center of the branches, you can see the large, twisted trunk of the rosebush.
It is really hard to get the scale of how big it is from pictures – but look at how small the door looks off to the right side.
Now, see how big it looks with me next to it in the picture, above. Note – I am fairly tall at 5’9″.
The trunk is approximately 12-feet around and very shaggy with strips bark falling off. It definitely looks old.
This photo is taken with a flash, which lights up the area considerably. In actuality, it is very shady underneath.
Even when you stand right next to it, you can’t quite believe the enormous size.
This rosebush is not only the world’s largest – but it is also very old. For that reason, the history of the rosebush and how it came to be in Tombstone is quite interesting.
History
Then the rose came from Scotland in 1887, which makes it over 130 years old. A young Scottish immigrant and her husband moved to Tombstone in 1885. Her family sent their homesick daughter a box filled with cuttings of her favorite rosebush from home.
She gave one of the cuttings to her friend, Amelia Adamson. Together they planted the rosebush in back of Amelia’s boarding house where it has obviously flourished in its new surroundings.
Years later, the rosebush began to get attention with its large size. Consequently, it was declared the world’s largest in the 1930’s.
Now, the Tombstone rosebush reaches over 8,000 square feet!
To get an overall view of the rosebush, you walk to the other side where there are steps to climb. Because the only part you see underneath the patio are its branches, the view from above is quite different. As a result, you have a clear view of the lacy foliage and flowers in the spring.
Can you imagine how beautiful this would look in bloom? It is said that roses absolutely cover the entire upper part of the rosebush with fragrant, white flowers…
This is a close-up of the flowers from a different Lady Bank’s rose.
As you can imagine, holding up a rosebush this large isn’t easy. Therefore, metal rods form a checkerboard pattern that are large wooden posts hold up.
I spot a bird’s nest within the branches.
After I finish with my photos, I stroll back into the museum where I notice row of small rose bushes.
Above them is this sign…
Well, I don’t describe myself as an ‘impulse buyer’, I just have to buy a cutting from this historic plant.
I do have a good spot for it where it can grow up on the wall in my side yard. Because it can’t climb without support, I will provide a trellis for it to grow up on. Lady Bank’s roses also make great ground covers.
Although this rosebush was an impulse buy, it requires less maintenance than more traditional roses. I certainly can’t wait to grow a piece of the world’s largest rosebush!
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A boot planter adds a touch of whimsy to a patio table.
Exploring Southwest Garden Style Inspiration
I am always on the lookout for new ideas to use in outdoor spaces and on a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I toured 17 different gardens and came away filled with garden inspiration Southwest garden style.
Southwest Garden Style: A Personal Touch
A garden’s style is a reflection of the owner and because everyone is unique, so is the way that they decorate their landscape. I confess that I saw several ideas that I felt representative of my taste and am contemplating replicating them in my garden or recommending them for my clients.
These ideas may inspire you to enhance your own landscape or recommend them to your clients if you’re a gardening enthusiast.
Southwest Garden Style Inspirations
1. Living Art: Wooden Picture Frames Adorned with Plants
One delightful feature I discovered was wooden picture frames filled with live plants, adorning a garden fence. This artistic touch adds charm to any Southwest garden.
These ideas may inspire you to enhance your own landscape or recommend them to your clients if you’re a gardening enthusiast.
Wooden picture frames filled with live plants adorn a fence is Southwest garden style
2. Gazebo Oasis: Creating a Cozy Outdoor Retreat
I fell in love with a gazebo nestled in Colleen Jamison’s backyard. Furnished with comfortable seating and even a chandelier, it’s a dreamy space that I aspire to recreate in my own garden someday.
I fell in love with the gazebo in Colleen Jamison’s backyard. Filled with comfortable furniture and even a chandelier, I hope to create something similar in my back garden someday.
3. Illuminating Elegance: Candelabra and Mirrors
Within the gazebo, a candelabra graces a side table, casting a warm glow. Mirrors strategically placed throughout the garden reflect its beauty, creating the illusion of a larger outdoor space.
A candelabra graces a side table underneath the shade of the gazebo while mirrors reflect other areas of the garden.
4. Reflective Charm: Mirrors in Shady Spaces
The simple inclusion of a mirror in shaded areas can work wonders, reflecting the garden’s other side and enhancing its visual appeal.
The simple inclusion of a mirror reflects the other side of the garden and creates the illusion of a larger outdoor space. This works well in shady areas.
5. Whimsical Welcome: Garden Gate with a Unique Handle
A garden gate with a handle crafted from a hand cultivator adds a whimsical touch to the entryway, embodying the spirit of Austin’s “keep it weird” campaign.
A unique handle for a door – a hand cultivator welded to the garden gate.
6. Artistic Garden Sculptures
One garden featured a stone head adorned with Mexican feather grass, creating a striking and artistic focal point.
A stone head spouts a full head of hair made from Mexican feather grass (Nassella tennuisma).
7. Playful Entrance: Skull and Prickly Pear Cactus
Embrace creativity with a garden doorway graced by a skull and a prickly pear cactus, making a memorable first impression.
Keeping with the “keep Austin weird” campaign, a garden doorway is graces with a skull and a prickly pear cactus.
8. Curved Path of Discovery
A curved garden path leads visitors on a journey of discovery, punctuated by large concrete balls that add a unique visual element.
A curved garden path leads visitors on a journey of discovery with large concrete balls dotting the way.
9. Upside Down Planters: Gravity-Defying Charm
An upside-down planter hanging from a tree, showcasing flowering impatiens, defies gravity and adds a cool, unexpected element to the garden.
An upside down planter hangs from a tree with flowering impatiens. I don’t know how the plant stays in without falling out, but it’s cool!
10. Container Brilliance: Pots as Decorative Elements
Large, colorful containers can serve as focal points in the garden, even when they don’t contain plants. Explore the beauty of decorative outdoor pots.
A large colorful, container is the focal point behind a swimming pool. Pots don’t need to have plants inside them to add beauty to the garden. Pots can serve as a decorative outdoor element.
11. Pear Arbor: Rustic Elegance
Four pear trees form an arbor over a rustic dining table, creating a tranquil outdoor dining experience. These trees were trained onto a rebar structure, adding rustic charm.
Four pear trees form an arbor over a rustic dining table. The trees were planted 5 years ago and trained onto a basic structure created from rebar.
12. Burst of Color: Planters, Cushions, and Outdoor Carpet
Pam Penick’s garden demonstrates that color doesn’t only come from plants. Add vibrancy using planters, cushions, and outdoor carpets to create a lively atmosphere.
Color doesn’t only from plants in Pam Penick’s garden – she adds interest with vibrant hues using planters, cushions, and outdoor carpet.
Summer in my desert garden is a time to enjoy its beauty from the air-conditioned comfort of my home. Yet, it’s also when I plan and dream of what I would like to add to it when the weather cools in fall.
Metal stars are on display, framed by star jasmine vine (Trachelospermum jasminoides).
Embrace Garden Inspiration and Inspire Beauty
While garden inspiration was in plentiful supply during my visit to Austin, it can also be found in other places such as a roadside planting, a local business’s landscape, a favorite magazine, or perhaps even in your neighbor’s front yard. I encourage you to keep your eyes open to possibilities of what you can do with your outdoor space.
Embrace Modern Elegance with a Low Maintenance Garden
Discover the Beauty of B. Jane’s Contemporary Landscape
Is your landscape style more free-form and natural. Or do you embrace a more modern, contemporary kind of garden with straight lines and right angles? On a recent visit to Austin, I had the opportunity to visit the home of landscape designer, B. Jane, which looks as if it came straight from the pages of a magazine with its resort-style design. If you had a garden like this, why leave home? You can vacation at home in a contemporary, low maintenance garden?
A Front Yard Oasis
The front of B.’s garden has a large crepe myrtle. It is located between her two front windows. This helps to frame her view from the house. The flat pads of a prickly pear cactus add rich texture contrast among the softer shapes of perennials.
Stylish Groundcover Choices
An agave nestles between asparagus fern and silver ponyfoot(Dichondra argentea). Both plant are ground covers. I often saw at the gardens in Austin. This plant is a type of Dichondra. I liked it so much. Happily, I brought some home and now have it growing in one of my large containers by the front entry. Silver ponyfoot creeps along the ground. It can be used to trail over the sides of pots as well.
A Modern Twist with Natural Elements
A live oak tree(Quercus virginiana) is planted in a circular section. Decomposed granite works around the tree. Asparagus fern adds softness around the outer edges, again, creating nice texture contrast.
Striking Pathways and Stone Accents
As I walked toward the backyard, the square step stones caught my eye. The dark grey beach pebbles contrast nicely. This is a great design look.
Simplicity and Beauty in Low Maintenance
As you can see from the potted plants on the patio table, simplicity reigns in this garden. This garden is filled with native or adapted plants. They flourish with little fuss. Low maintenance doesn’t mean that a garden is dull. Often the truth is just the opposite as you will see as we continue on our tour.
Resort-Style Backyard Retreat
A rectangular pool runs along the center of the backyard. Colorful balls reflect the colors used throughout the landscape. This is a brilliant way to draw attention to the colors. A ‘Sticks on Fire’ succulent(Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’) basks in the sun. This is a plant that does beautifully in hot, arid climates.
A Garden Office with a View
Now, we are at the point in the tour where I became seriously envious. This is B.’s office. It is separate from her house. She simply walks by her beautiful pool on her way to work in the morning and enjoys a glorious view of her garden while she works. Have I ever mentioned that I work in my dining room. That is, until my kids leave home and I get my own office (room).
Creative Container Displays
A group of containers filled with a variety of plants including hibiscus, rosemary, and basil. This adds interest to this corner by the pool.
Privacy and Color in the Low Maintenance Garden
Bamboo is used to help provide privacy from neighbors. The shrub roses add a welcome pop of color. It is an unlikely combination that really works.
A Garden for Every Family Member
Even the dog has its own space in B.’s garden with a patch of grass and his own fire hydrant!
Relax in Style in this Low Maintenance Garden
Isn’t this a lovely low maintenance seating area? I love the splash of red and the bamboo backdrop.
A Contemporary Low Maintenance Garden Oasis
Just the perfect spot to sit with my friend, Teresa Odle. I must admit that I am drawn more toward more naturalistic gardens. I enjoy curves and staggered plantings. My heart does love the contemporary lines of B. Jane’s garden and its resort-like vibe. You can find out more about B. Jane and her creations here.
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Exploring Pam Penick’s Shady Colorful Garden in Austin, Texas
I like quirky things that are unexpected and outside the daily ‘normalness’ in our lives. That is why I have fallen in love with the city of Austin, Texas, which prides itself on being “weird.” Another reason this Texas capital city appeals to me is their beautiful gardens and rich gardening culture, and my friend, Pam Penick’s shady, colorful garden personifies the uniqueness that is found throughout Austin.
Meeting Pam Penick and Her Unique Garden for Garden Bloggers Fling
Pam Penick (facing front wearing a hat) greeting garden visitors.
On a recent visit to Austin, I took part in the Garden Bloggers Fling, where garden bloggers from the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain, gather and tour gardens within a particular city. This year’s Fling was held in Austin, and one of the gardens I was most excited to see was Pam’s.
As two long-time bloggers in the Southwest, Pam and I have been friends for several years and I was fortunate to have hosted her in Arizona four years ago, while she was researching for her latest book, “The Water-Saving Garden.” For years, I’ve wanted to visit her garden and now was my chance.
Creative Solutions for Shady Conditions
Pam’s garden flourishes underneath the filtered shade of beautiful oak trees. However, the shade does present some challenges in that there aren’t a lot of colorful plants that will flower in shady conditions. But, Pam expertly works around that obstacle, using her unique design style that she describes as mostly contemporary.
Bringing Color to the Shady Landscape
Concentrating flowering plants in the few areas that receive bright sun is one way to add needed color to a shady landscape. Here, the bright colors of this autumn sage(Salvia greggii) contrast beautifully with the blue-gray leaves of a whale’s tongue agave(Agave ovatifolia). While both of these plants flourish in full sun in this Texas garden, they do best with filtered or afternoon shade in the low desert region.
A Splash of Blue in the Garden
When flowering plants are absent, we introduce texture by utilizing spiky agave and yucca plants. We incorporate elements of color into the garden through the inclusion of garden art, exemplified by these blue balls.
I love blue pots, and I’ve found a kindred spirit in Pam, who has them scattered throughout her landscape.
As you walk through the garden, you need to pay attention as Pam adds lovely detail in unexpected places, like this rusted garden art.
Unique Garden Trends: Pocket Planters
There are garden trends that are unique to specific areas of the country, and I found several of what I call, ‘pocket planters’ hanging on walls. Right at eye-level, it is easy to explore the tiny detail of these small containers.
Bamboo Muhly and Dyckia: A Colorful Composition
Walking along the driveway, toward the backyard, the soft shape of bamboo muhly(Muhlenbergia dumosa) adds a beautiful blue backdrop, and in front, a container filled with Dyckia and a blue heart adds interest.
A sage green garden gate led the way into the backyard.
A potting bench sits along the wall in the side garden where four “Moby Jr.” whale’s tongue agave are planted. They come from Pam’s original “Moby” agave – I have one of the babies growing in my front garden.
Succulent Beauty in Masonry Blocks
Masonry blocks are artfully arranged into a low wall. Each block is rich with a variety of succulents.
The garden sits on a slope. This provides a lovely view from the upper elevation. I love the blue wall that adds a welcome splash of color. It also adds a touch of whimsy with the “Austin” sign.
Shadows and Planters: Adding Colorful Elements
The shadows from an oak tree make delightful patterns along the wall while planters add a nice color element.
Blue Bottle Trees and Unique Ornaments
Gardening in Austin isn’t for wimps. They have to deal with thin soils that lie atop rock. This is quite evident along the back of the garden.
Blue bottle trees are a popular garden ornament throughout the South as well as other areas of the U.S. Here; they serve the same purpose as a flowering vine would.
A Whimsical Touch: Octopus Pots
As I got ready to leave, I walked along the deck that overlooked the pool. Here there are more examples of Pam’s unique garden style. Honestly, I can say that I’ve never seen octopus pots anywhere in my garden travels, until now.
I had a wonderful time exploring this shady oasis and the innovative ways that Pam has introduced colorful elements. Check out her blog, Digging, which is one of my favorites.
I love English gardens with their lush greenery, colorful blooms, and somewhat untidy appearance. This may be due to my partial English ancestry. I don’t make it to the British Isles as much as I’d like. But there are lovely examples to be found in the U.S. Earlier this month, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit an English garden with Texas flair.
A Texan Adventure: Garden Bloggers Fling in Austin
I was in Austin for the Garden Bloggers Fling. It is an annual gathering of garden bloggers that is held in a different city each year. As you might expect, touring gardens is the focus of the Fling. I couldn’t wait to explore the gardens of this area. Largely because we can grow many of the same types of plants in Arizona.
Embracing Rainy Garden Adventures in the Texas
I woke up, excited for our first day of touring, only to be greeted by torrential rain. I was undeterred with the wet. Equipped with my rain poncho and umbrella, 3.5 inches of rain wasn’t going to get in my way of seeing beautiful gardens.
Journey into an “Arts and Crafts Texas-Style Garden with an English Theme”
The garden of Jenny Stocker, who blogs at Rock Rose, was my favorite destination of the day. She describes her garden as an “arts and crafts Texas-style garden with an English theme”. She has divided her landscape into ‘rooms.’ Many areas surrounded by walls that frame each room while keeping deer away. Doorways provide a tantalizing glimpse into the next room, encouraging visitors to embark on a journey of discovery.
Exploring the Beauty of Texas-English Garden Rooms
A dry creek bed meanders through this garden room where it is surrounded by both native and adapted plants that thrive despite a thin layer of soil that lies over rock.
Plants, like this foxglove, droop gracefully under the continuing rainfall and with every step through the garden, my feet were squishing in my wet shoes, but it was easy to ignore the discomfort with all the beauty surrounding me.
A small water feature, complete with water plants and a fish, create a welcome focal point.
Potted Wonders: Adding Visual Interest to the Texas-English Garden
Potted plants like this potted brugmansia and golden barrel cactuses add visual interest to an alcove. Did you know that golden barrel cactus are native to Texas and Mexico? Many of the plants we grow in Arizona come from these regions.
An angelic face peeks out from a wall of creeping fig, which grows well in the desert garden in shady locations with adequate water.
A Unique Swimming Pool: Blending Nature and Water Features
An overturned pot spills water into the pool, providing the lovely sound of water while creating a lovely focal point.
The swimming pool was unique in that it looked like a water feature with the surrounding flowering plants, many of which, are allowed to self-seed.
This was my favorite garden room, so I took a video so you can get an overview of the beauty of this area.
Harmonizing Edibles and Flowers in the Texas-English Garden
In another area of the garden, raised beds were filled with edible plants. In between the beds, were flowering plants that create a welcome softness and attract pollinators, which in turn, benefit the vegetables.
Lovely Verbena bonariensis decorated the edible garden with their delicate purple blossoms.
Aloes and Agaves: Succulent Magic
Jenny makes great use of grouping potted plants together on steps and I recognized ‘Blue Elf’aloes in a few of the containers, which is one of my favorite aloes that I use in designs.
Stone, Succulents, and Sculptures: Artistry in the Garden
Stacked stone forms a raised bed that surrounds the circular wall of this garden room where a bird bath serves as a focal point.
Decorative animals were tucked into different spots, just waiting to be discovered by garden visitors, like this quail family.
Mimicking Water Movement: A Creative Garden Touch with Mexican Feather Grass
Here’s a fantastic whimsical element that I particularly enjoyed: they used Mexican feather grass to imitate the movement of water for stone fish.
Much like desert gardens, cacti and succulents were used to create unique texture, like this spineless prickly pear(Opuntia cacanapa), which is native to Texas but also grows nicely in my Arizona garden.
A Texas Treasure: The Beauty of the English Garden
The blue-gray color and spiky texture of artichoke agave, contrasts beautifully with the softer textures of lush green perennials.
As we prepared to say goodbye to this Texas-English garden, I stroll past an opening in a garden wall, where I noticed a single agave standing sentinel, and I marveled at how a single plant can create a significant design impact when carefully positioned.
This garden was a true Texas treasure and I came away in awe of its natural beauty. However, this wasn’t only the garden that inspired me. There are sixteen other gardens left to explore. I invite you to come back when I’ll profile another of my favorites.
https://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Garden_Bloggers_Fling_Austin_2018_Foxglove_Jenny_Stocker_Garden-019.jpg1024768arizonaplantlady@gmail.comhttp://www.azplantlady.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/favicon.pngarizonaplantlady@gmail.com2018-05-19 06:20:582023-10-10 09:53:10An English Garden With Texas Flair
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