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For more than 70 years, North Haven Gardens has been a resource for plants and supplies for gardeners in north Dallas. Here’s my tour.… Read More

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For more than 70 years, North Haven Gardens has been a resource for plants and supplies for gardeners in north Dallas. And this is despite being hit by two tornadoes in a recent two-year period. Yes, two tornadoes — bam bam! The longtime family nursery was torn up by a ferocious tornado in 2019. The owners rebuilt, and then a second (thankfully less damaging) tornado struck in 2021. Good grief. It’s one more example of how Texas gardening requires true grit.

Today a spacious modern shop welcomes visitors. I stopped in for the first time during my garden-touring trip to Dallas in mid-May.

North Texas is windy, and a swath of Mexican feathergrass near the doors was billowing in the breeze. Hypnotic and pretty! Imagine this sprinkled with a few ‘Pink Parade’ hesperaloes for hummingbird-attracting flowers and winter interest. I saw ‘Pink Parade’ planted in Dallas’s highway medians — as tough a spot as I can imagine — and it was stunning, although I wondered if hummingbirds are ever big-rig casualties in their efforts to get at it. It made me want to plant it, if only I had a sunny spot protected from deer to enjoy those big hesperaloe blooms.

But I digress.

NHG’s nursery yard is huge and filled with a variety of plants.

I like their signs announcing staff-favorite plants…

…and giving shout-outs to local plant growers.

Lots of plants to choose from

They sell water-garden plants and tanks too.

Here’s a surprise — a cafe on-site! Ralph & Rose also contains a nice gift shop, plus a conference room for classes and events. I hope the nursery will invite me to give a talk here when my book comes out (hint hint!).

Bananas and more along a walkway

A big greenhouse contains tropicals and succulents…

…and cactus planters.

Inside the main shop, I got sidetracked by the beautifully designed packets of Hudson Valley Seeds.

I mean, look at these!

The packaging makes me want to buy them all.

So good

I’ve never in my life been tempted to try growing squash, much less ‘Black Futsu’ squash. But this packet almost convinced me.

And got kids or grandkids? How about these Jellycat cactus and sansevieria bags? Freaking adorable!

I didn’t buy any plants on this visit — mid-May is past my planting time, for my own sanity in Texas gardening — but I sure did find a few gifts to take home. I hope to visit again next time I’m in Dallas.

Up next from my Dallas trip: A peek at historic Lakewood’s fanciful Spanish Eclectic homes. For a look back at the Japanese maple collector’s garden of Cindy Bolz, click here.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The post North Haven Gardens nursery in Dallas appeared first on Digging.

June 10, 2024 Do you ever cruise through an interesting neighborhood, gawking at houses? I love to. While in Dallas a few weeks ago, I detoured through historic Lakewood to gawk at its storybook houses. Around 50 Lakewood homes were … Read More

The post Storybook Hutsell houses in Dallas’s historic Lakewood appeared first on Digging.

Do you ever cruise through an interesting neighborhood, gawking at houses? I love to. While in Dallas a few weeks ago, I detoured through historic Lakewood to gawk at its storybook houses. Around 50 Lakewood homes were built by architect Clifford D. Hutsell in the 1920s and ’30s. Described as Spanish Eclectic, they stand out with colorful tile roofs, turrets, walled courtyards, wooden balconies, arched doors and windows, stained glass — and this one even has blue outdoor curtains hanging two stories high!

And check out that stained-glass window. What is that, a galleon on the high seas? Such fanciful architecture! I like the waterwise foundation planting too: a pair of Arizona cypresses (although they’re going to get big, and I’d never want to cover up this architecture), prickly pear, and silvery ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia.

Potted sansevierias dance up the wrought-iron railing of an exterior staircase. You just get a glimpse of a tiled fountain in the walled courtyard. I adore the personality of this whimsical house. Lucky owners! To see the interior (back in 2016, when it was for sale), check out this article at candysdirt.com.

I snapped a few more Hutsell homes from the car window. I’m totally in love with these colorful Spanish tile roofs.

This one has a Hobbit-esque door and interesting diagonal hedges.

And wrought-iron dragon lanterns!

Another turreted beauty

That’s a wrap on my Dallas trip. To go back to my visit to North Haven Gardens nursery in north Dallas, click here. You can find links to my Dallas garden tours at the end of each post in this series.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The post Storybook Hutsell houses in Dallas’s historic Lakewood appeared first on Digging.

June 12, 2024 I walked by this home in my northwest Austin ‘hood the other day and — bam! — the landscaping stopped me in my tracks. A silver-green planting of whale’s tongue agave, woolly stemodia, and grassy Lindheimer nolina … Read More

The post Drive-By Gardens: Contemporary, lawn-gone front yard appeared first on Digging.

I walked by this home in my northwest Austin ‘hood the other day and — bam! — the landscaping stopped me in my tracks. A silver-green planting of whale’s tongue agave, woolly stemodia, and grassy Lindheimer nolina (I think) makes a textural, deer-resistant welcome to this 1970s ranch. A low wall manages the sloping grade change and creates subtle separation between the public-facing part of the yard and an inner, more-private patio by the front door.

Speaking of the door, I adore that sky-blue paint job.

Looking lengthwise, you see how the curving lot was accommodated with an apron of gravel, which provides easy access for visitors parking along the curb. There’s no reason your visitors or the pizza delivery guy must squeeze past your plants — or, heaven forbid, step on them — when exiting their cars. A strip of gravel solves that problem. This gravel strip absorbs the curve, and then the modern straight lines of the steel edging and wall take over.

Inside the wall, under the shade of trees, inland sea oats provides more grassy, deer-resistant texture. The small, mounding plants by the potted cactus look like asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’). It looks like the agaves have been troubled a bit by deer-antlering during the fall rut (as mine have been), and I suspect the owners will have to cage them from September through April to prevent further damage. A frustrating fact of life in my part of town.

It was so nice to run across this beautiful design that eliminates thirsty lawn, updates the house, and creates a semi-private front-yard living space. Win-win-win!

I learned later that woman-owned B. Jane designed this garden and Fertile Ground has done some of the maintenance. Nice job, ladies!

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The post Drive-By Gardens: Contemporary, lawn-gone front yard appeared first on Digging.

Exploring San Antonio’s River Walk, Witte Museum, and the Alamo, looking for faux bois and cocktails along the way.… Read More

The post More faux bois at San Antonio River Walk and Witte Museum appeared first on Digging.

I went on a faux bois safari in San Antonio in April, hunting down all the faux bois — locally known as trabajo rústico — that I could find in one day. And I found a LOT. Check out my faux bois post here.

But there’s far more to see in the Alamo City than can fit into one day. So a week later, I gassed up the car, talked my husband and daughter into joining me, and made another day trip to San Antonio. In full tourist mode, we arrived at the River Walk and took a leisurely stroll up and down the romantic canal that runs through the old part of the city.

I found a few benches of trabajo rústico along the way, crafted by Carlos Cortés. Made in realistic imitation of wood, they’re sculpted from concrete.

Carlos also created this tree-like arbor along the River Walk.

We found other public art along the River Walk too, including Donald Lipski’s school of sunfish “swimming” under a bridge. These light up at night, and I wish we’d been able to time our visit to see them illuminated.

Under another bridge, I spotted this tile mosaic of San Antonio’s skyline, complete with the Alamo and Tower of the Americas.

We stopped for a delicious lunch with cocktails on the riverside patio at Domingo. Highly recommend.

The Alamo

Still in tourist mode, we swung by the Alamo for a tour and said hello to Davy Crockett, who died defending it from the Mexican army in 1836.

The Alamo’s weathered limestone facade

The Witte Museum

Next we headed to the Pearl, but I’ll save that for another post. Our last stop of the day was the Witte Museum, which we enjoyed taking our kids to when they were young. I hadn’t been back since the Witte’s extensive renovation was completed in 2017.

After touring the natural history exhibits, we explored the grounds, where I spotted faux bois gateposts that mimic a pair of weathered tree trunks. A yucca sprouts from the top of one.

A sign explains that the gateposts were sculpted in 1930 by Dionicio Rodriguez and Theodore Voss for Elvira Pizzini Guerra. They were eventually donated to the city by her family.

In the children’s adventure area of the Witte, a curved faux bois bench was crafted by Carlos Cortés…

…as was a fabulous treehouse that you can climb up into.

Explora! urges a carved sign in Spanish. We did.

Lifelike tree bark sculpted from concrete

A real-life tree, a bald cypress, grows through the center of faux bois stairs.

Climbing up…

…to the top, where my family was enjoying the view.

Fiesta gowns

Fiesta, a multi-day celebration of San Antonio heritage and culture, was kicking off that week. (We missed all the festivities, unfortunately. One day I must experience what this annual party is all about.) In tribute, the Witte opened an exhibition of gowns and trains worn by Fiesta royalty (like at Mardi Gras? I have no idea), which runs through September 29, 2024.

The Witte’s gown theme is “Fiesta Looks to the Skies,” a nod to the total eclipse that occurred in April:

“This exhibition celebrates our timeless fascination with the heavens, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship and celestial themes woven into each regal garment. From the 1920 blue-green sequined Queen of the Court of Birds gown to the fireworks and skyrockets on the train of the 1965 Duchess of Fiery Festivals, you’ll be transported to the heavens as you admire the artistry and craftsmanship in these stunning works of art.”

This train with flowering agaves and prickly pears was my favorite, naturally.

They were all amazing. I can’t imagine how heavy these velvet and sequined costumes would be to wear.

Art Deco swirls

Clouds with moon and stars

Guys get in on the costume action too.

A flapper-style gown with peacock-tail train

If you haven’t been, I highly recommend a visit to the Witte. Brackenridge Park is right next door with plenty more to see, including some faux bois pieces, plus the zoo and the Japanese Tea Garden.

Up next: The plaza at Pearl, a historic brewery complex in San Antonio, and beautiful Hotel Emma.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The post More faux bois at San Antonio River Walk and Witte Museum appeared first on Digging.

What I’m admiring on walks around the neighborhood and in my own garden as the Austin summer heats up. These plants love the heat.… Read More

The post Early summer garden scenes in Austin appeared first on Digging.

On my walks around the neighborhood, I’m admiring Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), the star of Austin’s summer gardens.

It’s so beautiful, both leaves and flowers. For whatever reason, I haven’t been able to get it established in my own garden, darn it.

It loves heat and sun, and deer don’t bother it in the least. It just needs room to get big.

My favorite pale-pink crape myrtle is also flowering at a neighbor’s house. They have a row of these stunning crapes, which you can see more of in this Instagram video I took. I’d love for you to follow me there, by the way, if you enjoy pics of Texas plants and gardens!

In my own garden, dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is flowering. The tiny, ivory flowers appear on 10-foot-long stems bent like fishing poles.

After the flowers fade, black berry-like fruits appear on the stems.

Bees find the delicate flowers to their taste.

In the back garden, success! The bronze fennel I planted in the spring has attracted swallowtail caterpillars. You can see two in this photo. Someone asked me if I do anything to protect them from hungry birds, and the answer is no. It’s pretty much live and let live (or get eaten) in my garden. Birds gotta eat, like snakes and armadillos and everything else. But I do hope some of the caterpillars make it to the butterfly stage.

The circle garden has moved into its serene, silver-green/silver-blue phase, a cooling color scheme for a hot Texas summer.

In the central stock-tank planter, whale’s tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia) presides over woolly stemodia (Stemodia lanata), which is dominating the yellow four-nerve daisies (Tetraneuris scaposa) that were so prominent last year. Purple coneflower adds a dash of pink on one side.

Viewed from above, the big whale’s tongue — I’ve named her Ursula — shows off her moonlight-yellow variegation.

Combined with the bottle tree, blue shed doors, and silver mirror, it’s a cool view to get me through summer until fall.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

__________________________

Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The post Early summer garden scenes in Austin appeared first on Digging.