Monday, November 11, 2013

Autumn Garden Roundup: Front Garden

The weather is saying it's Fall as colder temperatures head our way.  As always, we are grateful to the folks farther north for blunting the impact and accepting the worst of the cold front's effects.  Anyway, it's time for my annual Autumn Garden Roundup before the garden fades for a few months.  I've taken quite a few photos of the garden at its peak over the last week or so for your viewing pleasure.

We'll begin in the front where there haven't been many changes this year.  A little different view than I typically show is this approach from the front of the house out to the street.  Yes, that's a lot of concrete. Concretious Americanus is very cold-hardy and was installed by the original owner who is also a contractor.




 
Pink Muhly along the drive has bloomed out beautifully.  No surprise it's sometimes referred to as Cotton Candy Plant.


The muhly makes a colorful backdrop for the Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) which despite its name blooms through three seasons of the year.


The view from the south approach along the street.


One muhly plant has a more tawny color, and I like the color but may move it in the spring to the back garden.  The newly planted muhly grasses have a few small blooms and should show off a 100' pink wave all the way to the garage next year.  That's the plan at least.


The garage corner is looking good.

  
 
 
 
The streetside planting continues to fill in.



The volunteer pennisetum and the lopsided column cactus has sprouted just one arm where there should be a ring of them by now.


Color Guard Yucca grabs the first rays of morning light.


The self-seeded pennisetum from the neighbors yard is waving good morning too.



The agave bed at the corner of the front walk where it meets the driveway went through several experimental versions over the summer.  This is how it will stay for a while.


The asters planted as seedlings two years ago are growing into nice mounds of blooms.

 
The Elaeagnus is blooming and the entire yard is filled with a fragrance exactly like those cinnamon pine cones available everywhere during the holidays.  Such tiny flowers with a beautiful scent.



Not much has changed on the north side of the yard.

  
Those big rocks have kept the deer away from the palm tree this year.  Deer don't like to stick their necks out too far.


 
It's all good.

More posts on the process of landscaping our front yard, including plenty of "before" photos can be found here and here.

24 comments:

  1. The lighting was perfect when you took those photos Shirley. Your front garden looks lovely and dreamy will all those grasses looking at their prime and hues of blues and purples.

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    1. Fall light is the best. I went out early and late each day, running around trying to get the light. Otherwise it is too intensely bright.

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  2. Shirley, love the progress reports! You have inspired me to work on my front yard more. Right after I finish my corral project and a hundred other things I have on my list! Also, the Veteran's Day salute was wonderful! Wish the red, white and blue garden at WFSC was blooming now!

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    1. There's always a list of projects. Grasses are pretty good deer-proof plants which would work.

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  3. Talk about progress; you've got it and a whole lot more. Your images, including the glowing grasses are delicious.

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    1. Delicious is the perfect word for the grasses. I love the fall light.

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  4. Yes there is a lot of concrete but your plantings certainly play off of it well, softening the edges. Makes for good negative space too.

    In a couple of your photos there is a huge cycad (I think) just barely visible, but you don't mention it. Is it not on your property? Do you not like it?

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    1. Softening the edges of the concrete was a top goal in the landscape plant. The cycad was planted when the house was built and has been there 20 years. It's probably close to 10' diameter by now. Cycads are very common in the neighborhood so I don't think to mention it much.

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  5. Your gardens are really looking good.
    Thanks for the tour.
    Stay warm.....

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    1. Brrr, at least we won't freeze like farther north.

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  6. You captured everything, including the light beautifully. I like your new area and happy you found spots for the artichoke agave babies.

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    1. Some are there and the others are mostly in another spot I'll show in a future post.

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  7. Your garden is looking gorgeous! Placing the rocks to protect your palm from the deer is a great idea and also fits with your blog title! Love the agave bed and can't wait to see it as it grows!

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    1. The agave bed will look much better when the creeping germander grows in.

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  8. How very serenly beautiful! Your talent for great plant grouping shows off well and the early morning light with the long shadows of the season add much to the mood.

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    1. Serene, yes that's what it feels like this time of year.

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  9. You're right: it's all good! You have a beautiful, climate-appropriate compilation of plants. I've developed an attraction to those variegated yucca but I still need to find a good space to put one (or more).

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    1. It sometimes takes a while to realize that you just have to go with what works although our weather covers such a huge range that what worked in last year's drought will drown when the rains open up.

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  10. Love the Agave bed! Actually, it all looks wonderful--even Concretious americanus! ;-)

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    1. All that driveway is great when we have visitors or deliveries too.

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  11. You've done a wonderful job! I greatly appreciate your photography skills too. I study your pics and try to get some inspiration from it. I moved into a true Texas Hill Country style home nearly 2 years ago and the 1.8 acres of the yard is truly a blank slate. Thanks for all the great information you are sharing. Maria

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    1. Thank you Maria, it's nice to hear that my posts are a good source for you. With such a large yard, you can always leave a good bit of it natural to preserve that hill country style.

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  12. I'm with Loree on this one: thinking the concrete acts as a nice design element to set off the softness of the plantings. Looking sublime, I can't think of how you will improve on it, but I'm sure you will find a way.

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    1. That's a good thought, I might have to add hardscape to break it up otherwise. It was indeed helpful in the early going because the areas to landscape were already defined.

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