Sunday, October 12, 2014

Garden Tour with Reality Check

When I attended the San Antonio Watersaver Landscape Tour as both volunteer and tour goer last weekend it was with the idea in mind that my yard might be on the tour next year.  We've turned down requests the last two years and it does seem my gardens are getting closer to where I would feel comfortable opening them to the public.

The big challenge is the timing, the first Saturday in October makes it tough to prepare a garden for the tour.  San Antonio gardens are usually still recovering after hanging on through the August heat and September is often too hot for plants to do any serious blooming or for the gardener to get much done.  My garden is at its autumn best later in October or early November.  To see how things might look this time next year I took some photos around the tour date as a reality check.

The narrow driveway landscaping looks good even without the sage in bloom.  There are no guarantees on these blooms since they need rain to bloom and sometimes that doesn't happen for months.  Pink muhly grasses are just now sending up a few tentative plumes which will not blow open for a few more weeks.



Along the north end of the drive the lantana (the green mound between the cactus and the yucca) and asters (farther back behind the yucca) are just beginning to bloom and will look great in about two weeks.


The Agave ovatifolia works its magic even as the orange Pride of Barbados blooms to the left have faded and the yellow Mexican Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) blooms take their place.  Those green dots at the foot of the agave are Damianita which should be in bloom summer through fall--except they are currently out of blooms.


Inexplicably the Yaupon in the driveway island, which has been there 15 years, suddenly began to die out.  After a few weeks with a little extra water it has started to grow new foliage.  I'm not about to remove an established plant at the last minute simply because the entire city has been invited to see my garden.  What would I do if the tour were this week?  Stick an agave pot in front of it!


White Plumbago and silvery artemesia always come through this time of year.  This area has been through several iterations and I like this one the best.


At least this is one part of the garden that looks even better in person.


Maybe those vines I planted in front of the new trellis' will make a showing by next year.  I'm experimenting with Asiatic Jasmine 'Salsa' there after learning that it looks great when grown vertically.  How patient are the (non-)gardening public?  Would I be making a last-minute trip to the nursery for more mature and expensive vines?



The shade garden is mostly foliage so it stays the same much of the year.  It's one place that may look better this time next year.  We recently reworked this area and a year of growing in should be good for it.


The yummy Fragrant Mistflower to the left behind the face planter can't be so fragrant if it's not blooming.  Two weeks from now will be so much better.


Through the back gate the bright yellow Salvia madrensis blooms are not yet arching over the gravel path.  The buds have just begun to emerge.  Our Buffalo Grass lawn was kept green this year with occasional watering and we can do that again next summer. Green?  Yes, this is green given it is native grass in an arid climate.


I don't often show this area to the side of the gate which we are mostly populating with extra plants dug up elsewhere in the garden.  We need to do something about the utility service boxes by next year but it is a tight fit there.  The log pile on the right is protecting a young Agave americana mediopicta 'alba' from deer antlers.


The new crevice garden looks good since cacti and succulents are evergreen in this challenging spot.


Fall blooms in the tank garden are just beginning to appear.


Beautiful native purple Liatris shared by Michael at Plano Prairie Garden is at peak bloom so that's a plus.  It's beginning to establish and should look even better next year.


The eye-catching white plumes of Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' are due to a recent purchase of the plant in bloom from the nursery.  Will it be in bloom early next October?  Probably not.  Most ornamental grasses in my garden reach full bloom late October to early November.


These native yellow Helenium araum or Sneezeweed wildfowers are a bright spot in the otherwise sleepy circle garden.


A big patch of Gregg's Mistflower died out during August and much of it had to be removed.


The current solution is to "plant" a potted bougainvillea there until they grow back.  This is what gardening friends visiting later this week will see.  Would I feel compelled to purchase and plant something new here if a city-wide garden tour were on the horizon?


Avert your eyes if  you dislike "cute" in the garden!  The best blooms are in the flower "bed" with Salvia Amistad as the anchor.  We had a cold winter which set back the Brugmansia, Sweet Almond Verbena, and the Clerodendrum ugandense so another brightly blooming bougie takes up the slack.


This natural area is practically maintenance free since the native horseherb groundcover planted and maintains itself.  Some people like it, others don't.  It's better than lawn here and helps keep weeds down.  Last year we began adding native plants along the property line in front of the Prickly Pear cactus.  The area to the right will be addressed this winter after we make repairs to the deck.


Behind the garage is still pretty natural.  The silvery plant is Estafiate, a native artemesia.


Along the stone path beside the garage the summer blooms have faded and the fall bloomers like Salvia madrensis (front left) are not quite out yet.  There's always that view of the bending oaks.


Overall the tour timing does not allow for adequate summer recovery.  Gardens in San Antonio need a couple more weeks to truly be worthy of a tour.  As with any gardener, I want my garden to look great for a tour, not just OK given the summer heat.  I do know that I can force my garden to look better by watering it like crazy in August and September--but doesn't that defeat the idea of a "watersaver landscape"?  So my quandry remains "to tour or not to tour" next year.  The timing remains an issue.

If we do agree to the tour it's going to have to be about garden structure and planning for all seasons--including those times when very little is happening!

35 comments:

  1. You have so many fascinating details--the trellis are great just as they are, the cool pot with the half a face, the metal bed(?), and not to mention the beautiful plants. The oaks and A. ovatifolia are just marvelous. There is so much to see and admire, I am sure visitors would enjoy it.

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  2. Ooooh, you like the trellis as they are! I had thought that too but when planning for a tour I think way too much about the opinions of others.

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  3. I think it looks great, and I'm sure folks would be impressed. You're brave to even consider inviting people to a tour! I wouldn't have the guts. Your garden is definitely worthy and worth sharing!

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    1. As challenging as it is to put the garden on tour it's equally tough to turn down a committee when they ask you first. I try to remember It means they must think my garden is pretty nice.

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  4. I say you give it a go next year, Shirley. The garden has a lot of color in it. I love the 'lip' pot. The pot in front of the sad bush is a nice touch. You have done so much to your yard. I would love to visit it next year. :)

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    1. There's a motivation! Putting my garden on the tour would bring Pat out here on a Saturday. I hope you can make the tour next year, this year's was quite nice.

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  5. It's not an easy thing to open your garden to others, it's nerve-wracking. I did it last weekend, for the bloggers plant exchange, and even though they were all friends, I was still unsettled at all those people. It still wasn't as well-groomed as I would have liked, if I ever opened it to people who didn't know me, I would feel compelled to make sure it was at its absolute best. So I don't blame you for not wanting to do it. Your garden looks pretty fabulous to me, though.

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    1. Thank you Alison, it's especially nice to hear from those who have done some version of an open garden in the past.

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  6. Your garden is very tour worthy and the viewing public will be blown away. Blooming, who needs blooming when you have so much foliage and structural interest? Do it. Seriously.

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    1. Blown away? That's good to hear. If there aren't many blooms, we'll go with the whole layout and structure approach.

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  7. Your garden looks fab Shirley, and love all the unique details you have put in!

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  8. I completely get your desire to have your garden shown at its very best. I'd feel the same way. The problem with that (and with all the shots we bloggers might post of a plant or bed when it is in the middle of its most dazzling display) is that it gives folks, especially non-gardeners, a totally unrealistic expectation of what gardening is about, and what most beds look like the majority of the time.

    I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many of your spaces "as is". If we are going to encourage xeric gardening practices I think we need to be careful not to mislead folks into thinking everything is going to look as good as it does at its peak all year long. If need be that is part of the teaching on tour, to point out that plants depend on their microclimate rather than the calendar, and to show that even in "not peak" condition, garden spaces like yours are lovely and truly enjoyable to visit.

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    1. I like your approach and ideas. That should be the concept and I have met so many new gardeners who don't anticipate when there is downtime with the blooms.

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  9. Do, do, do it.
    The honest version, your way.
    The gardeners will be fascinated, I'd love to come.

    Any one can do a cookie cutter, same old same old, commonorgarden.
    But yours would be worth visiting.
    Like the Deep Middle or View from Federal Twist or Town and Country Mouse - who've all done open gardens their way.

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    1. I need to check out those posts. We'll see how that works out with the committee.

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  10. "A garden is never so good as it will be next year." Thomas Cooper And that's the thing--you'll always have items and arrangements that you don't like or realize, after a time and a head-slapping moment, that you should-a, could-a changed. I think you done marvelously with your space--regionally appropriate plantings and lovely arrangements. And it's real--not some fabrication from some gardening magazine. But, opening up private space is tricky! All the best with whatever you decide.

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  11. Wow! Your garden is really looking filled out and complete. So beautiful!

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    1. I'd like to add that it's been my experience that once dwarf yaupon hollies die back they never fully leaf out again, but they look great when you get in there and cut out all the little twigs to show their pretty twisted limbs with leaves at the ends of the branches. It gives them a pretty bonsai like look.

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    2. Good info and the way I had been thinking after observing the new growth pattern. I'll give it some time and then decide.

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  12. I have been on free garden tours where I thought I "paid" too much to see some of the gardens. I would pay to see your garden and I would not leave disappointed. It is very tour worthy. Even if some plants are not in full bloom, you have a lot of evergreen and structural interest in the garden.

    I am struggling with the idea of inviting the public into my garden too. There is a garden club coming by tomorrow night to see the garden and it is full of holes where annual wildflowers have been removed and the gayfeather is about finished blooming. (By the way, your gayfeather looks really nice and I see clammy weed all around.) And then next April, people will actually have to pay money to see my garden. I really feel the pressure from this tour because of nobody has ever paid to see my garden (It's my garden, not the Dallas Arboretum!) and it could be a little early to see much in bloom. It all depends on the winter. I just have to accept that some things are out of my control. And that I am the worst critic my garden will ever see.

    I think people will be very happy to see your garden.

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    1. Thank you Michael, I just love that the gayfeather is taking hold and the clammyweed is happy just about everywhere. I'd think your garden worth the price of admission too. The Watersaver Tour is free but visitors "pay" with their time and there is definitely a big cost to driving around town for six hours.

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  13. Your garden has lots and lots of good blooms this time of year. I think you should open your home to the tour. So much more going on at your gardens than I would have thought possible this time of year. Here way up North - looks nothing like that! HAHAHAH Jack

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    1. Oh yes, it's getting cold up there in WI and we are just getting into our fall gardening. In August I admire your cool and very beautiful gardens.

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  14. My question, after reading your description of the difficulties at this particular point in the season, is why would anyone schedule a tour in that time slot? That said, Your garden would be a treat any time of the year. I've been eyeing mine all season, wondering when would be the best time to invite visitors. There is never a time when I don't think "Oh, but (fill in the blank) will be so much prettier in another week or two."

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    1. Exactly, and I intend to ask about the timing at some point. There is something to the idea that something nicer will always be blooming next week but most plants that grow well here have predictable peak times and early October isn't the best.

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  15. I agree with Diana...do it...so much to see this time of year in your gorgeous garden Shirley. I would love to see it in person.

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    1. Thank you, if you're ever in San Antonio let me know.

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  16. Your garden would impress any visitor, Shirley. It has a lot of variety to it, which many gardens on tours can't claim. And no gardener can guarantee perfection on any specific date. I say go for it!

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    1. I like that Kris, variety is sometimes missing from a lot of gardens both public and private.

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  17. Kris is right, your garden is spectacular and visitors would be lucky to see it! As the Nike commercials urge, "Just do it!"

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    1. Spectacular? Wow, that's a nice compliment. Thank you Peter!

      I should just agree and we'll see how it goes.

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  18. I agree with EVERY word you wrote. :)

    I also will add, that your garden would be AMAZING on the tour, ANY month. :)

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  19. I agree. I feel like my fall garden has finally hit its stride. I think your garden has enough evergreen structure to look good without a lot of flowers blooming, but it sucks to have people looking at your garden when you know that in just a few short weeks, it's gonna look ten times better!

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  20. ...and not to mention that, this being Texas, the weather would be so much better a few weeks later! I hate sweating my way through a garden tour.

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