Garden Tour San Antonio Style: Urban Chic in Southtown

The Herb Society of San Antonio held a garden tour this past Saturday and friend Ragna and I took the opportunity to check out some special gardens in our city.

"Urban Chic" is the third garden on our tour.  Located in the Southtown neighborhood of older homes near downtown currently undergoing revitalization, this house was built on an empty lot and completed in March 2010.

Blanco Lavender Festival

The Blanco Lavender Festival is underway in the Texas Hill Country this weekend, June 8 - 10.  The drought has clearly taken its toll on the lavender farms but it's still a good time to visit the historic towns of Blanco, Johnson City, and Wimberley.

Lavender plants in bloom

Beautiful vistas of the hill country

Plenty of lavender plants available

Wildflowers are lovely too

This winecup was the subject of some interest from a couple of visitors.

"What's this flower" she said
"It's a weed" he said
I offered "It's a winecup, one of our native wildflowers.  It may be a weed to some, but a wildflower to me!"

She was pleased.  He not so much.  Oh well.

There's also plenty to see and do at the festival on the beautiful Old Blanco County Courthouse grounds.  Vendor tents go all the way around the building in double rows.

Gorgeous plants for sale

Colorful garden art too

Can't get enough of these vintage stone buildings in the Texas Hill Country

The Blanco Lavender Festival is going on now through Sunday June 10th.

I'll be posting photos of our tour of beautiful Texas Hill Country back roads soon.