Walking the Walk: The River Walk from the Museum to Locks

The San Antonio River Walk is one of my favorite places in San Antonio.  Not the famous part with all the bars and restaurants, but this River Walk  which extends north and south into our neighborhoods.  Most tourists see a very small part of the River Walk, but it has been more than doubled in recent years and runs about 15 miles long now.  These far reaches of the river are enjoyed mainly by San Antonio residents.  Office workers enjoying a break or headed to a meeting.  Dog walkers and bicyclists from nearby residences.  I walk here to check out the landscaping ideas and to enjoy my city without battling the crowds for parking.  Last fall I shared photos of the Museum Reach of the San Antonio River Walk.  At that time I ended at the Newell Avenue bridge near the San Antonio Museum of Art.

A Visit to Plano Prairie Garden

From the moment I first opened Michael's blog, PIano Prairie Garden, I was intrigued by how he turned a standard suburban front lawn into what you see here.  The beauty of his garden and his knowledge of native plants is also impressive.   Any way you look at it, there's something about a prairie garden in a Plano front yard that amazes.

As you can imagine, it's easy to spot this front yard as you turn the corner on to his street
 
 
No surprise, it's even better seeing it up close and in person.  Mr. R-O-D enjoyed this visit too as he thinks of typical lawn grass as an invasive species.  He'd much rather have a yard like this.

 
A yard full of flowers certainly stands out in the sea of typical suburban lawns, but it's also the yard with all the busy butterflies, bees, and birds in the neighborhood.

The wildlife habitat signs

 
Plenty of native plants like this Scutellaria wrightii I've been trying to coax into my garden this spring.  Here it is thriving in the hellstrip by the mailbox.

And this welcoming pathway to lead you through the flower filled front yard.
 

Michael is prepared with his plant list so he can cheerfully answer my literally hundreds of questions.

 

The stock tank of horsetail reed is here too

  
We've been visiting family in Plano for years.  Long before I began gardening seriously I was struck by the conformity of the landscaping there.  Most of the development there is 30 years old or newer and HOAs are the rule.  Michael's neighborhood doesn't have an HOA.  So much the better for those of us who enjoy this riot of native plants and flowers.

Gregg's mistflower here

Plano had water restrictions imposed last year due to the drought, so this type of landscape might be more popular in the future.

And the rarely seen backyard?  It's planted in prairie style too, although Michael plans to turn more of it into veggie gardens soon.

These tall coneflowers caught my eye

I'm definitely copying these rebar tuteurs

And these wire cages too.  Look at those onions!

The bees are definitely hard at work here.  Bee fight!

This swallowtail is resting from flower overload

Butterflies are most welcome here with milkweed and helpful sign

Many Plano neighborhoods have alleys behind the houses for the driveways and garages and Michael has planted these areas in Plano Prairie Garden style too.

The alley

The driveway

Just as we were leaving a young family out for a walk paused to enjoy the flowers.  The two boys were mesmerized by the scene as their dad pointed out butterflies and bees at work.  Dad was impressed with a yard you don't have to mow.   The oldest boy stopped in his tracks and pointed "Cactus!" he was so excited.

Yes, I agree, cactus is cool.  Perhaps he'll plant cactus in his own yard someday because of that moment.

Thank you Michael, we enjoyed meeting you and loved seeing your garden.  Well done!