Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Gardens on Tour in Austin: Placid Place

This is the third in my five-part series on the Gardens on Tour for the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin this past Saturday.  I joined Austin bloggers Pam Penick of Digging, Catherine Jones of The Whimsical Gardener, and David Cristiani of The Desert Edge from Albuquerque for a fun day of touring.  You can see the second garden we toured, Westridge Drive, in my previous post.

The garden on Placid Place was one of two homeowner designed gardens on the tour this year.



Judy Walther, the homeowner, describes her garden for the tour brochure

I call my yard “Bit-by-Bit Garden.” First I decided to outsmart Bermuda grass by creating a thicket. That began my work-in-progress planting of a diversity of native plants. I take in orphan plants. I add this and that as needed. It’s a landscape-by-defense strategy. After mail carriers kept trampling the yard, in went a controlling stone path. For an escape-prone dog, up went a large fence. My neighbor’s drainage forced me to construct a fence/barrier to eliminate unwanted lakes after rains. My pervious gravel driveway and rail fence echoes a country lane, and finally the yard became enticing enough to put in mulch paths and a few benches. I wanted a small water feature, so now I have two funky, not-expensive water fountains. It will never be finished. It may not win awards, but it’s my habitat haven, with lots of butterflies, birds, lizards, and peace of mind. 

The cedar rail fence welcomes with a bit of country in the city charm


The Earthbox veggie garden displayed alongside the permeable surface drive provided an opportunity to see this concept in action.




 
Ripening strawberries were among the many productive plants in the garden




Inside the fence, this charming outdoor sink provided another idea for my potting bench file


Very handy for washing up veggies from the garden



Across the way a narrow perennial border lined the fence




This monarch butterfly approves




Much to my delight, the screened porch was open to walk through.  I enjoy screened porches and this one had two screen doors along with stacks of games and books for fun.




The bright, unusually chartreuse Mexican Plum in the corner is visible from the porch.



The shady back portion of the garden has a deck off the screened porch.  The ground cover is horseherb, the same native groundcover in my backyard.



Nice fence design which I was interested to see since we will be building a fence with wire panels this year.




The fence and gate were beautifully built




A sturdy gate




The gate structure is well-engineered to support the heavy door.




The fence from the street view

 
The letter carrier path




Streetside stepping stones for a parking strip



Tomorrow we'll tour another homeowner designed garden on Highland Terrace West.

16 comments:

  1. Lovely garden. I like naturalistic areas without pretense. Thanks! Laura

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    1. It was very natural and reflected the style of the owner.

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  2. Very informal, livable spaces. I'm sure the shade and screening are very appreciated in Austin. Thanks for sharing the garden tour!

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    1. It did feel informal and relaxed. Very shady is very important for Austin.

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  3. That's similar to what I saw there. Some relaxing areas that the owner really can unwind in...mosquitoes out!

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    1. Yes, a screened porch is key to enjoying summers in Texas.

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  4. Thanks for the tour. I'm thrilled to see posts from the group about the same garden--it shows every blogger has a unique perspective. Sounds like this one is a "can't miss" when one is visiting Austin!

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    1. There are several awesome tours in Austin, including the Funky Chicken Coop Tour and the Yard Art Tour so there are options for all tastes.

      It's fun to see the different takes on each garden even though we toured at the same time and discussed them at the time.

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  5. I loved that fence, also, and the potting bench and sink. Hmmm, ideas . . .

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    1. Yes, ideas are a big part of the tour.

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  6. I like 'home-grown' gardens, so to speak. They are the true cottage gardens. Such a garden I once visited was named by the owner as "The Garden of Carefree Abandonment". Not truly carefree nor abandoned they mostly feature simply whatever likes to grow there and have a wonderful natural feel.

    I love the cedar rail fence, the screened in porch and I especially like the wire fence and gate which is a refreshing departure from a solid board fence. Thanks for all your photos of this garden.

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    1. Carefree is a good reason to go this route. The overall impression is a little too natural for me, but the tour is about seeing the range of gardens out there. More importantly the style fits the owner.

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  7. Thank you for the tour, Shirley. I was excited to see the post. I like to visit individual garden because there are some hints to my garden. Love the fence made of wire:)

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    1. Even those gardens that don't suit us can provide ideas for our own. The fence is very well done.

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  8. I like the wire/wood fencing and garden gate. I'll share the idea with my builder/husband as I've been looking for something to partition off and protect my vegetable garden that would be attractive without blocking light. I know it won't keep the raccoons out but maybe it would at least discourage them from visiting. Fortunately, I don't have your deer problem. Thanks for the pics.

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    1. That is a great observation Kris, it is tall fencing that still allows light and views through the garden.

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