Big changes at Ragna's garden

Regular readers will remember Ragna's garden from my previous posts and its presentation on local PBS gardening show Central Texas Gardener (CTG).  Soon after the CTG crew finished, Ragna began making big changes to her back garden.  She spent most of the last six months working on this major makeover which surprised many of us who loved the garden as it was.  But her roses had been affected by chilli thrips and she did not want to go through the process of treating them with chemicals.  She was also ready to cut back on maintenance and add more waterwise plants.

Here's a photo from last fall before she began removing the roses and making changes.  My post from spring 2012 will show more of how the garden looked back then.

 

Central Texas Gardener tours a special garden this week

This week a very special San Antonio garden, that of gardening friends Ragna and Bob Hersey, is featured on the Austin-based PBS show Central Texas Gardener (CTG).

When I first visited their garden the late winter 2012 it was still dormant yet I knew instantly it was a beautiful garden to share on my blog.  Even though Ragna had just pruned the roses back and only a few perennials were beginning to emerge, it was a very special place to visit.  Later in the spring I returned to photograph and post a tour of this romantic Texas cottage garden.

Blogging Memories of 2012

At the beginning of 2012 this blog was just three months old and I mused about the future of my garden and where blogging would take me.  Now I have an entire year to review with 155 posts to choose from and it's time to look back on 2012 and share a few of my favorites.

My first garden blogger meet-up in Austin was fun as I met four fellow bloggers in early November and toured six great gardens on the Garden Conservancy's Open Days tour.  Pam Penick of  Digging corralled us for a group photo to mark the occasion. Our group included (L-R) Jean of Dig, Grow, Compost, me, Diana of Sharing Nature's Garden, Pam Penick of  Digging, and Catherine of The Whimsical Gardener.  I had so much fun meeting them for the first time and spending the day touring six special gardens in Austin.

Ragna's Garden: Ready for its close-up

Tomorrow the crew from Central Texas Gardener a local gardening show produced by KLRU, the PBS station in Austin, will visit my friend Ragna's garden for a segment of the show.

 

Last week I stopped by to help with last-minute staging.  The garden is ready, not surprising since it's always ready.   I was there at the end of last winter when most of the plants were dormant and her garden still looked wonderful.

First Blogiversary today!

Today I celebrate the first anniversary of this blog.  One year of blogging.  What else is there to say? Quite a bit actually.   I've learned so much and had such a good time with my 147 published posts.  In honor of the occasion I'm sharing a few observations.

To Her Majesty the Queen!

Just as Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee gets underway in England, this Agave Victoriae-reginae bloom has arrived as if to propose a toast to Queen Victoria's great-great granddaughter.

  
She's a delicate beauty and over ten feet tall

I've been watching this agave for a while. She's across the street from Ragna's house and I check in whenever I visit.

April 11, 2012

April 27, 2012

And yesterday May 31

Yes that is an American flag there.  We also congratulate Queen on her 60 years on the throne.  I have been fascinated by Queen Elizabeth II since I read her biography many years ago.  Her story is a special one of devotion to duty, especially in WWII when she drove an ambulance in London during the last days of the war.  Growing up the images of the young queen in a world of men also made a positive impression on me.  Later, during my husband's military career, it was our pleasure to raise our glasses in a toast to her on a number formal occasions where members of her armed forces were present.

The proper response to the proposed toast in the title?

Simply raise the glass and say "The Queen"

Ragna's Garden Part Two: Xeriscape Front Yard

My friend Ragna's Texas style cottage garden back yard was the subject for a recent post and her garden has so many unique features that it could not be covered in one posting.  Many of you have commented about how much you enjoyed seeing her back yard garden, this time I'm showcasing the front yard which is xeriscape, San Antonio style.  

Ragna and her husband Bob replaced their lawn with gravel mulch a few years ago.  After fifteen years of water restrictions and the last two years of drought, more and more San Antonians are going with similar low water use alternatives to the traditional lawn.  I personally find these yards are so much prettier and more inspiring than the dead brown lawns they replace.  That's certainly the case with this inviting front yard.

Inspiration and Imagination in Ragna's Garden

Some gardens pull you in and set the imagination going.  Such is the case with my friend Ragna's garden here in San Antonio.  I hope these photos can begin to provide some sense of how wonderful it feels in person, although they seem all too inadequate. 

Native Texans enjoy comparing how their families came to Texas and how long ago.  Ragna wins hands down every time, since her ancestors were sent to San Antonio by the King of Spain in 1713.  Perhaps that explains the classic touches mixed with Texas style charm of her garden.

Her garden is such an inspiring place to spend an afternoon.  Every plant and object in this garden has a story.  When I'm there I love to walk along the grassy pathways and talk with her about the garden.

She loves roses and the garden is designed around her many rose plants.

Her David Austin roses are stunning

Jude the Obscure

  Abraham Darby

Similar in style to The Antique Rose Emporium display gardens, the roses are combined with perennials and annuals to beautiful effect.

I enjoyed reading stories set in gardens as a child and the gardens I pictured in my mind were very much like this one.

A hint of mystery

Pathways enveloped in flowers

Vine covered arbors and gates to hidden spaces

This spot behind the gate is where her grandchildren loved to play when they were little.  She's a great-grandmother now and her great-grandson will play here too.

Mock Orange -- gorgeous!

 

Ragna doesn't hesitate to add agave, cacti, and other succulents to the mix.   It's not easy pick a highlight or a favorite spot because I love it all.  Like this pot with metal frogs and a googly-eyed crane.  There's a metal toad back there on that wonderful blue pot too and this is just one small vignette.

This building was a home for doves, now it's an outdoor art gallery.

A mirror and an old rake holds vintage tools.  I'm copying this idea!

One of the most fascinating pieces here is a table created by local faux bois artist Julian Sandoval as a wedding gift for his granddaughter who is Ragna's friend.

 
So beautiful!

 

I have so many lovely photos!  You would think the garden covered several acres, but it is only a typical suburban back yard.  This is just the first of several posts featuring Ragna's inspiring garden.  Her front yard is a collection of cacti and xeric plants.  She has been a big influence in my adding cacti and succulents to my own garden, and we share an appreciation for native plants as well.

I hope you enjoyed this initial tour of my friend's garden and much as I enjoyed putting it together.  When I visit it is hard to leave because this unique garden is so intriguing.  Stay tuned for more....