Spring Garden Conservancy Tour: May 5 in Dallas

Once again, we've found 5 knockout gardens to inspire you! From a working butterfly farm, to a citrus grove, to a half-acre with more native plants than most garden centers, there's something to learn at every stop. Be sure to save a few hours to take in the Garden Conservancy tour, this May 5 from 10 am to 4 pm. For more information go to:

http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays/open-days-schedule/openday/487-dallas-open-day

The rewards of the waning year

An autumnal sadness sometimes creeps into the end of the year, when the days get shorter and the leaves start falling. But now is the time to appreciate one of the overlooked joys of the garden: the play of light across the landscape. Dave has been in this house 20 years and never gets tired of watching the nuances of light in different seasons.

The low-hanging winter sun sends elongated shadows sloping through the yard, lighting the golden leaves on fire. New experiences of space emerge among the shapes of trees never noticed in the full leafy bustle of summer.

God rewards the early riser....if you stay inside til 10 am you will never see the outline of this tree sketched on the ground!

Their moment in the sun: the humble buttonbush and a coralbark maple. Brilliant!

Photos taken by Dave Rolston at some ridiculous hour of the morning

The rewards of the waning year

An autumnal sadness sometimes creeps into the end of the year, when the days get shorter and the leaves start falling. But now is the time to appreciate one of the overlooked joys of the garden: the play of light across the landscape. The low-hanging winter sun sends elongated shadows sloping through our yards, lighting the golden leaves on fire. Totally new experiences of our spaces emerge from the shapes of trees we never noticed in the full leafy bustle of summer.

God rewards the early riser....if you stay inside til 10 am you will never see the shape of this tree sketched on the ground!

Their moment in the sun: the humble buttonbush and a coralbark maple.

Go outside! 

 

Country in the city: Lakewood Home Tour this weekend

This house on Bobolink Drive shows what can be done on a small city lot to create a sense escape from the hubbub of daily life with jobs, small kids and constant activity. The covered porch on the garage was a great place to sit and relax, but there was nothing to look at and nothing to engage the kids in nature. 

So we added a round pond that creates both: a running track for the kids to race around, as well as a rich source of entertainment with fish, plants, dragonflies, birds and water. For adults, the porch provides a peaceful place to contemplate the reflections of the sky in the pond, or gather with drinks and friends. The blue-grey of the Arizona cypresses echoes the color of the house, and native grasses will fill in to provide rustling noises, movement and food and shelter for birds.

There's enough lawn to play on--this yard will never be a soccer pitch anyway--and hollies and narrow live oaks will grow to screen neighboring buildings. The gravel drive keeps runoff to a minimum while providing a 'country lane' feel. And the hens love it to scratch and roll in it--be sure to say hello when you visit!

The devil's gardener

When I moved to Texas years ago, my mother-in-law said, 'Oh, Texas.  People say it gets so hot in the summer the ground cracks open, and you look down and see Hell.'

I used to think that was an exaggeration, until this summer. Giant cracks that can swallow a whole baseball bat, the Llano and Guadalupe Rivers running dry--clearly we can’t keep on gardening the way we always have. But what’s the alternative? How do you cope with months of drought followed by five inches of rain in a week, or in a day?

Here’s a half-acre property in North Dallas that was planted last fall and winter, with hundreds of native and adapted plants and almost no lawn. The owner is a master gardener who is fascinated by plants and wants to try them all. These pictures were taken September 23— and we've had only an inch and a half of rain since May. There is no spray sprinkler system in this garden, just underground low-volume drip lines. And for a month this summer, there was no irrigation at all, after a lightning strike jumbled the irrigation controller's brain.

See the full gallery on Posterous

 The plants are spaced out according to their mature size, which means you see some mulch for the first year or so. But you never have to pull out plants later because of overcrowding. If you are willing to wait for the landscape to fill in, you will get healthier root systems, since they have plenty of room and don't have to be disturbed later.

The paths are low-water use zoysia sod, mowed infrequently. Maintenance consists of walking around, picking a few weeds out of the mulch, maybe deadheading some flowers. But this yard is mostly to enjoy!

 

The devil's gardener

When I moved to Texas years ago, my mother-in-law said, 'Oh, I had a friend in Texas. She said it gets so hot in the summer the ground cracks open, and you look down and see Hell.'

I used to think that was an exaggeration, until this summer. Giant cracks that can swallow a whole baseball bat, the Llano and Guadalupe Rivers running dry--clearly we can’t keep on gardening the way we always have. But what’s the alternative? How do you cope with months of drought followed by five inches of rain in a week, or in a day?

Here’s a half-acre property in North Dallas that was planted last fall and winter, with hundreds of native and adapted plants and almost no lawn. The owner is a master gardener who is fascinated by plants and wants to try them all. These pictures were taken this week—and remember, we've had only one and a half inches of rain since May. There is no spray sprinkler system in this garden, just underground low-volume drip lines. And for a month this summer, there was no irrigation at all, after a lightning strike jumbled the irrigation controller's brain.

The plants are spaced out according to their mature size, which means you see some mulch for the first year or so. But you never have to pull out plants later because they've become too crowded. If you are willing to wait for the landscape to fill in, you will get much healthier root systems this way, since they have plenty of room and don't have to be disturbed later. The paths are low-water use zoysia sod, which only needs mowing every month or so. The fact about turf grass is, the root depth roughly equals the top growth--so the more you cut it, the more you have to water it, the more it grows and needs cutting--it's a vicious cycle, one which enriches your maintenance crew but doesn't make a lot of sense horticulturally.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Party in Preston Hollow: A dark and hilly yard gets a makeover

This narrow back yard dropped off rather quickly to the alley, making entertaining impossible. Live oaks and scraggly shrubs prevented grass from growing, and the whole aspect was dismal. But with creative terracing and shade-tolerant planting, the space is now a lovely and functional place to have outdoor grilling parties, swim or just hang out.

Building the pool into the grade shows off the beautiful stonework, while easing the downhill transition. A stepped waterfall from the spa to the pool provides a soothing sound and sparkling reflections.

The pool cabana and outdoor kitchen were designed to complement the traditional brick house, with smooth ipe decking and bluestone walkways. Margarita, anyone?