the Austin Garden | new nursery Cultivate | Frida Kahlo, San Antonio

New Nursery 'Cultivate' opens in Manchaca near It's About Thyme

Lexi Nutter, Rae Fredericks & Caroline Riley Carberry

by Darrel Mayers

‘Cultivate’ is a small, charming new nursery that’s just a 6-minute drive from the old It’s About Thyme – a place I know many readers still hold dear to their hearts.

It is nestled behind Akins High School on Old San Antonio Road, and seems to be at the very edge of the city. The air is fresh, and ponies and horses roam around in sunny fields nearby.

The nursery is the brainchild of Caroline Riley Carberry and Lexi Nutter. Both come at gardening from a medicinal / herbal remedies angle, and this is central to the way they stock their nursery.

“We strive to supply people with edibles, medicinals and natives that thrive in our area,” says Caroline. “We love supporting local growers and makers and are committed to organic cultivation.”

Caroline is the daughter of 2 master gardeners, and has taught permaculture classes in Austin since 2011.

[Cultivate: Holistic Homestead Supply is open 9:30 a.m. –

4 p.m. Tuesday – Friday; 8:30 – 5:30 p.m. Sat & Sun. 10801 Old San Antonio Road, 78748. cultivate on facebook]

Though small in scale, Cultivate has a carefully curated collection of native plants, antique roses, medicinal trees, herbs, veggie starts, and copious amounts of Happy Frog products which they offer at a reasonable price.

In the realm of gifts for gardeners, they are equally impressive. Their Yurt Shop was a place where light and fragrance and heat were all in a perfect state of balance on the Thursday morning of my visit.

The circular walls were decked with Baker Creek seed packets, Tula hats, hori-hori knives, beeswax candles and dried or drying herbs. It all added together to create an immersive sense of enchantment.

Cultivate is one of a trio of eco-naturalist ventures on the property. It shares the space with a garden and ecology school for kids – the Whole Life Learning Center - and 7 Feathers Apothecary.

Central to nursery, school and apothecary is a ¼ acre edible & medicinal forest garden, with all sorts of mugworts, calendulas, yarrows and antique roses, along with a variety of plums, pears, jujube, ginkgo, vitex, hawthorn and many other native trees and shrubs.

Cultivate is a welcome addition to the Austin gardening scene, especially at a time when gardeners new and old are crowding the big nurseries in town.

Though just six months old, it looks like Caroline and Lexi’s enterprise is off to a fantastic start. In their latest newsletter they write: “We are busier than ever and growing quickly thanks to the continual awakening to the joy of gardening and love of plant friends. This is pretty awesome!” ❦

Cultivate: Holistic Homestead Supply is open 9:30 a.m. –

4 p.m. Tues – Fri; 8:30 – 5:30 p.m. Sat & Sun. 10801 Old San Antonio Road, 78748. cultivate on facebook

Mark calendars for “Spring Garden Market,” a Cultivate celebration on April 25 from 11 – 4 p.m. with music by Ley Line, a plant & seed swap, and local vendors will be on site.

Frida Kahlo Oasis: this summer San Antonio Botanical Gardens will open a replica of the artist's home, Casa Azul, on their property, and a series of exhibits will focus on her connections to Mexican native vegetation and the natural world. May 8 - Nov. 2. Frida ❦

Creamy Swiss chard & butternut squash: from chef Ada Broussard comes this delectable recipe via the folks at Johnson's Backyard Garden. Gruyere cheese, shallots, crushed red pepper and milk all create a flavor profile high in contrasts: Daily Dirt ❦

Hancock golf course-to-park: there's no kite-flying or picnicing on great lawns at this central golf course right now - but there could be. Please join us to help heal the land and open up what will someday be a crown jewel in Austin's park system. Hancock Conservancy Many thanks to artist Linda Anderson for this original painting. ❦

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Central Texas Gardener: What’s the negative impact of exotic, invasive plants on waterways and wildlife habitat? Erin Cord analyzes the damage and offers native plant alternatives. On tour, Sandy Stone and Joe Brown worked with nature’s architecture to restore habitat in an area getting bulldozed. KLRU ❦