the Austin Garden | farewell Amanda Moon

Farewell Amanda Moon

by Darrel Mayers

It is with sadness that I report that Austin is losing one of its beacons of horticultural knowledge. Amanda Moon is moving to Nashville this month to start a new adventure there. Apart from working for decades at It's About Thyme, Amanda made several appearances on KLRU's Central Texas Gardener, was well-known to many in Austin's garden clubs. and was a frequent contributor to the Austin Garden. Amid the upheaval of moving, I managed to squeeze in a quick interview with Amanda.

Where and when did you discover your ‘green thumb?’

I actually come from not only a long generational line of farmers on my mom's side, but my dad also had a MS in forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University, and my grandmother (mother's side) was a florist. Both grandmothers and my great-aunts in Taylor were gardeners and I still have plants from them all to remember them by. We always had gardens growing up and I even remember trying to protect them several times from flooding rains! It's just in my blood and I wouldn't have it any other way!

You arrived at It’s About Thyme in the early days of Diane and Chris Winslow's venture. What year was that, and can you describe your early days working with Diane and Chris?

Actually I arrived pre-Chris in 1994. He was still running Marbridge and I applied to work there as I had been a customer collecting plants even as a teenager. He said his wife was hiring over at her nursery and sent me over there. That was my start in the nursery industry at the young age of 19. It was Diane, Julie, me and Deborah (not in TX anymore).

At the time she specialized in antique roses and herbs so those are still my loves and my specialties :-) As it was pre-smart phones I would run around the nursery with plant books under my arms so if I didn't know the answer I would look it up on the spot. Best way to learn for sure. And Diane actually did all of the flowers for my wedding almost 27 years ago.

For someone arriving new to the central Texas area, what are some of the) top tips that you would share with them?

1. Don't get discouraged. This is definitely a trial and error gardening climate, and the word micro-climate is very apropos here. You have to be willing to experiment to see what will work best for you, your location and your style of care.

2. Seek out help, and not just from Facebook. You will get a lot of wrong information offered up by well-meaning responders when asking for help on social media. And honestly, many times professionals who are members of those groups don't answer (if we can't be the first out of the gate) because the right answers will get lost in a sea of guessing. Best to frequent local nurseries first and also become familiar with who the experts are on the social media groups so you can even tag them if you have a specific question.

3. Don't trust the plant ID apps. They can be a starting point sometimes, but are notoriously unreliable.

4. I have a three strikes rule for plants: give enough chances for the weather/location/soil to kill it; animals to do it in (pets, deer, squirrels); then my own care or lack thereof. After that I move on to something else if it doesn't make it by that point.

5. Information on general plant tags in nurseries (especially in big box stores) is not reliable for this area. We are really hot and dry in the summer and many plants need some extra afternoon shade, even if their tag says otherwise.

6. Drive around your area/neighborhood to get a feel for what is thriving. Take photos and get them identified by your local nursery. They can then give you more info on if it will work for you. I ask my consultation and design customers to do the same. It gives me an idea of what catches their eye.

7. A&M/ Agrilife (which puts on the Master Gardener program in our counties) is a great source of information. They have guides for everything plant related from soils and diseases to vegetable and fruit growing. Austin also has its Grow Green guide online to download. You can save the bookmark on your phone to pull up when you need it.

For other online plant research I also try to keep local when searching. If the advice is from Maine or Oregon it's probably not right for here. And that especially includes Pinterest!!!!!!!

What have been some of the highlights of your gardening career?

Having the opportunity to share my knowledge from years of learning and trial and error with new and experienced gardeners.

I also loved selling at Zilker Garden Festival/Florarama for almost two decades, either with It's About Thyme or my own booth. Miss all those involved for sure! And honestly, just getting to spend time in greenhouses. I find peace there....

Tennessee seems to be a very garden-friendly state, with warm summers and mild winters. What kind of garden do you imagine you are going to create for yourself there?

Well...I thought the same, but since I am moving to an area with limestone, deer and squirrels, probably similar to how I have to garden here! I am hoping I have better luck with bell peppers and other veggies that do well with a little more rain and maybe have a bit of a longer season into summer. I am in zone 7A so a little colder than here in Austin, but still warm enough that all the gardeners on Facebook were still itching to get their tomatoes in the ground in February- even though it can freeze through Mother's Day up there!

What will you miss most about Austin?

HEB!!! Ok, and a lot of my family is still here ;-)....but yea,

HEB. ❦

Central Texas Gardener: an Amanda Moon interview from the archives, when she discusses gardening 'outside the box.' Amanda's clip starts at 7:50. CTG ❦

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Oudolf inspiration: "I’m a writer by trade who has gardened all my life," writes Tony Spencer. "Twenty years ago, my passion ran deeper as I discovered for myself the world of naturalistic planting design through the life work of Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf." Wildscaping ❦

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. Painting: Linda Anderson. Hancock Conservancy ❦