Garden design notes: "Rising like punctuation marks, spires and

globes create a flow that both energizes and unifies the border,"

writes Jeaniene Darice Smith in fine gardening. For the Austin area,

we suggest: spires: lavender, butterfly bush, shrimp plant, rosemary.

globes: hydrangeas, gomphrena (see photo above), chives, zinnias,

and marigolds.

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From 'Thyme to Table:  Starting this week the nursery is proud to

offer fresh produce from Dwight Littleton's gardens, from 9 a.m

to noon, Saturday mornings. This week: tomatoes and peppers.

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have a wedding and celebration venue that is truly breathtaking. 

In particular their landscaping style blends seamlessly with the

ranch's Hill Country surroundings, and their ranch house defines

'cowboy cool.'  a Wild Onion Wedding

As we enter these oven-hot months, I notice my life has a certain

repetitive rhythm to it: water all day long at the nursery, drive home ….

and more watering! With all these hours spent holding the hose, I’ve

had ample time to reflect on which plants are doing the best during

these arid times.  

 

There are seven trees which stand out: Monterrey oak, Texas persim-

mon, Texas mountain laurel, Chinese pistache, Chinquapin oak,

mesquite, and Chitalpa. They all seem to thrive on little or no water

at all. They were established trees when I moved to the property in

2001, and all are native except the Chinese Pistache and the Chitalpa

– which I find loaded every day with a profusion of flowers that the

hummingbirds love.

 

Some perennials and grasses that are holding their own: Mexican

feather grass (see photo above) , miscanthus (maiden grass), muhly

grass, blackfoot daisy, lantana, thyrallis (golden showers), Salvia

gregii (cherry sage), Mexican bush sage, Copper Canyon daisy, four-

nerve daisy, and esperanza.

 

Perhaps the showiest plant of all is pride of Barbados. Flowering

daily throughout the summer, they are providing the butterflies with

much needed nectar.

 

On the herbal side, rosemary, Mexican mint marigold, garden sage,

and Mexican oregano seem to be doing just fine with infrequent,

deep waterings.

 

We can’t forget the yuccas and agaves. No water – no problem. I

planted an Agave americana (century plant) out by my front gate 3

years ago and without any extra water it has turned into 15 plants!

 

For annual color, tops are vinca-periwinkle, with purslanes and moss-

roses in second place.

 

For another opinion  I consulted with Jerry Hinton, a landscaper in

South Austin. Here’s Jerry’s list: Mexican mint marigold, Mexican

oregano, Mexican feathergrass, santolina, dwarf Barbados cherry,

thyrallis, silver bush germander, yaupon holly, silver ponyfoot, and

Gregg’s dalea.

 

With a little planning and a great number of drought tolerant and heat

hardy plants to choose from, one could most certainly create a beau-

tiful and water conserving landscape.

                                  Happy gardening everyone!

  Visit the website:  www.itsaboutthyme.com 

  Visit the nursery:11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, 78748 

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