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A Joint-Project Garden |
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First, here's John's garden . . . |
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John's garden in back is
something he has created
from nothing but a pile
of rocks |
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Starting with a rocky
hilltop, John first
designed and installed
fencing to enclose a
9,000 square foot area
for the back
garden. Imported soil
was used to fill in
areas for planting.
Rocks from the property
were used to form beds
until the beds settle
in. Plant material is
native, adaptive and experimental. Agastaches
(Hybrid Anise Hyssop) in
pink, salmon and blue
attract hummingbirds.
Thirty four trees have
been planted, among them
various oaks including a
now six-foot tall cork
oak, anaqua, smoke
trees, rusty blackhaw
viburnum and Eve’s
necklace. Part of this
garden is devoted to
vegetables and herbs.
Drip systems were
installed, and a
1,500-gallon water
catchment was added for
landscape use. |
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Above, the Smoke Tree behind the
Shasta Daisies is another of John's
favorites. |
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The Madrone tree (Arbutus xalapensis),
above on the left,
is one that John planted
14 years ago from a
one-gallon size we
purchased from the late
Betty Winningham at
Natives of Texas
Nursery. It has the dark
red bark characteristic
of Madrones found here
in the Hill Country. The
Madrone has a reputation
of being very difficult
to transplant, but with
Betty's blessing, who
can lose? One thing we
have learned is that the
Madrone benefits from an
annual application of
cornmeal to treat fungus
which can cause leaf
spotting. |
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Now here is Anna's garden . . . |
Anna specializes in container plants and uses them extensively in the kitchen patio as well as in other areas. Plants are included to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and herbs are included for culinary uses. Unusual potted plants include 30-year-old hibiscus which came from Anna's mother’s Louisiana garden via Illinois.
Another old “pass-along”
from her mother is the
beautiful red "Chicken
Gizzard" (Iresine
herbstii). Cuttings from
this plant have been
shared all over the
country. Large pots of
blue butterflies (Clerodendrum
ugandense) add interest.
This patio serves as an
outdoor room for dining
and has shade from
native live oaks, red
bud, crape myrtle and
althea. A pineapple
guava (Acca
sellowiana)
has recently been
added. The fences are
covered with Alamo Vine
and Scarlet Leatherleaf
plus annual
vines. Confederate
jasmine is used as a
groundcover.
The entry patio contains firespike, cross vine,
dwarf ruellia, columbine
and a mountain laurel. A
small fountain
compliments a copper
rain chain. This water
feature is a hint of
John’s large water
feature in the back
garden. |
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Hybrid Anise Hyssop Agastache 'Ava'
Texas betony Stachys
coccinea |
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Crape Myrtle Firespike Odontonema strictum |
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Scarlet Leather Flower Clematis texensis
At left is Tecoma
ricasoliana, a pink trumpet vine, whose common names include Port St. Johns Creeper, Zimbabwe Creeper, Queen of Sheba, and Port John’s Creeper. In the Osborn's garden it is simply John's Creeper. |
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Salvia microphylla |
Scutellaria longifolia
'Red Fountains' |
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Pink
Texas skullcap
(Scutellaria
suffrutescens) |
Mexican
Hydrangea
(Clerodendrum bungei) |
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