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Monday, May 13, 2013

AUSTIN GARDENS ON TOUR, 3202 HIGHLAND TERRACE WEST

This past weekend The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center hosted a garden tour of 5 private gardens. As a volunteer I was delighted to spend 4 hours in the garden at 3202, Highland Terrace. Under large shade trees the homeowners Colleen Jamison and Bruce Baldwin have created a lovely garden which showcases native and adapted plants.


I think of all the gardens on tour visitors who were searching for ideas would find a wealth of manageable ideas in this garden.


A combination of Colleen's plant knowledge and Bruce's woodworking skills had cameras clicking as visitors took the tour. Wouldn't you like to spend time sitting out on their front porch? Bruce made the rocking chair in the left of the photo.


On the left side of the house a recycled exterior door serves as a garden gate. Do you see the garden fork which has been used as a handle? Recycling is a major part of their garden style.


A generous-sized patio nestled into the side garden with blue and lime green accents.
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The granite path then continues past a fountain. Condensate from the air conditioner replaces water lost to evaporation in the fountain.


A bejeweled pot makes a focal point among the lush green planting when viewed from the side terrace.
There is something to stop and look at from every turn.


The birds had to take their chances flying in to the feeders.


The arbor with cross vine. Recently, the hosts held a wedding out here with the bride and groom under the gazebo and guests on the grass. Corkscrew rush, Juncus effusus,  surrounded with narrow leaf zinnia, Zinnia linearis,  and native prairie verbena, Verbena bifinnatifida.



The sound of water everywhere.


A small square-foot vegetable with artistic design.


This was one of my favorite features. As you leave the garden to return down the right side of the house, and angled archway with dangling jewels. Surely the bride and groom must have walked in through here.


A beaded chameleon sits atop of the metal supports.


There is even a chandelier.


AN upside down planter with periwinkle.


A free standing potting shed with sink and water supply. All made from recycled house parts.


I might take this idea myself. I had already seen a similar one in a magazine and was planning on something like it with succulents but the idea of using different pots is very attractive. Almost everyone that came by with camera took a photograph of this. They'll be popping up in gardens all over Austin.

I probably won't have time to blog about the other gardens I visited, although I enjoyed them all, but you can catch reviews if you check Pam at Digging, Cat at Whimsical Garden, David Christiani at Desert Edge, and Shirley at RockOakDeer.

11 comments:

  1. You made excellent use of the hours you spent there by by capturing details I missed. Even with all the time we spent in their wonderful garden there was even more to see. I'm so glad you posted this because I also plan on using many of their ideas in my own garden.

    I enjoyed seeing you again, thanks for the link back.

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    1. and yet I realize there were so many photographs I didn't take. And I hardly took any at the other gardens so I will look to your posts for that. I was pretty bushed by the time I got home and you had to drive to SA. Yes, you must visit when you are next in Austin. Fall or Spring. I'm sure Pam could set up a bunch of garden tours for you. She has a way!

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  2. WOW! Would love to see this garden in person. Love the use of color in the shady areas. The front porch looks very inviting! So many ideas to borrow/steal from this garden:)

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    1. I was longing for a shady garden when I left there. Even at 1pm it was pleasant in the garden. Unlike ours which is brutally hot. I didn't get to sit on the front porch in fact I didn't get to sit at all!

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  3. Love, love, love the potting shed!

    Jenny, your garden should be on this tour!

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  4. Yes it was a lovely structure. Is it giving you some ideas? As to the tour; we were on the Wildflower Center tour back in 2006 and also the Master Gardeners' tour in the spring of 2008 and were supposed to be on the Garden Conservancy tour that same year in the fall but my mother had a stroke and I spent the whole summer in England. I had to back out of that one. We have also hosted Gardeners' Supply for their catalogue and SOuthern Living Magazine last april. So, we have had quite a bit of exposure. Me? I'd rather tour other people's gardens!

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  5. Lucky you to spend so much time in this precious garden. It was my favorite of the tour...charm around every corner :) Good to see you again.

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  6. What a nice place to spend four hours volunteering. There are so many ideas for a gardener to borrow.

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  7. This is where my son recently got married...the owners are relatives and friends. It is an amazing garden which has been created with so much love and talent!

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  8. This is where my son recently got married....the owners are friends and relatives. The amazing garden has been built with love and talent! Congrats to Colleen and Bruce for such a great review!

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    1. It must have been a wonderful day Susan because the garden is such a beautiful place. Two of our boys had outdoor weddings, one here in Austin and one at the DBG in Phoenix. It was perfect. Glad you enjoyed the review.

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