My Blog List

Monday, July 19, 2021

THE TIME HAS COME THE GARDENER SAID

Or I should say that both gardener and under gardener are saying the same thing and have reached the conclusion that the time has come to pass our gardens on to another gardener.


This garden has been millions of years in the making as without the most incredible limestone that we found on the property we could never have given it the bones it has. Millions of years ago Texas was covered by a shallow sea in which lived the creatures who made our garden rocks. On their death their skeletal fragments sank to the bottom where they were compressed over time until they formed rock.  A period of time of which we can barely conceive. We have been rearranging those rock on  this piece of land for 21 years. It has been a labor of love and we will leave it with a heavy heart. No doubt the next gardener will change the plantings but hopefully the bones of the garden will remain the same. 

 

Without the large ledge stone rocks that came from the foundation there would be no sunken garden or terraces in the front courtyard.  These rocks raised the level to the ground to bring in soil to give a decent depth of planting. Shallow soils on the Edwards Plateau limit the growing of many plants. Lime stone and bluebonnets pair so well in the early spring and look wonderful even without all my gorgeous agave which died in the wicked Texas freeze.


 And the smaller flat rocks I collected while building the house gave us the dry stone wall in the English garden, reminiscent of the walls built to divide fields in our native homeland. 

 Those same rocks were used to pave the patio area in the English garden. We have enjoyed many a breakfast here protected from the summer morning sun by the high wall.

We have always been a couple who liked to do things for ourselves and that would be very difficult to change. And yet we know that with our advancing years we cannot continue to do all. All those adventures up ladders cleaning gutters and checking our roofs need to stop. It is with an incredibly heavy heart we feel the need to move on to a simpler house and garden. We have adored our house, designed for us by Dick Clark in 2000. We had given him our brief and he gave us exactly what we asked for. The enclosed spaces outside allowed us to create the gardens. It was all our own work. We woke up every morning to a house with incredible light-filled rooms and with views of the outside gardens we created. 



 What will I do with all those photos I took of the garden and there are thousands. Just like my garden style I hardly delete any. So just like paring down the contents of our house I will get busy on that project. My computer will be so happy.

Bought in England I hung this little plaque by the front door. It will remain and hopefully will bring good fortune to the next owners of our much-loved house and garden.









36 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I feel honored to have visited your extraordinary garden for the Austin Garden Blogger's Fling a few years back. It is a magic garden created with much love, I hope whomever does take on the next phase of its care appreciates what you have both done. Congratulations on your new adventure, may it be as rewarding and full of creativity as this one was. Cheers and best wishes from Oregon!!

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  2. My heart is heavy reading this but at the same time I know that you'll make your next house and garden just as special.

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  3. Oh, Jenny! We are saddened by this news on so many levels, but still full of admiration for the wisdom and resolve it took to make such a decision.

    It doesn't really matter who will take on your beautiful spaces in the future, because that house, those gardens, will forever bear the imprint of Jenny and David...Thank you for sharing them with all of us so generously, and don't be too hasty with deleting photos- to my mind there can never be enough!...All love to the gardener and under gardener, always.

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  4. Oh Jenny! This must have been such a difficult decision. Of course it makes perfect sense, but still. I am so glad I was able to see your garden and I wish you much good luck in the house hunt for the new place. I hope you will keep us in the loop on it all.

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  5. Wow, what a surprise to read! I am thrilled I had the opportunity to tour your amazing garden during the Austin Fling. It has been a source of much inspiration for many gardeners. I completely understand your decision and wish you all the best on your next journey. It is hard to leave a garden that you have both put so much of yourselves into. I imagine there are many emotions filling your heart at the same time. Thank you for sharing your gardens and I am looking forward to following your future plans.

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  6. Oh gosh...as the others say, I was honored to visit your gardens, and I feel surprised and yet understanding of your decision. What a beautiful home and property for which you can be so proud. I do believe yours is one of my favorite gardens among all I've ever visited. It combines both elements of your English roots with the beautiful native and climate-appropriate plants you've added. The next owners will be so fortunate. Best wishes as you move ahead with the next stage.

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  7. Yes, that limestone and the garden you made with it is one of the strongest memories I have from that trip to Austin. Simply amazing. I hope you find exactly what you need now, and feel some satisfaction in leaving behind a place even more beautiful than you found it.

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  8. A tough decision that I'm sure was very difficult to make. Hopefully the new owners will appreciate all the work and creativity you pit into the garden's design. Sad as this is there is a silver lining allowing you to create something new which is very exciting too.

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  9. Jenny, your garden was one of my all-time favourites! I envy the lucky folks who’ll inherit it. Wishing you and “the undergardener” a Bon voyage. I hope you’ll let us all know where you settle next.

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  10. Jenny, your garden was one of my all-time favourites! I envy the lucky folks who’ll inherit it. Wishing you and “the undergardener” a Bon voyage. I hope you’ll let us all know where you settle next.

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  11. Jenny, your garden was one of my all-time favourites! I envy the lucky folks who’ll inherit it. Wishing you and “the undergardener” a Bon voyage. I hope you’ll let us all know where you settle next.

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  12. Jenny, your garden was one of my all-time favorites! I envy the lucky folks who will inherit it. Wishing you and “the under-gardener” a bon voyage. I hope you’ll let us know where you settle next.

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  13. Best of luck in your new endeavor. I enjoyed visiting your garden during the Austin Fling and found the work you both did to be very inspirational. Thank you for opening your garden to us.

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  14. Dear Jenny, What wonderful memories! I treasure all that you have taught me and shared with us on our video visits in 2003 and 2013. Seems like just yesterday! And then countless visits and lovely refreshments and fascinating conversation. All that is so special to me. You are one of the kindest, most joyful and passionate people I have been honored to know. I realize how hard this decision is for you both but I totally understand.

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  15. I had a feeling you might be heading this direction after your last couple of posts--they were a bit ominous! I'm sorry to see you leave this garden but I am quite a bit younger than you and am already having feelings about my own plot of land being too much for me. So, I get it. Best of luck and I am sure your next garden will be just as delightful!

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  16. I knew this was coming but it still hit me like a train. What a delight it has been to visit your home, share your friendship, and learn by watching you.

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  17. You were the inspiration for me to start a blog. I fully understand your decision as I am also in the process of making a similar one to downsize. I have been researching small garden and it is possible to have many plants in a small space. I hope you will continue to blog and show your new place.

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  18. Oh man - I, too, knew this day is coming, but it doesn't make it any less difficult or sad. Thank you for sharing your garden and your home with all of us through the years.

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  19. This post breaks my heart, Jenny, but that's not to say that I don't understand the decision. Although my husband and I bought our current place 10+ years ago with the idea of being here forever, it's already clear to me that maintaining the garden will be beyond me at some point. As to the risks of climbing ladders, we had an incident just this morning in which both of us took a tumble and, although we were both lucky to end up with only some bruises, it was a warning we know we must heed. Please don't throw out your photos en masse - I've no doubt you could use many of them as material for a book, or even several books! I know many gardeners who've scaled back their activity without losing their joy of gardening in the process and I'm sure you'll find that sweet spot too.

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  20. Hello Jenny,

    Your garden was my absolute favorite one that we visited during GBBF in 2018. The natural beauty that you have cultivated and nurtured have entranced so many and its legacy will live on in our memories.

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  21. Leaving a garden is hard, and just as hard is being realistic about the ability to maintain it to the standards all we gardeners establish for ourselves. I am so very thankful that I was able to visit your splendid creation before it passes out of your capable hands. I wish you well on your journey to your next home.

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  22. Jenny, I am saddened to learn that you and David will be saying good-bye to your beautiful home and garden. I have enjoyed your friendship and Facebook posts very much over the years, as well as visits to your garden. I wish you well, wherever you settle, and I look forward to seeing your future gardening projects.
    Take care, Marcia

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  23. I love reading these comments and seeing proof of how many people you have inspired over the years, most definitely including myself. Your garden has been a touchstone for me, a beautiful symbol of what can be accomplished here and how perfectly it shows a sense of place. It has touches of English gardens as well as desert gardens, but it’s indisputably an Austin garden. Thank you so much for sharing it so generously with me and so many others over the years. I’m very grateful. Wishing you both all the best as you start your next chapter! And please do keep blogging! Pam/Digging: penick.net

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  24. Blessings and good fortune to you and David in your new home. “Stat Fortuna Domus.” I have read all of your blog posts since I retired in 2010. I learned from the insight you offered. I sincerely hope you will continue to post. Best wishes.

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  25. Oh man, I was hoping when the pandemic lifted I’d have a chance to return and visit. Such a special place you and David have created. I completely understand your decision though, and it makes me think twice about our next move. It’s been easy to just garden in pots since we’ve been in a rental but I long for some ground of my own. And yet the thought of working that hard with the body I now have is daunting. Please let us know what your future plans are and best of luck!

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  26. It must be so difficult to even think about leaving this great living art you and the undergardener have created. We all will come to that point sometime. I will be watching to see how your new garden will evolve. What will you do, where will you go? I hope to be a tiny part of your beautiful life in gardening as a watchful eye. I wish you both all the best.

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  27. Ohhh, Jenny! I have so enjoyed chatting with you "across the street", and hoped there would be many more opportunities to do so. But totally understand being overwhelmed by the amount of work your lovely garden takes. It is truly a spectacular garden! I love the living "rooms" you have created and the thought that went into each. You've been so kind to share it with so many. My very best wishes on your new endeavor... I hope we will all get to go on that adventure with you :)

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  28. I moved to the Hill Country 6 years ago without a clue as to how to garden here. Your blog has taught me so much, and your gorgeous photos have inspired me no end. Thank you for sharing your magical place. Sending you best wishes. May you and David find joy and good fortune in discovering and living your next adventure. Along with all here, I'm so hopeful you will share.

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  29. Sadness. Prayers for y'all's happiness
    The new house and garden will be exciting to see and read about.

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  30. I moved here and started reading your blog and learned a lot about native Texas plants from you. Good luck on your next adventure. I look forward to seeing your new garden.

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  31. I love your home and garden. Wishing you well on your journey to a new home.

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  32. Excellent comments above, I can only echo them all. You created a magical place, and shared it. No better endeavor than that. It was a privilege to visit and enjoy it during the Austin Fling.

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  33. What a privilege it was to have visited your home and gardens during the Austin Fling a few years back. I am wishing you the very best as you move onto a new adventure.

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  34. Think of it as opening another chapter in life. Always look forward - not backwards! Good luck- loved your garden at the fling a few years back.

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  35. As someone who worked in a neurological intensive care unit for most of the 1990s, reading this sentence filled my heart with joy and relief: "All those adventures up ladders cleaning gutters and checking our roofs need to stop." Here, here! My blood pressure jumped 10 points everytime I saw you post about another "adventure." Upload all those gorgeous photos of the paradise you and D have created to the cloud and start enjoying the hunt for your next dream home and garden. That stucco home and garden in Tucson was darling and there were no gutters to be seen, if I recall!!!

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  36. I can totally understand the bittersweet emotions about moving from this place that has clearly been a labor of love. But something tells me that wherever you go, you will create a beautiful space to nurture nature and your love for gardening.

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