July 7, 2025
After an art exhibition in East Austin, I joined a burger friend on the covered patio on Lou’s East Side. A collection of upcycle containers filled with cacti, succulents and even native trees like lettama quickly grabbed my notice.
The Aztec mural in the building is a holdover from when this was a nearby tire store.
Stacked tire planters filled with yuccas, agaves, far more pears and Zekmenia also make no money to the history of tire stores. I think these are also examples of defensive landscaping. This buffers the walk-up counter service window from Busy Street.
Peeled back tires will become sunburst planters for sun-loving succulents and cacti.
Traditional pots are also available here.
An old metal bin by the toilet features lettama trees, giant hesperarae and small cacti.
A round pot with an assortment of agaves, cacti and other succulents adds LA style before the crossbine “hedge”.
The yellow ur-shaped tire planter has matching golden barrel cactus.
A little more
It’s nice to have a container garden on the hamburger joint to enjoy on the patio.
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My new book, Gardens in Texas: A vision of resilience from Lone Star State, is coming on October 14th! You can now pre-order on Amazon and other online book sellers. If you think you’d read it or want to give it as a holiday gift, consider pre-ordering. (I’m glad I signed a pre-order copy at my book event!) Early ordering makes a huge difference in helping new books get attention. For more information about Texas Gardens, click here – Thank you for your support.
Come and see me on the tour! I will be talking about book events in Texas this fall and next spring, and celebrating the release of Texas Gardens. Join me, learn, inspire, and say hello!
Learn about gardening and design at Garden Sparks! I organize face-to-face talks in Austin several times a year, inspire designers, landscape architects, authors and gardeners to inspire and inspire designers, landscape architects. These are events with limited attendance that sold out quickly, so join our Garden Spark Mealment List and notify us in advance. Simply click on this link and ask them to add it. Find out all about the Season 8 lineup here!
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