July 26, 2025
Last month I enjoyed a morning visit in my friend Cat’s garden in West Austin. Near the front porch, she makes the house’s double-height entry cozy with human-covered features. A welcoming pavement patio with head height for a vine and stone bench.
A foaming fountain with shallow surfaces for bird bathing adds water music.
Low mound plants like the “Mojo” Pitosporum and the “Macho Mocha” Mangave Frame, but don’t overwhelm the fountain.
In the pouch, make the purple purple heart tough with upright bone n and add summer colours with leaves and flowers. Cascading a Mangae puppy on one side and a silver pony foot on the other gives you contrast.
St. Francis of the Celtic has a blue glass bowl (instead of the expected bird species) topped with stone hearts. The pink prox softens the scene.
A long view across the Entry Garden. A dry stream running parallel to the house deflects the foundation’s runoff.
The Texas Green Eyes (Berlandiera Betonicifolia) brightens up sunny areas featuring potted yuccas.
On the corner of the house, pink crepe myrtle offers summer colours and shades of Sharon’s white roses.
Sharon rose with cute hibiscus flowers
Along the driveway for burning the hot sun, the pride of Barbados and pyramid bush adds hot summer colours. Note that the bee is zoomed in to the right.
Side Garden
Head across the house and enter the filtered sun side garden. There is enough light for Barbados to pump the flowers. The purple coneflower is mixed with the giant hesperarae starburst leaves.
The purple coneflower orange cone reflects rusty Japanese maple on the background.
There are bird bass and Japanese maple, “Feather Falls” sedges and river ferns.
Reflected heat, Barbados pride and golden slyslis flaunt summer flowers against the house.
Back patio
In the backyard, the cat doubled the size of the limestone patio on the pavement, creating space for the dining table under the wood-covered chandelier. A pavement path surrounded by potted “Feather Falls” sedges encourages views from the secondary patio.
Route to the canyon view between Live Oaks
Another patio is located in a meadow that blooms with wild flowers in spring and fall. The views of the far hills provide the opportunity to view the sunset.
A small inventory tank pond at the edge of the upper patio seduces the birds with a dripping bamboo fountain. Watermelons were closed in the morning…
…But by the day, the apricot flowers in the starry sky had opened.
Free!
Looking back at the house
The dining table offers rusty vignettes…
…A metal drum chandelier with matching Burgundy bromeliads.
The terracotta bird trio adds humor.
In particular, there is one nest in the hole in the umbrella on the table
Those who don’t listen will add personality to their pots of Suge and Koryus.
A spotted manjab perch above a green ceramic tool.
Shade Garden
In shade gardens along the deck, cats lean towards leaves rather than flowers, and green, brown and terracotta colour schemes. White flowers appear seasonally in giant spider lilies and oakleaf hydrangeas.
Firework-like flowers and giant spider lilies
Terracotta birds perch on cedar branches between used flowers of oakleaf hydrangea – perfect color match.
Giant spider lilies and oakleaf terri
Looking back at the dining patio
And ahead of the large stock tank pond and another attractive patio
Stock tank pond garden
I think the large tank pond, which is 8 footer, is focused across the garden.
The spigot fountain in the back circulates goldfish water.
Pond umbrella
Side view using limestone slabs for access. Dry Creek flows out of the driveway from the pond to the edge of the canyon.
Shady garden view towards the driveway fence
Pot Yucca – Always a great Texas solution because of evergreens, drought tolerance, heat proof, and cold hardiness.
The garden sculpture woman is the creation of the cat herself from the pottery class she participated in.
Mini Pond – Water Iron Bathtub – features bronze colocasia and floating steel orbs.
Terracotta frog looks right at the house in the leaves of the giant leopard plant lily pad.
Thank you for visiting the beautiful garden, cat!
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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.
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