August 16, 2025
On the Memphis escape in June, Susan Thompson greeted us wearing a golden Elvis arm and flower horns. It was a memorable welcome!
Her and her husband John’s rosy stucco and stone house were also memorable, adorned with the art of horns, hollyhox and lilies, rock and tree branches.
Susan has a long history with this property. For an explanation of her garden, she wrote:
“I spent almost (here) the whole life. In 1931, my dad bought these 50 acres for just $10. When it was thought to be too far from making Memphis lively, the land had no deep history under the soil.
Today, 50 acres contain small plots built around picturesque artificial lakes. This is a view from Susan and John’s backyard.
First, we were invited to take a peek into the stucco’s greenhouse – something like a real house of plants – the pergola shade patio is located in front of us.
Beyond that, the large courtyard and pond offer plenty to explore between the main house and the independent garage. The pond is dramatically built on a hillside overlooking the courtyard.
Along the walls of one of the houses, a wonderful tree made of stone appears to be sprouting from the earth.
On Facebook, Susan explained its origins. “After completing the house that depicted the shapes that John and I wanted, we had a lot of remaining stones.
In a living echo, espaliered pear trees grow against the walls of the garage.
Close-up view
With antique doors and mounted corners, the stucco garage gives it a Santa Fe feel.
However, the pink hydrangea reveals that this is south rather than southwest.
Lilies, holly hocks and roses add vibrant colours along their dusty pink walls. Even the dog’s door has corners.
Speaking of which
Susan’s walls are hardworking. Here, water spills from the spout hidden in the ivy into the sturdy valley fountain.
Side view
Serpentine branches – Old Espalier? -Live a new life as a garden with a coat of purple and blue paint. Branch supports matching support that matches your birdcage.
It’s fun to see them reuse like this.
Each one has a different colour and increases bird sage throughout the garden.
Another type of bird cage in a coleus bed
Heading back we found a large porch overlooking the lake.
The leggy fake bore table features potted aloe and agaves, in addition to collected rocks and slag glass.
The owner clearly appreciates desert plants. A pair of painted chairs has flowering cacti.
More corners gather in pale blue pots with blue slag glass.
Shady garden behind the house
When I went out I grabbed a moonpie for the road – a childhood treat in the playful Southern Gardens.
Next: Memphis Garden Shopping at Millstone Market and Nursery. Click here to look back at Pam Beasley’s Basket Arbor and Garden Room.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post. If you’re reading via email, click here to dig out and find a comment box at the end of each post. Hey, has someone forwarded this email to you and do you want to subscribe? Click here to get digged straight to your inbox!
_____
Dig deeper
Do you want any ideas for your garden besides the lawn? Certainly I will! On Saturday, September 13th, he gave a lecture called “Lawn Gone: 8 Great Ideas for Your Yourd” at the Concho Valley Master Gardens Fall Symposium held in San Angelo, Texas. The cost of the all-day symposium with four speakers is $30 per person. Snacks and lunch are included. Please register by September 10th using this link. I want to meet homeowners and gardeners in West Texas!
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 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 limited attendance events, so join the Garden Spark Meailas list for notifications when tickets are sold. Click this link to ask you to subscribe. Click here to see the lineup for Season 9!
All Materials ©2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
