October 22, 2025
An invitation to Lucinda Hutson’s purple casita is always a happy occasion. Both Lucinda and her gardens are welcoming, colorful, and unique.
I stopped by two weeks ago just as Lucinda was finishing up her extensive Day of the Dead decorations. She expertly staples HEB’s Day of the Dead-themed totes to brighten up her entryway with skulls and hearts.
Blooming passionflowers along the fence add to the purple color scheme.
Beautiful rain lilies were blooming on the ground.
At the main entrance, a flower-like skeleton woman welcomes visitors…
…so does another boner.
Mrs. Mariposa, a Day of the Dead doll with butterfly wings, watches over a small seating area.
With the monarch’s wings outstretched and a circle of butterflies behind her, she clutches a bouquet of marigolds and grass.
Viewed from the street, Madame Mariposa offers a Janus view with the face of another masked skeleton.
Day of the Dead pillows dress up a purple wicker chair.
Playful skeletons frolic in petunia pots.
Our Lady of Guadalupe adorns a pot of marigolds.
A stone cross marks the grave of Lucinda’s beloved cat Sancho.
A tall, pointed gazebo invites you into the backyard. Sky vines cover the whole area…
…I offer sky-blue flowers to the butterflies that pass by.
Skeleton banners are a seasonal addition.
view of bougainvillea
smoky red flowers
I turn around and see Mrs. Mariposa and the front patio. But now we are in the mermaid garden. There, mermaid skeletons provide seasonal changes.
they make me smile.
An iron mermaid poses in a wreath of shells, evoking the bivalve Venus.
Hibiscus brings the heat.
bougainvillea and hibiscus
Another skeleton mermaid hangs from an umbrella.
There’s even a skeleton fish on the tiled fish table.
Further on, you’ll see the Shrine Madonna with a Bathtub, one of the many folk art pieces in Lucinda’s Garden.
Flower tiles decorate pots of orange zinnias.
A grinning ceramic pumpkin mirrors the color of the stacked high chairs, an unexpected sculptural element.
The coral vines were in full bloom in early October and bloomed like a waterfall.
The pink flowers look beautiful against the purple house.
Golden Mum evokes the colors of fall, even when it feels like fall hasn’t officially arrived yet.
Another view. The paint on Lucinda’s house in the background has changed to yellow.
purple bougainvillea
The carved wooden gate reads “El Jardin Encantador” (Enchanted Garden).
At the very end, a colorful skull flag flutters above the deck.
The table is decorated in celebration of the Day of the Dead.
At the buffet, skulls smile at you from ceramic bowls.
Lucinda opened the back door and showed us the mosaic-tiled “Stairway to Heaven.”
This room always surprises new visitors. Lucinda’s extensive collection of Mexican folk art, books, and art is on display. On the back wall is a large Day of the Dead altar with skeletons, marigolds, and photos of deceased loved ones.
Folk art Diablo figure (devil)
Our Lady of Guadalupe is framed in the dining room. At her feet are several old Mexican sugar skulls that have been carefully preserved for decades.
More sugar skulls line the windowsill.
There are cheerful skeletons everywhere in Lucinda’s house for the Day of the Dead. These playfully spill out of the terracotta jugs.
Its beauty and playfulness remind us that death is just the next stage.
This is Lucinda (in purple, of course) and our visitors Jill Nooney and Bob Munger from Bedrock Gardens. Thank you, Lucinda, for sharing your beautiful Day of the Dead home and garden with us!
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My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, has been published. Find it on Amazon and other online book sellers. Makes a great holiday gift for anyone who loves gardens and the natural beauty of Texas. Learn more about Gardens of Texas here.
Come see me on tour! I’m speaking in cities across Texas to celebrate the release of Gardens of Texas. October talks include: SFA State University’s Fall Plant Fair in Nacogdoches on 10/23; Houston Botanical Garden on 10/25. and Tomball’s Arbor Gate on October 26th. Learn with me, be inspired, and get an autographed copy of this book!
October 25: Hill Country Bloomers Garden Club’s Fall Garden Tour will tour five gardens in Cedar Park, Leander and Georgetown from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Local artists will display and sell their work in each garden, and one garden will have plants for sale. Tickets are $20. Click here for details. Proceeds will go towards garden grants to local schools.
November 6th: Learn about garden design and ecology at Garden Spark! Several times a year, I organize in-person lectures by designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners in Austin. The next talk on November 6th will be my own. A presentation on resilient Texas gardens. Tickets can be purchased here. Click here to subscribe to Garden Spark by email — Subject: Subscribe.
Nov. 8: Tour five Austin gardens on the Travis County Open Day Tour sponsored by the Garden Conservancy. I’ll be at Belmont Parkway Gardens with a Texas Garden autograph table, so please come say hi. Tickets for each garden must be purchased online in advance, and some gardens have limited admission, so book early. Click here for details and ticket link.
All materials © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. All rights reserved.
