What illuminates the garden?

September 25, 2025

Spin your garden again as temperatures in Austin shift towards autumn. If autumn means low F temperature in the 90s, I’ll take it.

“Alphonse Karr” bamboo has become quite shaggy this year. I enjoy that new bushyness. This shows the patio from the Western Sun. Below that are the “macho mocha” mangaeve, barbed wire spheres and “Feather Falls” Karex.

Though the charred summer, hanging there is a giant leopard plant, a lover of thirsty tints. I’m wondering why I grow this plant. This wilts surprisingly by the time my irrigation day rolls. But in cooler and damper seasons, I love it.

Potted plants include purple schorris and “Monterrey Frost” squid agave.

Ghost plants exhibit interesting color changes, possibly due to summer stress. Same ghost plant. i feel you.

A tropical-looking perennial, Lemon Yellow Rose Mallow (Hibiscus Carrifilus), doesn’t mind the fever. It is covered in bone-breaking yellow flowers with Burgundy eyes.

Hello

The lilies from Oxblood are still pop-up, including those found in the spiny arms of soap aloe.

Darcy’s Sage (Salvia Darcyi) is on fire.

Darcy’s Sage often pairs with Chilean Pekin and its little red peppers. Purple mangaves make those red even better.

Chilean Pekin and Squirrel Totem

Stock tank planters gather more oxblood lilies around Ursula, a variety of whale tongues. The silver ground cover is native wool stemodia.

I can’t get enough Oxbloods.

One more

Understood, the end

And finally! Several yellow spider lilies (Lycoris Aurea) appeared before “Mystic Spiers” Salvia and implanted them a few years ago. They screamed for so long despite their movements, they thought they would never bloom again. But it’s here.

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Join the Garden Spark Talk at Gilnoony on October 9th

Austinians invite to the next Garden Spark event, which will be held in northwest Austin on October 9th. Artist, gardener and author Jill Noony of Bedrock Gardens talks about her acclaimed New Hampshire Garden. I can’t wait to see her photos and be inspired by the magic of her gardening. You might think that New England gardens must teach us here in Texas. Like other gardens made of passion and creativity, it teaches us to try and experiment with failure, try to fail at risk, and please the resulting beauty, humor and life stories. Please come and participate!

There’s a ticket here

Garden Spark is open to the public. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

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Dig deeper

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’m talking to a city in Texas to celebrate the release of Texas Gardens. The October talks include Planta Nativa in McAllen on 16th October. Austin nature gardener on 10/18. SFA State University Fall Factory Fair was held at Naco Doches on October 23rd. Houston Botanical Gardens on 10/25. Tomball Arbor Gate on 10/26. Join me, learn, inspire and touch on signed copies of books!

Tour 5 Austin Garden on Saturday, November 8th, on an open day tour of the Garden Conservancy in Travis County. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, and some gardens will restrict attendance, so book spots early. For more information, please click here.

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!