Crapes and Rosemary and Salvias, Oh My!

Crape myrtles are blooming! It makes driving through Austin all the more delightful. I have to take back ways sometimes, just to check out the innumerable blooming trees. Not to mention the flirty, bright oranges of Pomegranate trees. I can't wait for the fruit! Also, the morning glory on my back porch is really starting to fill in. Seems like this summer in Austin, with so many good spring showers, will be far more beautiful than last year.

I'm re-discovering my love for Salvias. As distracting as glorious spring bloomers are, they often make me forget that the long, hot summer just coaxes the best out of salvias: the smaller, tropical coccinea (cherry sage), the massive, showy leucantha (Mexican bush sage), the creeping carpets of tiny sonomensis, and the greggii's (Autumn sages) that are saving their best shows for last. I love that autumn sage comes in a coral shade that is, at once, a perfect contrast to every other bloom, and often the most pleasantly distracting color in an entire garden. Nevermind all the delicious varieties of sage that are edible! I once made a summer bread loaf from pineapple scented Salvia elegans, and I've been too timid to try any other variety of sage, even Salvia officinalis, for fear that it just wouldn't be as good. Silly, I know, but at least it gives me something of a signature dish!

The rosemary I planted back in Fall is finally forgiving me for giving it partial shade. Rosemary chafe under too much care, and tend to die in a fit of outrage if coddled. But I carefully neglected her, and the persistent bake of the summer sun is bringing her more into her rugged self. Hmmm...I wonder if rosemary bread is in order. Hmm..lemon rosemary loaf! I think I'm too inspired to linger...

Revisiting a Greek Design

This Spring has been slow for designing landscapes. I've had quite a few other things on my plate, but I haven't given up my small business. Green design has always been therapeutic for me... my Zen place, if you will.

And now I have another client, and she's one I've worked with before. It was sheer pleasure to design her front yard: she presented me with a lovely challenge. She'd lived in Greece, and loved the flora of that country. She was surprised to find out how many Grecian plants grow well in central Texas. I was excited by the challenge of researching Greek design philosophy: how do they address planting by usefulness, planting by smell, plant pairings and groupings? It was quite a side project, though the design itself would be relatively small. Still, I wanted to give her home some semblance to the places she knew before.

I ended up incorporating wild olive, lavender, dwarf pomegranate, laurels, and echinacea for color, texture and scent. Oregano, thyme, and rosemary I used to give the front and walkway some foliage contrast and spice! I mixed all of these in with other colorful plantings that would enhance the color and contrast with them: new gold lantana, pink skullcap, abelia, bi-colored iris and Mexican oregano. Wisteria, lillies, and lemon/lime trees we reserved for the future design of her back yard, if they were to be used at all.

Recently she called me back to design the back yard. The challenge here is that it's densely shaded: not only by her trees, but all around the perimeter by large neighboring trees. I have to say, I'm looking forward to it!