October 18 , 2022
Artistic Flair
Gardening is a lot more than plants : it ’s an irresistible invitation to flex our creativity physically and mentally . This week on our fall premiere , explore aesthetic elan with three kinsperson . First , Travis County Master GardenersJulie Nelson and Kay Angermann brought originative quislingism , muscle - wielding grit , and passion for plants and animals to their new homestead dub Katie Bird Farm , name for Kay ’s gardening / farming grannie . This active duo ’s turned rough country into wonderland since 2013 when they bought its almost three acres , then a jungle of overcrowded mess cedars brushing live oaks . On move - in hebdomad in October 2013 , floods wash out the driveway . promptly , they call up with a backhoe to outdo up perverse soil and mound it into berms to turn away future gully washers . Since then , they ’ve built more berms and populated them with industrial plant that like right drainage . They pair grass , like aboriginal Lindheimer muhly , with aboriginal and adapted perennial . “Everything was done in such an organic way . Julie and I never wrote , drew a plan out , or had a plant list that we wanted , ” Kay said . Rather than pound into bouldered substrate , Julie built raised beds to grow veg and herbs . They charm up every spot with unique and personable time of origin find that Kay unearths through her stage business , Hipbilly Kay . In their hobby farm ( which includes a gregarious rescued donkey duo ) , happy hen are watch over by Our Lady of Guadalupe , deliver by graffiti stencil and mural artistEl Federico . Julie and Kay have made a mountain of changes and front a few loss since our visit in fall 2019 . The saddest was saying goodbye to sweet honest-to-goodness weenie Howdy , one of their many rescues . We so loved meeting him . He surely did greet us with a “ Howdy!”Next , head to Doug and Ingrid Green ’s domicile west of Lago Vista where they nurture all kinds of wildlife on 28 estate . When we visited in October 2019 , I ’d never seen so many butterfly and bee in a family garden . Doug report that this year ’s drought took its price on the wildlife universe , but they ’re counting more reaching day by day . Since cervid live the commonwealth , too , he dedicated an enclose sanctuary for flowering flora that deer would graze before pollinator got a meal . On our sojourn , frothy pale blue Gregg ’s mistflower was simply a go of wings!Doug project it as a 2700 straight fundament pentagon formed from Mandrillus leucophaeus stem pipe . Off duty fire fighter Ryan Stark drove Wiley Post four feet into the ground with an air hammer , securing them without concrete . The cattle panel sides support many kind of vine , including flowering crossvine , grapevines for birds , and summertime annual purple hyacinth edible bean , its lavender blossoms draw close infinite bees . He put up water and butterfly puddling station around the holding , but inside the sanctuary , he build a pentagon - shaped pond . An original member of theAustin Pond Society , he designed it to accommodate unlike - sized birds , along with bee , lizards and other modest animal . The gravel fill dual duties as a butterfly stroke puddling place . The garden ’s consecrated to his pappa Paul Green , a prospicient - term joyful garden wise man as a member of what ’s now theThe Garden Club of Austin . His barbershop on Red River Street was a ducky for many generations , where his grinning always welcomed every garden interrogative . Doug ’s ahobbyist metal worker , too , who designs and welds meek steel into piece of furniture , containers , and garden art . He builds some container out of cedar tree while others he modifies from purchased or scavenged vessel . Finally , we land in Leander where Ana and Julio Lopez map out their downsized ambition garden in 2018 before the house was even built . Their history trail along to this Modern garden via the many plant that have grown up alongside their shaver . Each one hold a story that gets pass along to protagonist and neighbors through cuttings , divisions , and seminal fluid . Even pruned branches left by the roadside find their way into Ana and Julio ’s originative hearts . To support a generously - fruiting grapevine , Julio frame the back logic gate with stack cedar passementerie . cognize their passion of Our Lady of Guadalupe , one of their sons commissioned anEl Federicopainting that transmute an average gate into a soulful name and address . When Ana yearn for a rose arbor at the front , Julio again enlisted castoff trimmings to cast anchor a Peggy Martin rose . A aboriginal coralbean extends red - blossomed invitation to hummingbirds passing by . The pergola deserve a peculiar gate , so when Ana and Julio notice an former , weathered candidate , they renewed it with cubital joint grease and erotic love . “ We always know about the occult garden and I was dreaming about the gate . . .The neighbour make out it and they just pass and say , ‘ Oh , I roll in the hay your gate . It looks like a hugger-mugger garden . Can I go in ? ’ And yes , of course , everybody is welcome , ” Ana always tells them .
Watch all these inspiring stories !
Thanks for stop by ! See you next calendar week , Linda
tag :
