nursery Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Cistus nursery delights gardeners at Portland Fling…

Our third stop on the first day of the Portland Garden Bloggers Fling was Cistus Nursery. Coming from the Lan Su Chinese Garden, which was serene and peaceful, Cistus provided a bold contrast — it was chock full of plants – a sensory explosion for plant lovers.

There were many familiar plants at the nursery, like these Yucca rostrata, which grow happily at home in Austin, Texas.

I did say chock full, didn’t I?

But some of the Cistus family were uninterested in visiting bloggers.

“Yeah, I see you, but it’s hot and it feels good here on these cold bricks, so I hope you don’t mind if I don’t get up to greet you!”

Oh, so true! It should have said, “gaggle of plant nerds!”

I’m smitten with interesting tree bark and there were several great trees to photograph.

Love these Eryngium — their dramatic spiky blooms provide unique texture in any garden bed.

Dramatic grasses billowed in the breeze.

While it was easy to become engrossed in the plants on the ground and the tables, the impressive views extended to some of the majestic trees that love the Pacific Northwest.

There were many different species of Eucomis in the gardens and nurseries in Portland. I’ve been babying one in my own garden at home for some time. Forced to suffer the scorching heat and the periodic nibbling deer, it is tough as nails. Hmmmm…. and thus began the idea of taking another one home with me…

I saw this plant all over the Portland gardens — Melianthus major. Big, bold, textured and tough, it really caught my eye. I took several photos of it, fully intent on finding one for my garden at home. But after some research yesterday, I’ve decided it might be too invasive in my garden…but maybe I can keep one in a pot!

Another favorite in my garden, Euphorbia.

Flingers in search of treasure.

More interesting bark.

And these crocosmia were everywhere. Their beautiful strappy leaves combined with vibrant blooms add a real pop to any garden setting.

More amazing Erygnium.

Reaching for the sun.

Being a salvia collector, I’m going to have to try to find one of these in Austin for my garden — Salvia guar. ‘Argentine skies.’

Even the growing heat couldn’t keep us from fanning out across the nursery in search of garden goodies. Some bloggers left with plants. I left with something almost as good — ideas!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:05-06:00September 15th, 2014|2014 garden bloggers fling, bark, Blog, Crocosmia, erygnium, eucomis, euphorbia, Fling, melianthus major, nursery, Portland, salvia, salvia guar Argentine skies, Sharing Nature's Garden, yucca, yucca rostrata|0 Comments

Whimiscal garden art makes Arbor Gate Nursery in Tomball a must-see visit

What would a weekend garden tour trip be without a nursery tour to go along with it?

Not as much fun, that’s for sure. So when my friend, Pam, of Digging, planned our Houston Garden Conservancy Open Days trip last weekend, we had two nurseries on our fun-filled itinerary: The Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham (I’ll post about it soon), and The Arbor Gate in Tomball, a whimsical destination nursery packed with garden art of every imaginable type.

They describe their nursery as: “an inspired collection that includes unusual plants, artisan-created decorative pieces, and a constantly changing array of items that bring beauty, comfort, and even flavor to the home and garden.”

There were two lovely shops with home and garden gifts galore. I could get lost in a place like this.

This giant metal rose sculpture truly is a Carefree Beauty – no blackspot here.

Darting among the metal statues, I’m not sure who was more curious – me or this duck?

I was intrigued by all of the birdhouse art. I had my eye on one, but ended up with a piece of glass art instead. Now I wish I’d splurged and bought one of each.

The wall of the store was lined with talavera painted creatures.

This bevy of terra cotta cats seemed to be watching us wherever we went.

Unlike these two lazy porkers, who paid us absolutely no mind.

I think the duck was looking for a date here, but the herons weren’t interested.

And the pottery – boy was there a lot of pottery.

And more critters.

And more birdhouses.

And it wouldn’t be a nursery without some ceramic mushrooms.
I particularly liked this sea of ceramic fish swimming through this bright bed of chard. They looked like they were trying to talk to us.

They also had a wide variety of glass garden art – I almost bought this one, but ended up with a different piece – same colors but a different shape. It hasn’t found its perfect home in my garden yet, so that will have to be another post.

You can see Pam was having a great time loitering among the plants.

More animal garden art. I’ll bet that dog doesn’t wake its owner up at 5:30 on the weekends (like some dogs I know).

Their poppies were stunning.

I loved these Spanish-inspired colorful garden stakes.

And more cute ‘shrooms.

Flying bugs …

…and flying pigs.

I cannot tell a lie – a beautiful succulent from this table went home with me.

Here are more of the glass sculptures. They remind me of the amazing chihuly glass, and they were reasonably priced. I can’t wait to find the perfect place in my garden for the one I bought.

They also had a wonderful selection of plants and the nursery staff were very knowledgeable. We shared stories and asked questions and identified a few new varieties of plants to try back here at home in Central Texas.

Gardens and shopping. Kind of like peanut butter and jelly. We had a blast.

If you’re in the north Houston area, make time to visit this magical nursery — you’ll be glad you did.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:09-06:00April 7th, 2014|Arbor Gate, Blog, garden art, garden decor, garden tour 2014, Houston, nursery, Sharing Nature's Garden, Tomball|0 Comments

Shopping for veggies for the spring garden…

A quick trip to The Natural Gardener today yielded a treasure trove of goodies for the spring garden.

I went in search of three little things: potatoes, sulfur and seed starter mix.

But I came home with so much more, including:

a few magazines,
a decorative hanging bell with a cord of glistening glass beads,
a fairy garden turtle on a leaf for my daughter, who recently asked if she could have a turtle,
seeds,
strawberries,
beets,
lettuce,
cauliflower,
spinach,
chard,
daikon radishes,
all blue and red pontiac potatoes,
sulfur,
and my friend Amy Stewart’s book, Wicked Plants.

I got it all into the car and then realized I had forgotten the seed starter mix. It’s funny how a trip to the nursery can turn your world upside down and make you forget things. I ran back in and grabbed a bag.

Now it’s time to get busy planting!

By Diana C. Kirby|2019-07-15T19:14:41-05:00February 9th, 2014|beets, Blog, books, chard, lettuce, magazines, nursery, Sharing Nature's Garden, spinach, spring vegetables, vegetable garden, vegetables|0 Comments

Flora Grubb delights bloggers with pots, plants and garden design and decor

Come on in.

Where to start?

Our 6th annual Garden Bloggers Fling in the San Francisco area this year was phenomenal. The Fling crew, Kelly Kilpatrick, Andrea Fox, Charlotte, Claire and Maggie, did an amazing job of crafting a program filled with beautiful private gardens, public gardens and nurseries. They babied us and fed us well and it was so fun to gather with friends, old and new, and join together to discover the Bay area.

As we began our Fling, we all laughingly said that they can grow everything in California. After these garden tours, I think it may be true!

I’m starting my blog posts from the end. After numerous problems with my computer and iPhoto (all self- created problems having to do with TOO many files – 18,000 photos – even after moving 5 years worth of photos elsewhere), these are the photos I’ve uploaded so these are the photos you get to see!

Our last stop – a shopping tour and reception filled with wonderful food and drinks – at the well-known nursery, Flora Grubb. Wow.

The nursery had me on garden overload with its unique plants, bursts of hot color and just plain old cool stuff. Creative vignettes like this classic car overflowing with ferns and phormium captured our attention.

This exotic staghorn fern makes me think of Medusa as it spills out of this Buddha head planter.

The pruning of this palm tree created a live piece of sculptural garden art.

Endless bromeliads – loving the heat and humidity of the Bay area – and paired with hot pots.

Or succulents sitting side-by-side in cool concrete.

Flora Grubb did the landscaping for nearby gardens, and we got a walking tour of the area, which included these great yuccas.

I loved this plant – tibouchina – and was pondering its viability here in Austin, Texas, when Kelly came along, laughed at me, and said:

“No, it won’t grow in Austin, but it will grow in my garden!”

Then she snatched one up and sauntered up to the cash register! I had to laugh. I had a case of serious plant envy by this point without a doubt.

Inside the store, we were surrounded by more beautiful pots and decor.

As things were winding down, and I sat to chat with friends, I almost didn’t notice the cool trenched table inlaid with succulents. I knew I couldn’t get this in my suitcase. Think I could make one? Hmmmm…

Each year at the Fling, there seems to be one specific plant that’s in its full glory in almost every garden we visit. In Buffalo, I remember the mondarda, in Chicago, I remember the alliums. From the San Francisco fling, I will always remember the over-the-top phormium we found in almost every garden. We’re a little too hot and a little too dry to grow them here, but you can bet money I’m gonna try! Maybe in a pot, in a carefully chosen spot and lots of TLC. (No work involved in trying to grow this plant!)

Here’s a glimpse of what I brought home in my suitcase – a succulent, a fern and a few tilandsias along with a trio of metal planters and some red long beans. I would have liked to fill a truck with so much more and drive it home, but that would have been impractical.

This was a spectacular ending to a wonderful Fling. Thanks to everyone who helped by working, hosting, opening their homes, and sponsoring our special event.

By Diana C. Kirby|2019-07-15T19:14:41-05:00July 14th, 2013|2013 fling, 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling, Blog, bright edge yucca, bromeliads, cacti, Flora Grubb, garden art, garden decor, garden tour, nursery, phormium, planters, pots, Sharing Nature's Garden, staghorn fern, succulents, yucca|1 Comment

We have a winner…

It’s official, we have a WINNER!

jjgardens posted a comment to enter the giveaway and is the lucky one who will be the recipient of a generous $50 gift certificate for a shopping spree at Emerald Garden Nursery and Water Garden.

Thanks to all who entered our Support Your Independent Nursery Giveaway.

And thanks to the 8 wonderful local nurseries who donated the prizes for our awesome readers.

Cooler night-time temperatures and warm (but not baking) soil mean it’s time to get back into the garden. It’s the perfect time to replace plants that didn’t make it through the summer, make some changes to a more drought-tolerant garden or plan a new garden project to get plants established over the winter.

Even if the Custom Random Number Generator didn’t pick your post, I hope you will venture out and visit one of these local nurseries and see what great new plants they have to offer right now.

And while the giveaways are over, if you didn’t read about the other local nurseries, check them out on these blogs and then make time to take your own personal fall tour.

You’ll be glad you did!

J Peterson Garden Design — higlights The Great Outdoors
Go Away, I’m Gardening — highlights Sunshine Landscape and Garden Center
Great Stems — highlights Hill Country Water Gardens & Nursery
The Whimsical Gardener — highlights It’s About Thyme
Rock Rose — highlights Shoal Creek Nursery
Digging — highlights Barton Springs Nursery.
Growing Optimism — highlights Natural Gardener

By Diana C. Kirby|2019-07-15T19:14:23-05:00October 26th, 2011|Blog, Emerald Garden, Emerald Garden Giveaway, nursery, Sharing Nature's Garden, Support your Independent Nursery Day|0 Comments

Vivero Growers Nursery wows with vibrant plants

After a great lunch at Jack Allen’s past the “Y” in Oak Hill, Jenny of Rock Rose, Pam of Digging, and Jenny of J Peterson Garden Design and I ventured over to visit our friend Kathy Cain at Vivero Growers Nursery. A few miles past the “Y” on Hwy. 290, Vivero is a plant lovers delight.

As part of Support your Independent Garden Center month, several Austin bloggers are posting about local nurseries every Wednesday in October. Today is also the last day that eight Austin bloggers, including me, are offering 8 exciting giveaways as part of this effort. Visit my previous post here to enter for a chance to win great prizes from participating nurseries.

Today I’m highlighting Vivero as my idependent nursery of the week. Kathy and her husband Mike run Vivero Growers Nursery. They sell retail and wholesale to the trade and, unlike some nurseries, they also grow much of their own stock.

The nursery is filled with little vignettes of plantings, pairing just the right things with each other for color, texture, contrast, size and overall WOW factor. This planter by the office door is a perfect example.

They had not one, but two different varieties of one of my favorite plants in stock — Leonotis leonurus, or Lion’s Tail. The beautiful plants grow tall stalks with bright orange blooms at intervals up the stalk. The almost-round blooms look remarkably like the tuft of fur at the end of a lion’s tail, hence the name. I posted about mine about 3 posts back here, if you want to see one close up.
All the plants were healthy specimens, clearly well-cared for. Everywhere I turned there was a sea of color.
Around every corner, I found some plant treasure — many new varieties of plants that I’d never seen before like salmon-colored salvias and pink and white Mexican bush sages. From trees to perennials to annuals and succulents, Vivero is one of my favorite local nurseries.

Click back to my previous post here to enter for a chance to win in the Support your independent nursery month giveaways. Contest ends at 11:59 tonight!