{"id":394,"date":"2014-05-02T23:53:17","date_gmt":"2014-05-03T04:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/?p=394"},"modified":"2014-05-03T11:46:41","modified_gmt":"2014-05-03T16:46:41","slug":"eclectic-gardens-on-tour-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/?p=394","title":{"rendered":"Take a tour &#8220;Inside Austin Gardens&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb_share_1\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 10px;\"><a name=\"fb_share\" type=\"box_count\" share_url=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/?p=394\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\">Share<\/a><\/div><div><script src=\"http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/connect.php\/js\/FB.Share\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div><p>If you&#8217;re a gardener looking for new plant and design ideas (or if you&#8217;re just looking for something to do outdoors on one of our few remaining &#8216;spring&#8217; weekends), put the &#8220;Inside Austin Gardens Tour&#8221; at the top of \u00a0today&#8217;s to-do list.<\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s tour, which runs from 9 am to 4 pm., \u00a0is subtitled &#8220;Gardens Eclectic&#8221; and is intended to showcase local gardens that are a unique expression of the personalities and interests of the gardeners who created them. After previewing each of the gardens last week with a group of Austin garden bloggers, I can confirm that creative individualism is alive and well in Austin gardens.<\/p>\n<p>All of the gardens make good use of a mix of native and adapted perennials and annuals,\u00a0but the hardscapes (the \u00a0&#8216;bones&#8217; of the gardens) \u00a0say the most about the personalities\u00a0of the gardeners.<\/p>\n<p>Take, for example, this flaming water rock garden scene from Jerry Naiser&#8217;s garden. If it were performance art, I&#8217;d call it\u00a0 &#8216;Fire Water Steel Rock.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-400\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-7-670x1024.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour 7\" width=\"460\" height=\"703\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-7-670x1024.jpg 670w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-7-196x300.jpg 196w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-7.jpg 1780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve heard of <a href=\"(http:\/\/www.curbly.com\/users\/diy-maven\/posts\/11408-how-to-make-a-rock-bowl-flame)\">flaming rock bowls<\/a>, and I&#8217;ve heard of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dallasobserver.com\/2012-04-26\/news\/fire-in-the-hole\/\">flaming water<\/a>, but this was the first time I&#8217;d seen the two concepts combined for a garden feature. It&#8217;s certainly one way to add \u00a0drama to a backyard suburban garden.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-401\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-6-1024x963.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour 6\" width=\"460\" height=\"432\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-6-1024x963.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-6-300x282.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-6.jpg 1880w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The water feature in Lori Daul&#8217;s garden is not as showy perhaps, but it&#8217;s a lovely\u00a0(and cooling) combination of plumbing, pottery and river rocks that provides soothing sounds and a peaceful place to rest the eyes\u00a0in this small South Austin garden.<\/p>\n<p>Ken and Robin Howard Moore brought a personal aesthetic and piece of the past to their walkways:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-402\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-2-637x1024.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour 2\" width=\"460\" height=\"739\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-2-637x1024.jpg 637w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-2-186x300.jpg 186w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-2.jpg 1567w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a>Regional brand imprints and burnished shades of red and yellow suggest that these bricks witnessed a long and colorful history before they found a home in the Howard Moore garden.<\/p>\n<p>On Dugie and David Graham&#8217;s steep backyard slope, stacked rocks create walls to form a foundation and a frame for sub-level garden rooms and a pond.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-405\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-1-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour 1\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-1-1024x685.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-404\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-5-1024x715.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour 5\" width=\"460\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-5-1024x715.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-5-300x209.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Weathered wood pieces framed in welded steel create a privacy wall and a captivating backdrop for Austin Neal&#8217;s garden. (Note to self: In your next life, when you&#8217;re a welder, you must remember this.)<\/p>\n<p>And finally, the Travis County AgriLife Extension demonstration garden is a great example of a DIY garden that makes creative and practical use of native plants, local stones, and mulch &#8212; LOTS of mulch (which helps feed the soil\u00a0while providing a tidy backdrop for plants and rocks.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-path.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-406\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-path-1024x607.jpg\" alt=\"rs mg tour path\" width=\"460\" height=\"272\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-path-1024x607.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rs-mg-tour-path-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of course, if you go on the tour, you&#8217;ll see much more than I&#8217;ve pictured here. And it&#8217;s only $15 to see all the gardens.\u00a0The garden addresses,\u00a0along with a map\u00a0and more details about the tour\u00a0are at\u00a0<span style=\"color: #666666;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/insideaustingardens.org\/\"><span style=\"color: #12593c;\">http:\/\/insideaustingardens.org<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Y<span class=\"Apple-style-span\" style=\"color: #666666;\">ou can also pay $5 to see a single garden. If\u00a0you&#8217;re looking for smart and DIY-able ideas to steal for your own garden,\u00a0\u00a0and you&#8217;re on a tight schedule, I&#8217;d recommend\u00a0Lori or Austin&#8217;s garden.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>(The tour\u00a0is being <span style=\"color: #666666;\">presented by Travis County Master Gardeners\u00a0Association and the Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ShareIf you&#8217;re a gardener looking for new plant and design ideas (or if you&#8217;re just looking for something to do outdoors on one of our few remaining &#8216;spring&#8217; weekends), put the &#8220;Inside Austin Gardens Tour&#8221; at the top of \u00a0today&#8217;s to-do list. This year&#8217;s tour, which runs from 9 am to 4 pm., \u00a0is subtitled [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=394"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":415,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394\/revisions\/415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.reneesnewblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}