Tuesday, July 31, 2018

B. Jane, a garden from the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling

Back to Austin and our stop at B Jane's Garden...

From our Fling materials: "The garden is about year-round visual appeal, extensive privacy screening, a resort-like environment, and an architectural approach to planting and the use of stone and steel. Multiple rooms offer private and larger entertainer spaces, and the garden is low maintenance thanks to the use of native and adapted plants. I replaced the front lawn with steel edging, stone walkways, live oaks, Mexican wild olives, spineless prickly pear, agave, gulf muhly grass, blue sotol, and silver ponyfoot, among other plants." This is the personal garden of the owner of B Jane Gardens, a design build firm, the garden is 6 years old...

Is wrong that I enjoy seeing tree-debris lodged in the spikes of other people's plants? Misery does love company...

This garden unfolded in a much more logical way than it will appear to in this post. I don't remember if there were people in my way, so I photographed the edges first, or if I was just in a fog. As I look back on my Fling photos overall it's obvious I wasn't completely in the moment, we'd just lost Lila, the whole trip has a bit of a gauzy feel to me, but in this garden in particular I remember feeling out of sorts. The owner let her two black dogs out to play with us, and one of them was a senior with some grey, seeing them the loss hit hard.

But, to the garden! There's a pool — you can see just a corner — but instead of focusing there I focused on the edge, the small outdoor cook-top, and a few planters.

More planters and a dining area, as well as a small guest house, or maybe a studio.

Perfection!

Fabulous attention to detail.

The pool!

And fire-sticks.

Looking back at where I just was.

Picture perfect...

I should have tried one of these out to see if they were comfy.

I also should have inquired if the slit in the wall served a purpose beyond decorative.

Moving on to examine the plantings...

Several of us plopped down on that wall in the shade and took it all in.

The view from the shade.

The back garden is small, but it seems to live quite large.

Now I've moved on to the smaller, private area beyond the cement wall...

There was a soaking spa/tub set-up, and an outdoor shower.

With a fabulous green wall.

Speaking of green walls...

Doggie rest-stop area.

And now we're back out in the front garden.

Opuntia, Agave ovatifolia, Dichondra argentea (Silver ponyfoot)... quintessentially Austin (to my mind).

Lovely pruning on the trees too.

I'll end with what I think is the blue sotol referenced in the garden description, aka Dasylirion...

Weather Diary, July 30: Hi 92, Low 67/ Precip 0 — another 90+ degree day which sets a record for the number of days over 90 in a single month, 15. Coupled with the fact we've only had 1.22" of rain since May 1 (the driest on record, normal for that period would be 4.82") ... well, here's hoping everyone is very careful with combustible materials...

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

16 comments:

  1. Sorry that your tour of this well-planned and executed, marvelous garden wore a gauzy pall of grief.
    So, you're not going to be playing with fireworks today?

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  2. I love this garden! The orange cube tables and the tall cacti by the loungers are drool worthy!

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    1. So very graphic, I think that's what I love about it.

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  3. I agree with your comment on the size of this garden - it may have been relatively small (at least by comparison to some of the other gardens we saw) but it lived large. I liked how the furnishings and decorative items were used to provide pops of color in a mostly green garden without overwhelming the space. I think you did a great job of capturing the garden's spirit.

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    1. Thanks Kris, YOU just summed it up well.

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  4. Recently, you explained the importance of the first photo you share in a post, and today's first photo is striking! An artful plant layering, in color hight shape and texture.
    I love how silver and slate are used throughout to contrast and connect everything in the house and garden. Love that outdoor shower and green wall!

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    1. Wish you could see it in person chavliness!

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  5. Lovely garden. Love the plant cobinations, and what and outdoor shower.

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    1. Right? Although I can't imagine ever using one that "open"...

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  6. Oh, that must have been hard to see other dogs in a garden right after your loss. I love that silver pony foot and there is really nothing similar that will grow here. I have to say that this garden leaves me somewhat cold, mainly because it is sooo designed. I am not big on inground swimming pools with that intense blue color, rows of chaise lounges and outdoor kitchens. I am much more oriented to living within my garden rather than an outdoor living room, if you can understand that.

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    1. I can understand completely. I think why did work for me was it still felt so personal, and the design touches were very much my taste. The cooking area wasn't an overblown McMansion kitchen, but just someplace you'd rather heat up on a hot Austin summer, than the indoor kitchen. Ditto for the pool, I imagine it gets a lot of use in that hot climate.

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  7. The hardscaping is really appealing and makes a firm background for the rest of the garden. Many great plant combinations!

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  8. I agree, you captured this garden very well. Your photos took me right back. This garden, much like yours, shows what you can accomplish on a small lot if you have a vision.

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