Friday, September 21, 2018

Tanglewild, a stop on the Garden Bloggers Fling

Back to Austin and our stop at a garden called Tanglewild...we parked and "debused" and several people started eating fruit from this Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). I was a little horrified. Maybe the owner greeted us, offered up the fruit and I just missed it? Maybe. It seemed like an rude thing to do otherwise...

Beautiful Loquats though...

Inside the fence were several raised beds for the owners daylily collection — they've been certified an American Hemerocallis National Display Garden and Historic Display Garden and they're long term goal is to have a daylily hybridizing nursery.

No doubt the greenhouse is used for working in the collection.

A peek inside...

Several of our group were quite disappointed the daylilies were not in bloom during our visit.

"life is beautiful"

The owners of this garden moved to Austin in 2011, from Seattle — where they gardened on a 50 x 100 ft city lot. They must be giddy with all the space.

Their first year gardening here they planted 14 mature palm trees.

This creek, Tar Branch Creek, is one of their favorite features of the garden, according to the info we were given as part of the Fling registration. It's home to snapping turtles!

The palms definitely make a statement.

As does this...

Moving back into the more heavily gardened part of the property, there's another greenhouse...

And the walled courtyard...

The baby faces are just a touch creepy...

Our group made quick use of the shady sitting area.

I do love a vine gone wild.

Hey cutie!

The garden's irrigation is well-fed (a 450-ft deep well!), so there's no problem keeping things lush and green.

Hey, another Portlander, Ann Amato.

Love the Moroccan-themed wooden accents.

This had to be one of the most talked about features of the garden: Tetrapanax as ground cover.

I think someone actually searched out one of the owners to ask what the long-term plan was, and they said either they cut them back each year, or mother nature does, I can't remember which. Maybe both?

An interesting variegated leaf...

It was nice to see a couple from Seattle embracing things we just can't grow up here in the PNW...

I had no idea Cycads sprouted from the base like this!

Pretty fabulous garden...

Weather Diary, Sept 20: Hi 73, Low 49/ Precip 0

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

25 comments:

  1. This looks like an interesting garden! I love the creepy baby faces. It may be time to start putting something about garden touring etiquette in the Fling program. Like don't touch or pick fruit from any of the gardens? WTF are people thinking? Where do their manners go when they're in a mob? Don't step into beds. Don't pull something YOU think is a weed. Don't criticize the garden within hearing of the host.

    On a happier note, that is a beautiful picture of Ann.

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    1. "Don't step into beds"...ha! I still wonder how a certain Flinger ended up with a bloody Agave jab to her shin. Where was she stepping in my garden?

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  2. I do so hope that the hosts offered the loquat fruit otherwise taking it was incredibly rude. Could you imagine what it would be like to move from our urban gardens to a place with space like this? I'd be a little lost but these gardeners have made fabulous use of it all. Love the Moroccan feel, especially of those window opening screens. Swoon. So, would you move to/garden in Austin if it meant more space?

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    1. "So, would you move to/garden in Austin if it meant more space?"...
      This was interesting to think about, the Agave growing options alone made me smile. But no, I have no desire to live in Texas. I am a West Coast girl!

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  3. I frankly can't imagine moving from your climate to Austin or anywhere in Texas. Between the heat and the politics, I think it would be a difficult transition. That blue swimming pool is so bright, they always dominate the space. I never understand why people don't paint them darker colors so they are part of the overall garden and not just screaming look at me. But I love all those Moroccan touches.

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    1. The heat's probably only going to get worse, but the politics is going to improve bigly over the next decade.

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    2. I like your prediction of improving politics Nell! And yes, while Texas is a great place to visit I have no desire to live there.

      Interesting pool observation Linda, you've got me picturing a dark blue lagoon.

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    3. As the owner, I can understand the comment about the pool. I too wanted it to be dark... I felt as you do, that they really stand out too much, but one, the pool is simply white, not blue, that is the color of mum nature's H2O reflecting sky and the color varies as it does in our ocean's, when the sand it white, the water is blue, when it's not, it's darker, and when it's deep, it's especially dark. I'm a former goth, so a dark black pool would have been my preference. I wanted the interior of the pool to be black and for it to appear very deep or lagoon-like, but the locals said, "Don't do it!". A pool that is black gets way too warm in the Summer as it holds the heat. When we have days in the 90's and evenings in the 80's, the last thing we want is to jump in a hot pool. So the alternative was simply white or some unnatural shade, so I went with the former. :)

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  4. Thanks for sharing your views of this wonderful and experimental garden, Loree. Skottie and Jeff have been planting nonstop for the past 7 years or so, and they still have space to fill. It's a big property, and they are ambitious! The Fling was just a bit early for daylily season, which is typically late May through June. But it was clearly prime season for loquats. ;)

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    1. Now you've got me wondering when our daylilies bloom!

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    2. ...Thank you Pam and thanks to everyone for coming to see our crazy experiment in growing things in Hades. As we grew to adore the Pacific Northwest for growing plants, we have done the same with Austin. We hated growing things here at first, but now that things are beginning to mature, the vision is within reach and the plants that survive here have become our new favorites. As for the Loquats, I am sure that when folks got off the bus and someone noticed them, he said to eat them all!

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    3. Growing things in Hades -- ha! So funny, Scottie and Jeff. And kinda true!

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  5. Once again, you captured things I missed. I heard about the screaming babies piece after the fact but didn't see it when I was there and hadn't caught it in anyone else's post. I love the skirted Cycad too - I've never seen one grow like that either.

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    1. I wonder if the Cycad business was a response to a freeze?

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    2. The screaming babies were a gift from Jeff's mom. She wanted us to have a collection and at the time we were collecting architectural elements like gargoyles. She thought those were too scary so she bought us this piece. It is called The Seven Cherub Notes, each baby is apparently singing a note. I'm sorry, it is creepy, but it is kinda funny too.

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  6. Thank you for the reminder of this glorious day. That walled courtyard was special! I missed the screaming babies, too, but I remember most of the other things you've shown here. The daylilies were interesting to see, too.

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  7. I really loved this garden, you could feel how they tried to meld the PNW with Texas with a little Morocco thrown in.And they sure had some great infrastructure.

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    1. "PNW with Texas with a little Morocco thrown in"...one wouldn't think that could work, but it did!

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  8. I love those feathers of Ficus pumila growing on the wall, I assume from the same plant going wild on the other side. Ann's blue dress is a great complement to the Moroccan theme.

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  9. I thought the screaming babies were hilariously funny.

    Garden had all sorts of interesting spaces. It will be truly fabulous in a decade or so. Still a young garden, a developing garden.

    Lots of non-blue pools here for a while, but the trend-pendulum is lately swinging back to blue. When they are too dark swimmers can't jump in safely. A friend had a black-bottomed pool and you could not tell if it was 6" or 6' deep.

    Cycas pup just like...Agaves! :^) Here the rats and squirrels get all the Loquats.

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  10. I really liked the walled garden and Moroccan style of this. Great photos, Loree. And yes, for the record, one of the owners greeted us at the bus and started eating and offering the loquats, he encouraged us to help ourselves. I still have the seed from mine hoping to one day plant it up.

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    1. If you need more seed, I can send you a truckload. :)

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