Thursday, December 27, 2018

The garden of Colleen Jamison, a stop on the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling

Back to Austin, in May, as we Garden Bloggers descended upon the garden of Colleen Jamison.

Check out that front porch!

And the custom gate to the back garden...

From our Fling itinerary, Colleen says: "My passion is to create beautiful spaces with plants that love our climate, and my to experiment has created something of a laboratory of what works! But more honestly, it is just a space that I love. The sound of water, plants that move when the wind blows, a place that wildlife thrives in—and me, all in my little suburban space."

I like the drama created by the slanted section of fence.

Yes please! I would love a shady back-garden retreat covered by a green vine.

And don't even get me started on how much I would love to have a courtyard off the back of our house, protected from the wind, taking in the sun...

It would be a dream space!

There were so many blooms on the Passiflora, I edited down my photos to just one...

Interesting shelves...

This seems right out of Pam Penicks The Water Saving Garden...

Emerging from the side-garden I couldn't help but appreciate the view of next door; the house, the planters, the shade trees...

That must make mowing a challenge...
Colleen also gardens the wide median in the street...

Also from the Fling itinerary, when asked about something unique: "The planted median in front of my house. I took on the biggest challenge here, as the space had terrible soil, no irrigation, and was covered in weeds and browsed nightly by deer. I wanted to see if I could garden successfully in the worst of the worst conditions. And I wanted to use plants to create some screening of my neighbor, who had turned his home into a stealth dorm. Little by little, a garden emerged."

There were several interesting plants in the median, but I chose to focus on the Opuntia...

Former blooms, now fruit-in-the-making, many coming of the side of the pad, oh and a new pad emerging from the side of a pad. This doesn't happen with my Opuntia. all the action is along the edges.

Ants on blooms are something we have in common though.

The central, shady pathway.

With comfy seating along the way.

Following Gerhard (pictured) I soon joined several other bloggers and we sat a spell.

Weather Diary, Dec 26: Hi 46, Low 38/ Precip .29"

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

20 comments:

  1. The median looks like a welcome shady retreat - a gardening triumph in such difficult conditions. Some nice touches in the garden. Loved the succulents with blue glass water!

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    1. I'm hoping maybe you'll consider joining up with us for the 2019 Fling in Denver...

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  2. I admired courtyard gardens, where one is able to see it from every window of the house and yet its a very intimate space. I'm also totally enamored with the median garden: finally an area where carex grass can reseed happily and freely and show it's full potential. Just a canopy above and grass below: I find it extremely fetching and peaceful.

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    1. "fetching and peaceful"...perfect description!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your pics of Colleen's lovely garden. She is in the process of selling her home and garden, which makes me doubly glad we were able to include it on the Fling tour.

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    1. Wow, relocating in Austin or moving elsewhere? I hope the neighborhood takes over the maintenance of the median garden.

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  4. The wavy edges on that Opuntia give it a whole different look than other prickly pears (though my experience of them is almost entirely via photos). Is it a species/variety that has that look all the time, or a temporary effect of flowering season?

    Very much appreciate the looks at Colleen's home garden, too, since the focus has mainly been on that remarkable median garden. Love that gate (is the window portion actually glassed?), and the courtyard deck. Her inviting front porch makes a powerful rationale for the work that went into the median; really impressive improvement.

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    1. I don't know for sure which Opuntia that is, but I believe that wavy-look is a permanent feature. As for the gate I don't remember there being any glass, just open air. The front porch is such a social space, just wonderful.

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  5. I remember reading about her doing the medians. What a gesture to her neighborhood.

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  6. I had a particularly hard time photographing this garden (and the median) due to the stark contrasts of sun and shade but you did a great job of it.

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    1. Thanks Kris, I deleted a lot of super contrasty photos.

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  7. What a difference plants make to that median, a gift to the neighborhood. I imagine shade is really appreciated during their hot summers.

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    1. It was definitely appreciated during the Fling!

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  8. Oh, yes, this was definitely a favorite. I wish I could have spent hours there. I really liked the median with the benches and all the sedges. This garden had a calming effect, and it still calms me just looking at your excellent photos.

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  9. What a fun garden...I wonder if they sold the house yet? Pam mentioned it was on the market. I love that courtyard, too - and they were such gracious hosts. Thanks for sharing, Loree.

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    1. They were very gracious hosts, I must admit they let me into the house to use the restroom...wow, it was fabulous retro original with a mix of new. I wanted to take pictures there too, but refrained.

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  10. Like Kris I had challenges taking photos in this garden.Mine were pretty much crappy.It sure was a liveable garden-we should all have a front porch like that.

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    1. Neighborhoods would be much more tight-knit if we did.

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