Tuesday, January 8, 2019

The Ruthie Burrus Garden, a stop on the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling

My last Austin post! I'm not sure why this particular garden is the one that wraps up my 2018 Fling coverage, it didn't plan it that way...but it is a beautiful one to end on.

Part of the owner's description: "My garden is all about pollinators, native plants, and taking advantage of views and natural surroundings. We live on top of a hill overlooking downtown Austin, the Texas Capitol, and the UT Tower. We have a couple of micro-climates on the 2-acre property: hillside and top of the hill. The steep hillside, cool in the morning and blazing hot in the afternoon, is a wildflower meadow." Yes it is, and beautiful one...

The steep driveway led us up to the house and main garden.

There were many beautiful plantings to stop and admire along the way.

More from Ruthie... "We wanted a space for entertaining, and we wanted it filled with bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths. We have definitely accomplished that! Now I am busy teaching my grandchildren that bees are our friends and will not harm them."

Up at the the "compound" (it really is much more than just a house)...

Ruthie and her husband (I've sadly forgotten his name) were so welcoming to our group. They invited us to walk through their home and experience the view as it unfolded in front of us...

So lovely...

Some of our group were invited up to view the surroundings from a lookout on the roof, sadly I missed that invite.

Think of the parties you could have out here...

The fuzzy Opuntia which became another "Austin signature plant" for me.

And of course up-staging the humble Opuntia is Agave ovatifolia.

Ruthie listed this section of the garden as her favorite, her Provence garden: "a gravel area anchored by my garden haus, which is made of stone with antique doors, old windows, and recycled roofing material."

It's picture perfect.

10,000-gallon rainwater storage tank.

Of all the difficulties Texas gardeners face (extreme heat, drought, rock) this garden is where I came face to face with what I would consider the biggest obstacle of all. Focus on that tall shrub in the center of this photo. Let your eyes wander up, coming to rest on that dark spec at the top of the stone window edge.

Yep. That's a furry tarantula. I grew up in black-widow and rattle snake country, but there's something about how BIG and FURRY this guy is that just sends me. No thank you.

More Farfugium japonicum...

And a couple of flower shots...

The garden dates to 2012, but one of the challenges that Ruthie noted about her garden involves the wildflower meadow on the hill near the entrance/exit: "The wildflower seeds tend to float to the bottom of the hill from one year to the next, so they constantly need to be replenished. I keep thinking: "Now I've got it finished!" and each year reminds me that it will always be a work in progress." "Always a work in progress," isn't that gardening?

I thought I snapped a better photo of the entrance gate and their flanking Cylindropuntia, but I did not.

At least I got a close-up of a flower.

Weather Diary, Jan 7: Hi 48, Low 37/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

24 comments:

  1. One of my favorite gardens...The Salvias were astonishing as were all the plants with visiting pollinators. Oh and that garden haus, and the pool and the cistern! Thanks for the re-visit.

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    1. I have such a Salvia blind spot, and a funny story to go with it (I was mistaken as an expert...hahaha)...

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  2. Yes, tarantulas, poisonous snakes, and various other enormous stinging insects make me quite happy to garden and stay right where I am, thank you very much. Big slimy slugs may be disgusting, but they don't give me the willies.

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    1. Even if you step on them with your bare feet and feel the goo between your toes?

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  3. There seem to be quite a few structures on the property and more of that fabulous limestone. This garden is lush and green; the ferns were a surprise. A fuzzy Opuntia! in a drool worthy stone planter.
    There is no daylight between furry tarantula, black-widow and rattle snakes. To my mind, they are all in the "Run For Your Life" category.

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    1. I did that very thing once, ran for my life when we saw a rattlesnake. Unfortunately my baby brother was left behind (and was okay).

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  4. The bright sunlight was challenging that day for photography, but you did a great job of capturing Ruthie's lovely garden. And even the tarantula! ;)

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  5. And I thought heat and drought were problems enough. Yikes!

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  6. Lovely garden, amazing views, great plants. Just when you had me ready to move to Austin with all these great posts, you show that big furry spider. Good to hear that the hosts were as marvelous as their garden. Gardeners are the best.

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  7. I'm wondering if that big cistern might be filling up, after Austin's moist fall and winter so far.
    What a restful place; everything's simple but substantial, removed from people and traffic but close to nature. (Even if that includes tarantulas. To be honest, that little feature helped with the stab of envy created by some of the other pics in the post...)

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    1. Glad to help you not turn too green with jealousy!

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  8. This garden was one of my favorites, and not just because of the view or the 10,000 gallon rain tank. It was a great mix of flowers and foliage, shade and sun, recreation and plain-old garden puttering.

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    1. Personally I can't wrap my head around having that much space.

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  9. I enjoyed this garden alot. The house was large but it really fit well into it's site without overwhelming it and there was a great balance between the architecture and the landscape.And the view !

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    1. The view...(hey, did you spot yourself in the second to last photo?)

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  10. I loved that garden. Everything flowed so seamlessly together!

    And I have only seen those tarantulas in my garden once, and rattlesnakes next door (probably because they have chickens) but not in my garden so far, thank god. But what REALLY gives me the willies are the scorpions! When I was deconstructing the horrible cinderblock goldfish pond from the previous owner, I pulled back the pond liner to discover hundreds of baby scorpions living between the liner and the stone pond edge. It was like in Indiana Jones when they cut the snake open and all the baby snakes come out. I have never jumped so high or run so fast in my entire life. AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

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    1. OH.MY.GOD! No. How long before you could go near that area? Or did you have to hire a professional?

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  11. This was such a well planned home and garden! A real dream house. You captured it well. That view is to die for but my favorite was the rock garden building. Thanks for reminding me of a great day!

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    1. Hope you're planning to come to Denver for more great garden-touring days!

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  12. What a fantastic garden, and you have really captured it nicely through some great photos.

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