April 14, 2025
Last week, I hopped over to Ruthie Burrus’s garden in the Rollingwood neighborhood for a spring visit. Ruthie kindly opened her garden to me and my out-of-town guest Lisa Negri of SummerHome Garden. As always, the gardens surrounding Ruthie’s hilltop home enchant with a textural mix of spiky plants, like beaked yucca…
…and softly colored native perennials, like Gulf penstemon.
A rabbit sculpture seems particularly appropriate for a near-Easter visit. Its ears echo a forked tree trunk behind it.
Peace
Along the street, a big whale’s tongue agave is sending up a girthy bloom spike. It’ll likely double in height before the candelabra flowers open, signaling the plant’s imminent demise. (Agaves die after flowering.)
Sweet peas climb a mesh fence surrounding a tennis court. Of course I stopped to smell their delicious, sweet fragrance.
A seldom used side path has been taken over by pink evening primrose and standing winecup, two assertive native wildflowers. What a good spot for them to duke it out.
Walking the primrose path…
Ruthie’s backyard enjoys a spectacular view of downtown Austin. Native Anacacho orchid tree flowers in the foreground.
Queen Victoria agave looking spiffy in pinstripes on the porch
Japanese aralia in a handsome tabletop urn in the shade
A row of low-growing distylium caught my eye. Ruthie has given up on similar-looking but cold-sensitive ‘Little Ollie’ dwarf olives. But she says distylium makes an excellent alternative. (Southern Living agrees.)
Along the driveway, a magnificently large whale’s tongue agave extends its flukes. We peeked at the center leaves to make sure a bloom spike isn’t popping up, spelling the plant’s doom, but saw no sign. Phew. It’s got to be close though.
All along the sunny driveway, Ruthie grows wildflowers like pink evening primrose and bluebonnets.
These ramble along a stone retaining wall, offering eye-level beauty and nose-level fragrance.
Corn poppies held aloft on hairy stems
Lisa posed here for her first-ever bluebonnet photo — a rite of passage for every Texan, as we know. The next day we’d go on a wildflower safari to hunt for more.
But the cultivated bluebonnet is pretty sweet too. Thanks to Ruthie for the beautiful garden visit!
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Digging Deeper
Shop the Spring Native Plant Sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center each weekend through April 27, 9 am to 1 pm (last entry at 12:30 pm). Plant sale admission is free. Bring your own wagon or cart to transport your treasures.
Tour 5 unique Houston gardens on Saturday, April 26, from 10 am to 4 pm, during the Garden Conservancy’s Open Day Tour for Houston. Tickets must be purchased online in advance through the Garden Conservancy.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here!
All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
