July 03, 2025
After browsing at First Light Books recently, I checked out the patio garden next door at Bureau de Poste. Both First Light and Bureau de Poste are part of the charming reimagining of a former post office in Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood in 2023. If only every redevelopment could be this appealing!
I haven’t eaten at Bureau de Poste yet, but now it’s on my must-try list. Meanwhile, here’s a stroll around their inviting patio enclosed by beautiful container plantings.
Long steel planters overflow with dwarf palmetto, red yucca, gaura, trailing rosemary, and purple heart. Fantastic!
Palmetto, purple heart, and gaura
Red yucca’s fishing-pole flower spikes add movement and color and attract hummingbirds too.
A mural advertises the bistro and Tiny Grocer, a specialty market with tempting foods and gifts.
Trees and shade sails shelter the bistro’s outdoor tables from the Texas sun. I bet it’s pleasant at night too, under the string lights. The substantial steel planters offer a sense of enclosure and safety while keeping things green.
Can you believe this used to be a utilitarian loading dock for the old post office?
Next door, a Van Gogh-like mural caught my eye. It’s the old Blue Moon Glassworks building.
A mural — or any colored wall — makes an irresistible selfie backdrop. I’m sure I’ll be back in Hyde Park soon for another book, plus a new dining experience at Bureau de Poste.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Digging Deeper
My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, comes out October 14! It’s available for pre-order now on Amazon and other online book sellers. If you think you’d like to read it or give it as a holiday gift, please consider pre-ordering. (I’m happy to sign pre-ordered copies at my book events!) Early orders make a big difference in helping new books get noticed. More info about Gardens of Texas here — and thank you for your support!
Come see me on tour! I’ll be speaking and hosting book events across Texas this fall and into next spring to celebrate the release of Gardens of Texas. Join me to learn, get inspired, and say hello!
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.
