After the Footing: Constructing the Retaining Wall

The Team — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:08:08 +0100

After the completion of the retaining wall footing, you will be anxious to start on the retaining wall construction. Building a wall in Austin, Texas is very common as many homes in Austin, Westlake Hills, Lake Travis and West Austin are in the middle of the Texas Hill country.

However building a wall is not as easy as it looks. It is not uncommon to see walls that fall down, due to poor planning and improper construction that is not

Planting Flowers for Color Power

The Team — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:01:00 +0100

If you really want to add a burst of “flower power color” to your landscape beds in Austin, Texas and the surrounding Hill Country, I have the solution for you. There are really 2 seasons in our central Texas area for planting flowerRead More...

Lady Bird Lake- A Community Project

The Team — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:35:12 +0100

Austinites are blessed to have access to a fantastic trail that is unlike any other. Wrapping around the newly named Lady Bird Lake, the hike and bike trail provides ample space to run in nature. Most of the trail is well shaded and bordered by wild and natural edgings along the lake. Strategically placed along the path are garden spaces where community oriented individuals and businesses can care for the trail. This summer we decided to get involved in keeping Austin not only weird, but alsoRead More...

The Permaculture Series: Part 3. Natural Cycles

The Team — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:34:11 +0100

The aims of permaculture include restoring the soil, long term sustainability, and ethical use of resources. The earth runs a certain cycle in order to restore the ecosystems naturally. Permaculture studies the cycles of nature in order to speed up the process in a natural way.

When soil is exposed or depleted of nutrients, weeds sprout up (much to the annoyance of anyone with a lawn or garden). These weeds, while hated by most, are incredibly imporRead More...

Austin, Texas: Cactus, Yuccas, and Agaves

The Team — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:01:20 +0100

Some of the boldest and most interesting plants forms that are becoming popular in Austin, Texas area landscapes are Cactus, Yuccas and Agaves. These plants are often referred to generally by the public as ‘cactus’. The Austin Cactus and Succulent Society has information about how to care for these plants in our area.

Attributes of this plant type include: a bold striking shape/form, subtle color of the leaves, drought tolerance, interesting flowers and minimum mainteRead More...

The Permaculture Series: Part 2

The Team — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:40:40 +0100

Problems are just opportunities waiting to be discovered

Permaculture is not about problems. Permaculture is about joy and abundance. Instead of focusing on what one needs to remove in order to feel “green”, one looks at what one can do Read More...

City of Austin Summer Watering Schedule in Effect

The Team — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:09:45 +0100

Don't forget to follow the watering schedule mandated by the City of Austin. No watering between 10am and 7pm for irrigation systems or sprinklers but hand watering is allowed anytime.

City of Austin Summer Watering Schedule

It's Time to Trim your Oaks to Avoid Oak Wilt

The Team — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:34:34 +0100

Now is the time to prune your oak trees in order to avoid oak wilt.

Oak wilt is a fungal infection affecting oak trees. All species of oak are susceptible with red oaks being particularly vulnerable. There is currently no known cure aRead More...

Symbolism in the Garden: The Meaning of Flowers

The Team — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:22:59 +0100

A single red rose universally signals love. Other than that most of us do not understand the lost art of floral symbolism. According to the website VictorianBazaar.com the language of flowers is called "floriography”, which saw it’sRead More...

Permaculture, Art, Music, and Fashion?

The Team — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:21:04 +0100

Event Review: Worldwide Maniac Foundation Launch 6-19-10
by: Kate Higdon

Art. Fashion. Music….and permaculture? This sounded like an event custom tailored to my interests! Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for a new foundation that promotes “conscious capitalism” and “a pay it forward mindset” in fashion, entertainment, humanitarian efforts, and environmentalism. Michael Torres hosted the event to launch his new eco-conscious Worldwide Maniac FoundatRead More...

Sunburned Plants?

The Team — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:14:37 +0100

If you are like the majority of Central Texans, you spent some part of the last weekend in the sun, probably near water. As some of us fail to reapply sunscreen properly and pay the price, it begs the question: Why don’t plants sunburn? They are living. They are in the sun quite a bit. They doRead More...

Go Local: The Advantages of Native Grasses

The Team — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:39:39 +0100

Mount Vernon was the first home in North America to incorporate landscape into it's original design plan (according to The Lady Bird Wildflower Center). Since then, we have taken great time and energy to produce a landscape we are proud of. Read More...

The Elements of Permaculture Series

The Team — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:18:44 +0100

As part of an ongoing series, I will post quick summaries about the elements of Permaculture. For an introduction to it's theory and practice, please visit my previous post "What is Permaculture?".

PerRead More...

What is Permaculture?

The Team — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:14:37 +0100

I have always been playing in the dirt--as a little girl days were spent experimenting with growing random plants, scurrying around the woods behind my childhood home, replanting as I saw fit. Little did I know that I was skirting the principles of permaculture.

Landscape Design: Curb Appeal

The Team — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:10:22 +0100

What does your front yard say about you?

As a designer I hear the words "Curb Appeal" at almost every initial consultation meeting I attend. We all know that having a beautiful front yard can be very iRead More...

Horticulture Therapy

The Team — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:12:35 +0100

We live in a world that is hectic, stressful, fast past and many feel the negative effects of our current high speed culture. It seems that each day new information comes out about health issues created by a mix of poor food choices, high stress, and lack of exercise. These daily choices not only affect our bodily health but also our mental health leaving us exhausted and possibly bringing on sickness. Many professors and health care practicioners are rediscovering the joy of the horticultureRead More...

Fashion Design, even in your backyard

The Team — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:54:12 +0100

No matter how hard I try to avoid it, I am always drawn to fashion. Having grown up in retail with a family full of fashion minded people, I cannot let it go. I find myself carefully choosing my clothing even when I am headed out into the garden! You would think this wasn’t important, it’s just my fenced in back yard, but one day I learned the hard way that sometimes you have unexpected visitors. A male friend of my roommates walked right through our back gate and Read More...

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