The community source for your residential lawn care, lawn maintenance, landscape design and landscape architecture needs, curiosities and preferences in Austin, Texas and the world-over.
Core aeration is one of the most beneficial services that you can provide for your lawn. The process opens up the lawn by removing small plugs of soil and thatch, allowing more air, water, and nutrients to reach the root zone, leading to better plant growth. The microorganisms in the plugs that remain on the surface will dissolve back into the thatch to help it break down naturally. The process also reduces compaction.
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 notbased on the needs of the site. This is where the 20 years of landscape design experience we have in this region come in handy.
We are wrapping up a large landscape construction project in Austin, between Westlake Hills and Lake Travis. This project is complex and involves a lot of masonry construction.. We have retaining walls, patios, an outdoor kitchen, seat walls, and water feature. To help explain how important good construction techniques are, this blog emphasizes the footing on a retaining wall.
When constructing a masonry wall in Austin Texas or anywhere for that matter, the footing is the most important step in securing the longevity of your investment. I suggest working with a landscape architect on your landscape project to insure that your masonry is properly designed as this is a complex process in order to have a quality finished product.
In previous posts I’ve listed some of my favorite books for people who are interested in deepening their knowledge of gardening, permaculture, and design. Below is a list of some fantastic magazines that are on the cutting edge of these subjects. Books are fantastic for going deep into a certain subject, but the great things about magazines are the regular influx of new and exciting information, inspiring photos and stories, and the fact that most subscriptions for a year are about the same as a new book. Since everyone and their homegrown chicken has a website or blog these days, I have included the links to these magazines websites.
Organic Gardening – This magazine is a perennial favorite of almost any organic gardener. Full of new studies, projects, and trials, this magazine will keep you up to date on the oldest, truest form of gardening. http://www.organicgardening.com/
Mother Earth News – Calling all hippies! This magazine was created in the 70s and has grown into a fantastic corporation that puts out not only the magazine but also books that support a healthy and self sustaining lifestyle. Full of gardening tips, eco-friendly information, lifestyle changes, recipes and the like. http://www.motherearthnews.com/
Books are a great way to go deep into a subject that you are interested in. If you are enjoying the first of the permaculture series and want to learn more in-depth information, start an urban farm, or learn how to be a bit more self-reliant, here are some great resources:
Introduction to Permaculture and Permaculture: A Designers Manual both by Bill Mollison
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 flowers. The seasons flow together so spring and summer are as one for planting purposes, due to the fact spring is short. Fall and winter are the similar because fall is short.
My 20 years of experience shows that the following are some of the best choices to have two big blooming seasons. Two color change outs should be adequate and this plan will keep your landscape budget in good shape.
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 also beautiful, by adopting the three gardens along the trail around South Lamar and the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge.
After gaining approval from the city to maintain the gardens, I went out to survey the space. It was predominantly shady which provided some great challenges – for instance, the flowering plant pallet is limited when it comes to what will bloom in shade. Also, the area was mostly sloped so certain types of gravel – such as decomposed granite – could not be used over much of the area as mulch because it would easily wash away.
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 important. They are first succession plants that are replenishing the soil and stabilizing it. Many weeds are nitrogen fixers and naturally convert the nutrient from the air into the soil. Many wildflowers are included in this process. Experts are able to look at what weeds and flowers are naturally sprouting up in the area and pin point what nutrients are missing from the soil.
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 maintenance. Undesirable characteristics may include thorny leaf margins and intimidating spikes (should not be used in yards where small children and pets romp around), and depending on the species, low tolerance to shady areas and low winter temperatures.
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 to make their life more rich and effective while being local and sustainable (remember sustainable is not just about the environment…. what is sustainable for you means what you can afford money and time wise as well as what is good for the environment).
In previous 
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 flowers. The seasons flow together so spring and summer are as one for planting purposes, due to the fact spring is short. Fall and winter are the similar because fall is short.
