Visiting the Bluebonnets - Better Late than Never

We usually visit Texas in the winter for the holidays, but having missed the spring wildflower show for the past 18 years, I thought it was time to see it again. Luckily Parker's spring break in California timed well with the flowers this year. 

I'd been feeling like a poor excuse for a Texan mom because I had never gotten a photo of my child sitting in the bluebonnets. So now was our chance.

As soon as we left the airport, the roadsides were full of bloom. I immediately made Jay pull over so we could explore.

We saw Coreopsis, Indian Paintbrush, some kind of cool thistle thing, and Verbenas. I'm afraid I didn't learn my botanical latin until moving to California so you'll have to put up with common names on these Texas wildflowers. 

The pink buttercups were lovely - Oenothera speciosa, I think. And every now and then we would find a very light blue or white bluebonnet. (Lupinus texensis - I do at least know that latin name.)

As a youngster I had never noticed the amazing smell of walking through a field of bluebonnets. It's quite delicious.

Mission accomplished. I've now fulfilled my duty as a Texan mom.

We tried to get Parker to do the Longhorn symbol with his hand but it ended up being the "hang loose" symbol — California boy through and through.

Hopefully we'll visit Texas again during the bluebonnet bloom. Maybe someday for a photo of the grandkids? Or maybe just to walk through that delicious scent again.

Big Red Sun, Venice Beach Version

Whenever I've visited relatives in Austin, Texas I would always stop by the Big Red Sun nursery for a fun afternoon. And I've always been curious to check out the Venice Beach, California location. We spent a couple of nights in Venice Beach recently so I got to the chance.

I don't know if I caught it on a bad day or what but it seemed a bit lacking in plants and disorganized compared to the Austin location*. The outside was overstuffed with patio furniture, the inside displays needed fluffing up and I wasn't tempted to buy any of the handful of succulents they had for sale. It sounds like I'm giving it a horrible review, but hey, it's still a great place compared to the average nursery. It's just not as good as the Austin one. (*After writing this post, I was seriously bummed to hear that the Austin location is no more. Although I believe the garden design/build part of the business is still in operation.)

Thank you!

I'd like to thank the humans and non-humans for sharing their turf with hundreds of people on the GWA garden tours. Thank you so much!

Day 2 of GWA Dallas Garden Tours, Minimal Garden and Park Garden

I loved the house at this garden. So simple and understated with well-built details. I would have almost preferred a house tour rather than the garden tour. Don't get me wrong, the garden had some nice hardscape details, the fountain was really cool and I was really taken with the way the steps were created. And the sunroom was so nice! (But I guess that is the architecture again.) I did like some of the plantings, especially up close to the house - the turf bench, the grassy cor-ten planters. But further out in the garden things got a little weird. I'm sure the edgy grass switcheroo lawn sounded cool on paper but it didn't really translate well in actuality. I did like the grassy steps which looked like a waterfall from the bottom. It just felt like a lot of grass everywhere... I don't know, maybe I was just hot and tired and couldn't see past the people to enjoy the space.

The next garden is hard to call a garden. It was like being in a large forested park. It felt more like an anti-garden - very minimal planting beds, spare hardscape, lots of trees and brushy undergrowth. Which in turn meant that the structures that one came upon took on an important magnitude in the loose growth. Stone steps, a tree house, a path with bridges. They seemed surprising to find and became more meaningful in their isolation. Kind of a zen stroll garden but with a casual Texas attitude to it.