Sunbathing Natives Garden Tour

If you're looking to tour a totally "WOW" garden during the upcoming Inside Austin Garden Tour on October 17, 2015, look no further than this spectacular property overlooking Lake Austin.

At the front of the house, two pups and two lions stand guard. The pups remind me of my own sweet Aussies and the lions remind me of Patience and Fortitude, that stand guard over the NYC Public Library. During our sneak preview tour, Kirk, our host, told us that he and his wife like to dress their lions in seasonal costumes. That's a fun idea!

This home sits on a hill which creates opportunities for very functional and beautiful dry creeks for drainage.

The front of this property has plenty of plants to look at like this variegated lantana, but the million dollar view is in the back.

When you first come around the house into the back garden, the pops of bright color from plants like this salvia leucantha grab your attention right away.

While your oohing and aahing over the beautiful plants a magnificent view opens to a spectacular panorama.

The views of Lake Austin are enhanced, not blocked, by all the lush plantings. It's difficult to see, but if you look hard, you can see the property fencing which has been strategically placed to not obscure the views.

It takes a pretty awesome pool to compete with that scenery, but this pool is a master piece all on it's own.

Even though the owner has only been in residence since 2013, many of the planting look very mature.

Russian Sage

Tecoma Stans Hybrid

This plant surprised me. At first I thought it was some sort of blue berry, but Kirk said it was a Greek Myrtle shrub. As soon as he provided the ID, I recognized the foliage. I have this shrub, but mine has not bloomed yet. When it does, hopefully berries will follow.

As a special treat, Kirk led us to an upstairs studio where we were able to take in the view from the second floor. Gorgeous!

It's all good in Kirk's garden!

Stay tuned. There are two more garden previews to come.

The Inside Austin Garden Tour is put on by the Travis County Master Gardeners. Don't miss it! Here's the info, so you can mark your calendar:

Date: October 17, 2015
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Check out the Map
Cost: $19 Online, $20 at the tour, Single tickets for individual gardens are $5

There are seven gardens on the tour. Six of the gardens belong to individual homeowners and the 7th garden is the demonstration garden at the Travis County Agrilife Extension Office. As always, the demonstration garden can be visited free of charge.