While downtown recently for dinner, we walked along 2nd Street and the arched Butterfly Bridge and visited Austin Central Library, first stopping to admire the native-plant landscaping along Shoal Creek. Purple trailing lantana cascades over rock walls to brighten the late-winter garden.
More trailing lantana, which blooms reliably through much of winter. Behind it stands the library, which is well worth a visit, especially the rooftop garden and 2nd-floor reading porch.
The library’s Lake|Flato architecture is airy, inviting, and stunning. For more, click to read a longer post I wrote about the new library.
Back outside, a stroll across the Butterfly Bridge on 2nd brings you to a pair of massive owl sculptures, Kempelen’s Owls (click to read my post about them). The layered design of each owl echoes the layered tower of the Jenga building.
Strolling along 2nd Street to Numero28 for Italian food, I spotted this interesting planting strip, with what looks like shaggy sedge or maybe Korean velvet grass (Zoysia tenuifolia — zone 9, but in warm downtown, maybe?) under a trio of upright trees. The grassy groundcover mimics ocean waves, bringing a sense of movement to a simple, two-plant planting scheme.
I welcome your comments; please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading this in a subscription email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post.
_______________________
Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events
I’m giving a keynote talk at the Texas Master Gardener Conference in Waco, Texas, on May 13 from 10:45 a.m. to 12 noon: “Sod Busting: 8 Great Ideas for Your Yard After Digging Up the Lawn.” If you’re a Texas master gardener who’s registered for the conference, I hope to see you there!
Mark your calendar for the May 16th Inside Austin Gardens Tour hosted by the Travis County Master Gardeners. Six private gardens in and around Austin will offer opportunities to learn about drought/deluge-tolerant, Earth-Kind® landscaping and butterfly, herb, vegetable, and succulent gardening.
Join the mailing list for Garden Spark! Hungry to learn about garden design from the experts? I’m hosting a series of talks by inspiring garden designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year. Held in Austin, the talks 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.
All material © 2020 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The post Urban landscaping along Austin’s 2nd Street appeared first on Digging.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий