I am joining in with Pam/Digging to showcase our fabulous locally owned nurseries around Austin. During this epic drought and heat we are experiencing in Central Texas, planting slowed to a crawl during the normally busiest season for these folks. These businesses have served our community for decades, and served us well. If you can get there, drop in soon and spend some dough. Though we are dry, fall planting can continue. The well trained and educated staff will help you make good choices to get through this. This week, we take a peek at Natural Gardener.
I am continuing in my own quest to modify my garden to be filled with more decor and less plants that need my attention in the heat. I can guarantee these local nurseries have gorgeous things you won’t find in ANY big box store. And when we are talking about decor at Natural Gardener, we are talking ABUNDANCE.
These gorgeous black pots look like Halloween with the Orange ones behind them.
Orange colors, both for fall and for the University of Texas, are on display in many places.
UT fans should have this awesome display. It looks fabulous in person.
In keeping with its organic crunchy-granola name, Natural Gardener has its own Austin Attitude. My last post on Barton Springs Nursery showed their decor more muted in tones, with some French stylings and potential for formal gardens and understatement.
I have my choice of aqua pots in every size and shape it seems.
I would say the opposite about Natural Gardener! It is a place ready for a fiesta. A party just looking for a place to happen. Add a margarita machine and call ‘er done. Bright colors abound, and many many choices.
Solar powered outdoor party lights! Oh Yeah.
Gorgeous Adirondack chairs are scattered throughout the nursery, and during October all garden furniture is on sale. These festive red chairs come in all those colors (of course!) you see on the sample boards hanging on the chairback on the right.
If I decide to add a disappearing fountain (always a great garden feature), they have shapes and colors abounding. These fountains below are but a small sampling of their choices.
And more pots! My camera couldn’t even begin to show you how many. More than any other nursery in town, I believe. Every color, shape, size, attitude, glaze imaginable.
How cool is this outdoor lantern below? It might be on my “must have” list now. They have an assortment of blown glass, artsy, solar powered hanging lanterns – gorgeous! Can’t you see these glowing at night without your having to plug them in? I’m thinking a grouping…
Or perhaps you might want a more “natural” party? These mexican styled bird house gourds could add the touch you need.
I suggest you put on your party hat and make tracks to Natural Gardener to get ready for the upcoming holiday parties that you are now going to want to have in your yard. And please invite me – I’ll bring the mojitos! And oh yes, they have lots of plants, too. And compost, mulch, dirt, custom organic fertilizers and so much more.
Getting Grounded 
What a party you made it seem, and I love all their brightly colored pots, especially the green ones. You’re certainly taking an interesting approach to these SYIN posts with your emphasis on garden decor. It’s fun and very enticing!
Pam, I knew y’all would be doing a fabulous job of covering plants and people and other wonderful-ness our nurseries provide. Thought I’d show another side to them!
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Very nice garden ornamentation – thanks for showing that side I remember from 2 visits a year back!
You can find just about anything you need for the garden and decorative items are one of the main things they carry. Apparently gardeners are spending a lot more these days on decorative items and furniture so it behooves a nursery to carry these things too.The Natural Gardener has it all. I have a feeling you may have picked up one of those aqua pots!
Wow, that is a party of color. I’m happy to have found your site. My son and his lovely wife and our granddaughter live in Austin. We pray for your drought to end but until then its so helpful to have your ideas for gardening through this.
Karen
Jenny, those aqua pots are definitely on my “possibilities” list. I’m enjoying taking these photo tours and gathering my ideas. So much to choose from!
I’m a local sculptor who loves gardening. I’m inspired by your idea of more garden art to replace the need to water. I’ve always told myself “you can’t compete with Mexican/Chinese garden art” but now I’m thinking that people like original art and enjoy supporting local artists, so I’ll give it a try. Look out for some of my kinetic sculpture at garden centers soon!
Dale, glad to hear from you! I already have some of your art in my garden, and wrote about it a couple of years ago: http://wp.me/pgsxx-4v Look forward to see what you are currently doing, as your art stands the test of time, sun, and wind and still looks new.
Great post! Made me think. I DO need more accessories to be pretty and colorful and lively and fun when the rest of the garden is sad, dry, and half-dead.
i love these festive red chairs 🙂 I’m happy to have found your site 🙂
There are probably lots of nurseries closer to me but The Natural Gardener is the one that I visit most often. It’s a little drive but it’s a nice little getaway. I can never leave without visiting the chickens, which in turn makes me wonder how successful grapes would be in my garden (the grapes and chickens are right near each other). Love the photos!