Natural light throughout the store shows off not only the quality products but also the architectural detail of this 1895 building.

In 2005, I took a new route to my dad’s farm in Bumf..  Gorman, Texas. (Think middle of nowhere, northwest of Austin) Determined to find something interesting to look at along the way, I eyeballed the passing tiny towns that I hadn’t been in in centuries. Much to my surprise, I saw a large, gorgeously-old building with a sign painted on the side – Homestead – in a very familiar font. Could it be?

Unique and sizeable antiques are throughout the large space

Yes! Homestead Antiques relocated to Hico, TX. I have to admit, that sentence I just wrote really sounds like a mistake. Hico? Population 1,379, located about an hour and a half southwest of Fort Worth. Home to cows and cowboys, horses and cowgirls, a few old farts, and now a luxury decor boutique.

Quality European styled upholstery fabrics are very well priced and in stock.

I had to stop. And since that day, I’ve intentionally made this route to my dad’s farm the preferred route, just to get a hit of the glorious scenery in this fine store.

Linens off the shelf are predominately Peacock Alley, mixed here with custom and antique pieces

It’s hard to find European anything in Texas, and this store is worth the trip just to see their goods.

Lush Custom bedding is created with their Euro fabrics. (The colors in this are way off - my cellphone obviously isn't color-calibrated. It is truly luxurious and well done.)

You’ll find handmade items that I’ve not seen anywhere else. This antique gazebo that I lusted for was still strung with post-holiday lighting and an enviable shabby garland.

A closeup of that garland reveals some creative – and potential DIY idea – styling:

If I start now, I should have enough garland to use by next Christmas

And there are a few pieces of whimsy around:

Who wouldn't put a corset on their lamp?

Look closely. This flower is actually the opened leathers from an old baseball!

Custom furniture can be ordered, and there are many one-of-a-kind antique pieces as well:

I just had to share my enjoyment of this store – I asked the owners if I could take photos and she readily agreed. While many the darker tones don’t fit my current beachy-theme style, the architectural interest of all of their items lends to many styles. If you are looking to take a drive in the country sometime, put this one on your list.  If you get on their email list, you’ll be notified of their big Antique Festivals that they host several times each year.

PS: My dream store, Room No. 5, briefly opened in Hico as well. Sadly, the timing was at the same time as our economic downturn, and they just couldn’t make it.  Homestead appears to be doing just fine!

I have to admit I was surprised…my front bed spent the summer with NO blooms and dying plants. I found out recently that I’d had sprinkler head issues that I was unaware of, so nothing was being watered like I thought. Given that knowledge, I have to give kudos to these plants for even surviving. And bless ‘em, they got a meager 1.5″ of rain after all that heat and all of those blooms that had been tucked inside decided to expose themselves.

I think it was actually the Fall Aster right on the front corner that won the prize.

Or maybe it was the Autumn Sage (Salvia Greggii) living up to its name with an autumn flush of hot pink blooms? (I just realized that there are buds on the Mexican Mint Marigold next to the Salvia! I didn’t see them until in this pic).

Perhaps it was the Variegated Dianella Flax Lily that stayed out of the sun all summer with its spot nestled against the north side of the house?

Or it could be the Blackfoot Daisies that stopped blooming in June and suddenly burst into flower as they cascade over the curb. Ruby Crystals Grass surprised me with another flush of blooms. Obviously, I hadn’t removed the dead spikes from the spring bloom cycle, since I didn’t go outdoors from May until the end of September.

Or maybe it’s my first ever Datura that I’ve successfully grown? Yes, this rampant grower has always died on my watch previously. This is from seed from Lori, Gardener of Good and Evil. I love how it located itself amidst the gomphrena.

Maybe it could be the impossible-to-kill Variegated American Agave, a passalong from Zanthan Gardens? I was thrilled when I found yellow-blooming hardy Ice Plant to accompany it. The yellow blooms pick up the yellow edges of the agave nicely.

It might have been the overall view.

Naaa. I’m pretty sure it was the Fall Aster.

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.

Thanks to Pam @ Digging for hosting “Support your Local Independent Nursery Month” during October.  Check her site for links to all the great posts about the plethora of wonderful locally-owned nurseries in Austin and surrounding areas.

Today the Texas Climate Control Center issued, what is for me, the nail in the coffin on my Life as a Gardener in Texas. I quote from the Austin American Statesman:

“The current drought that has been called the state’s worst one-year drought on record could be just the start of dry spell that could last until 2020, the Texas state climatologist said today…Record low rainfall means the period between October and August was Austin’s driest since records started being kept more than a century ago…Meteorologists predicted dry conditions to last from a La Niña system returning in 2012 and dry conditions lasting long-term beyond the next decade.”

I might be tempted to plant a few bulbs due to their inherent hardiness and amazing flowers.

I don’t have the persistence, fortitude, time and money that it will take to remain a “gardener” in Austin anymore with those dire predictions of drought. However, I still want my yard to look interesting and pretty.  Making use of my number-one-passion of interior design and architecture, I’m planning to slowly remove planting beds and replace them with decorative outdoor hardscape, garden art, and who knows what else.

Look at this bounty of goodness at Barton Springs Nursery.

I say “slowly” because I”m on a limited budget, and because good design is something I DO have patience for.  I enjoy the hunt for something unique, the recycling process of a great find at a garage sale, and the prowl for ideas at our local nurseries.  In that vein, my approach to “Support Your Local Nursery Month” is to showcase some of the outdoor decorative ideas they each provide.  There’s much more than plants at these wonderful nurseries!

My first stop was at Barton Springs Nursery, 3601 Bee Cave RD. Since I’ve lived and worked near this area for over a decade, I’ve made innumerable trips here. It’s one of my “go to” place for plants, decorative pieces, dirt, mulch, compost and just asking questions from the helpful and knowledgeable staff.  My friends who know me well have purchased Gift Certificates from here for my birthday presents. Needless to say, they were some of my favorite gifts!

Barton Springs Nursery, located on Bee Cave Road in Westlake, grows many of their own plants in greenhouses on the property. Committment to natives, customer education, and extremely helpful customer service makes them one of the best.

These large painted metal “plants” could really be cute as a focal point set along a pathway. Talk about drought, freeze and heat tolerant! This could help create that tropical feel that I enjoy.

These oversized pots would work well with the metal plant sculptures above to create a gorgeous vignette that needs no further care. If I wanted, I could put some succulents or grasses in the pots that need very little attention. Plants would soften the edges and help tie the vignette together, but since I’m wanting much less maintenance, I might consider something else. I’ll keep my eyes open for ideas.

This outdoor lantern may have just gone on my “must have” list! Look at that wonderful shape and color. Oh, I think these photo trips are going to be dangerous for my pocketbook as I intentionally investigate garden decor at each nursery.

These elegant Aqua (my color!) trellises would continue that great Shabby Chic/French theme that I enjoy. These are so decorative I could put one on the fence and it wouldn’t matter if it had a plant on it or not. Several together could be used to define an area or create a backdrop.  I’ll have to decide if I’m going Tropical or Shabby? Perhaps vignettes in different parts of the yard could have different attitudes.

These gorgeous outdoor rugs are already on my Must Have list, since I already purchased one from Barton Springs Nursery last year. It defines my outdoor seating area in the perfect way, and after The Hottest Summer in the History in the United States in all of Recorded Time Without a Drop of Rain, it still looks like new. (It was shaded under a gazebo, but left out in the weather completely.) I’m very happy with it and it’s one of my favorite purchases. They are very reasonably priced, too.

If you’re a UT fan or have a native garden filled with grasses, agaves and other southwestern style plants, these cuties would fit right in. I really love them as a herd.  I could imagine them by a pool, or creating a focal point across a lawn to define a corner.

Support your local independently owned nursery this month and all through the fall. This is the time for creating your beds, hardscaping, and amending soil.  Talk to them about ideas for tough plants, and new paradigms for your yard.

Above, the unexpected return of a frozen to the roots and assumed dead Dicliptera combines beautifully with randomly reseeding Gomphrena, creating a 5 star Hummingbird and Butterfly buffet.

And while I did plant it in these spots, I had no idea that these two –Dwarf Lion’s Tail and Society Garlic– would reach similar heights and play so well together.

Another one that Mother Nature knew would work; pairing the strong orange-red of the Gomphrena with Esperanza (Yellow Bells). Besides being stunning in the heat and drought, it is a strong Butterfly attracting combination. I also like the planned combination of the Esperanza complimenting the yellow edges of variegated Agave Americana.

Are you seeing the theme here? Mother Nature knows how to take one awesome accessory – in this case, naturally-reseeding-from-last-year-in-random-spots Gomphrena – and toss it around in the best way. This one landed inside the same pot as my Nolina, and look how great that looks. I would never have thought of that!

And of course, I have to end with my favorite natural combination, below.