Garden 3
The Elevated Garden
A Habitat of Love
Berms, stock tanks, fruits, veggies, bee hives, succulents, and a 20-lb. tortise to keep watch over it all!
Garden History
Austin’s rocky limestone-laced soil is notorious. But what if your garden sits directly on top of the solid rock of an old stone quarry? That’s what Teresa Garcia faced when she and Donnie bought the place in 2012. Together, they rose to the challenge, literally. Every bed is elevated. Large, mulched berms are linked by gravel pathways. Stock tanks full of organic soil overflow with produce. Pots of all shapes and sizes are sprinkled across the one-acre property.
With full sun on most of the garden, color is just about everywhere. Persimmons and mulberries cluster in a big bermed bed, flanked by attention-grabbing varieties of roses in the next one. Half a dozen citrus varieties thrive in numerous pots. Succulents are seemingly everywhere. Tomatoes, okra, peppers, blueberries, and strawberries spill from the stock tanks. The pollinator garden in front nearly runs the entire width of the house. A 3,000-gallon rainwater collection system helps to irrigate it all.
Animals are favorite attraction in the garden. Bee hives and flowers for the bees. Bird houses and bird baths for the birds – as the cats watch. Dogs play in the small grassy area. Chickens squawk in their coop. Butterflies, horn toads, frogs, and roadrunners make regular appearances. All the while, CheonCheonHi, a ten-year old, 20-pound tortoise patrols the property, ever vigilant in his pursuit of tasty hibiscus growing in containers.
The Garcia’s garden is a natural, inviting space for everyone and everything. The National Wildlife Federation could designate it a Certified Wildlife Habitat. For now, it’s just a Master Gardener’s home.
Directions
Garden Address
9211 Lauralan Drive
Austin, TX 78736
Special Instuctions
Follow directional signs to the gardens.