Cottagey flowers, spiky yuccas mingle in Margie McClurg's garden

A visit to Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, Canada, a few years ago inspired Austin homeowner Margie McClurg and her husband to create a garden in their own back yard.

They brought in landscape architect Jackson Broussard of Sprout, who planted a living arbor of pear trees to shelter a rustic table in the heart of the garden. Balancing a cottage-garden abundance of poppies, iris, salvia, and roses with an evergreen and architectural backbone of Yucca rostrata, prickly pear, and Italian cypress, he gave the garden year-round structure as well as seasonal color.

Paths thread through the garden to allow for exploration as flowers bloom and fade, and interesting sculptural pieces make focal points amid the flora.

Today the 12-year-old garden is a lovely retreat for the homeowners, who enjoy sitting under the arbor and taking in the sights, sounds, and scents of the garden, which include aromatic plants like osmanthus, cinnamon ginger, garlic, fennel, hoja santa, and bay laurel. Margie especially appreciates how the flowering plants entice pollinators. 

You'll visit this beautiful garden and many others next May if you join us for the Austin Garden Bloggers Fling. Don't miss out -- spaces are going fast. Register for the Austin Fling today!