Our garden has been constantly evolving, similar to our lives together.
After just 9 months as a married couple, we moved to Japan for a year and afterward
lived 6 years in Australia. We brought back great memories of those times.
After returning to Houston, we bought a house near the Medical Center. There we tried
our best to feature native Texas plants and other features of our yards. We even
relocated some of the plants we raised at those homes to our current house in the
Heights. The Kidney Wood tree is one example.
The “China Hat” bushes (Holmskioldia sanguinea) on the west fences bloom a brilliant
orange in November. Last year several families used the display as a background to
their family photos! They and the Japanese Yews remind us of the gardens of Japan
and the Orient. We also added what we call the “Zen Garden” in the patio, which is a
quiet place to relax with a book, meditate, or enjoy a meal.
The succulents and the white and brown boulders and rocks scattered around our yard
remind us of the deserts of the Australian outback. We developed an appreciation for
good wine from friends we had in Australia, so we planted a grapevine to attempt it
ourselves, but it never bore enough fruit for even one glass.
Since the Heights is like an urban forest, we added five Shumard Oaks along Peddie
which offer a few seconds of shade to pedestrians, as well as a playground for young
squirrels.
Our yard evolves as the days and seasons go by. We add new plants, hardscape, and
décor to enjoy. We have planted milkweed, bluebonnets, Black-eye Susans, Lantana,
and other perennials and annuals over the years, in hopes of attracting butterflies. We
also welcomed some “volunteer” plants such as the Redbud tree that rooted and grew
right on the property boundary between us and the neighbor’s house on Peddie Street.
(The neighbors were kind enough to trim a notch in their wooden fence so the tree can
thrive.)
We hope you enjoy it now and in the future.
