Transplanted from PNW, Nancy begins new garden in Austin

I visited the new garden of a new gardening friend a few days ago. Located in Austin’s Windsor Hills, it’s a new beginning for its owner. … Read More

The post Transplanted from PNW, Nancy begins new garden in Austin appeared first on Digging.

I was happy to visit the new garden of a new gardening friend a few days ago. Located in Austin’s Windsor Hills neighborhood, the garden represents a new beginning for its creator, Nancy Fortner (@gardeningwhileold).

In 2021, to be near their daughter, Nancy and her late husband, Bob, proprietors of Sweetlife Farm, relocated to Austin from Bainbridge Island, a beautiful, moist, gardening paradise west of Seattle. What a life change! Over the past year, Nancy has laid the groundwork for her new garden, ripping out half-dead front and back lawns, laying paths and patios, building gabion walls and custom metal gates, and preparing large planting beds. The stage is set! Now she’s busily planting it up.

The interior of Nancy’s home is beautiful and filled with nature-centric vignettes, art, and a happy collection of houseplants, like this tin box planted with succulents.

Nancy collects metal bird silhouettes, and this little wren “nests” in a pot on her porch.

Outside, a metal owl perches atop her new gabion wall, a fabulous feature that already sets her baby garden apart from the norm, giving it character and a sense of permanence.

Nancy worked with a local craftsman to create the one-of-a-kind metal gate — two actually, one on each side of the house — using pieces of wire mesh and solid panels she brought with her from her Seattle-area home.

She added the circular metal tree silhouette as a finishing touch. The mesh on the bottom lets her Jack Russell terrier Spanky see who’s coming too.

Nancy filled one sunny side yard with Vego beds, and she’s growing cool-season vegetables right now.

Along the back of her house, a long sunporch brings in lots of light. Nancy put up corrugated galvanized metal to replace nondescript siding, giving her house a little rustic Texas flair. Colorful birdhouses adorn each section.

Nancy removed every bit of lawn from the backyard and laid a generously sized decomposed granite patio under a tall red oak. A low, curved gabion wall defines the patio and adds extra seating. Wide gravel paths lead to the side gardens and back door.

Early spring annuals like corn poppies and snapdragons add color while perennials slowly fill in. A long gabion