Austin Pond Tour 2010, Part 2

The Austin Pond Society moved the date of their annual tour to mid-June for 2010 - it was still hot but the heat was less intense than last summer. This change kind of screwed up the lyrics of the Garden Pond Song I wrote in 2008 where "July" is rhymed with "DragonFly".




Guess I'll let the video alone - who knows what month the committee will choose next summer! What rhymes with May?

To read about the 9 ponds we saw on Saturday's South 2010 Austin Pond Society Tour see this Saturday Tour post. On Sunday June 13 we visited four of the 14 North Ponds open for the tour.

POND #10

An expanse of lawn under dappled shade was very inviting on a hot day in Austin- with trees enclosing the good-sized yard.
Most gardens we've visited have a bench or two, or a couple of chairs, but this garden had tables and seating tucked in everywhere - it looked ready for a lawn party and the hosts were so charming we wished our names were on the guest list
We talked to the owner about some of her beautiful plants - she also grows and loves the Blue Clerodendron that appears on this blog and on Robin's Get Grounded blog- instant bonding over blue petals!

Rather than a display garden and pond, this was a place where people live. They use tools and plant and inhabit the garden and do things. I liked this clever idea for storing pots and equipment around the corner of the house.
The owners had placed the pond so it could be enjoyed from a covered porch at the back of the house... a most civilized arrangement!

Making one pond frequently leads to the desire for another - here's the current project

After they get done with this adventure they'll need that hammock!

POND #11

This waterfall pond is in a courtyard off a front drive under a wisteria-covered pergola, with the sound softening the air and calling in wildlife. (we just missed seeing a pair of mallards).The owner told us they'd placed it here to allow room for a swimming pool in the back yard, but once the pond was constructed it changed the way the whole front garden felt and worked. The courtyard was full of visitors so I could only get a couple of closeups. So often side gardens are just patches of 'nothing'... I liked the way the rock waterfall wall set the front garden off from the street and the pergola set green boundaries, forming a pleasant courtyard.


THE DRIVE NORTHWEST
Next came a long drive through the outlying suburbs to a long parkway with Hill Country scenery
This kind of scenery can look wonderful when seen through the window of an air-conditioned car, especially when the sky has such beautiful cloud formations and you're wearing your strongest sunglasses. It's less wonderful if you're outside the car in 95°F heat.

Full Disclosure: This was a nice place to visit but even if I won the lottery, it's doubtful I could ever live here.

But that doesn't mean you wouldn't love it! Many, many people think they've found a slice of heaven in the hills of this master planned community, begun in the mid-1990's with a municipally-owned golf course and clubhouse at its heart, as these roof-covered hilltops demonstrate.

We found our way to two of the three ponds within the gates - somehow missed a turn and decided not to backtrack to find the third one.

POND #12

Isn't this flag patio and rock edge cool? The pond starts in sun but has shaded Texas-type woodland behind it...


When we walked closer we could see how beautiful the lilies were

And what a great job the owners had done with the waterfall
Looking back toward the house -

The owners have plans for expanding and building a stream in this more shaded area in future.

POND # 13

The last garden we visited had two ponds and a stream arranged on a five-acre property. The ponds were made about 9-years ago, so they've had time to mellow.


It's almost startling to see cattails against the Hill Country background
This is such a peaceful seat

You can walk around the whole pond and see various species of trees planted at the edges

Here's a look at the length of the stream

We bailed after this pond and didn't try to get up to Georgetown and Sun City. Maybe next year we'll run into you somewhere along the route on the Austin Pond Tour?

For video of some of the 2010 ponds check out the sidebar on our local PBS Station KLRU YouTube website. You'll find Central Texas Gardener shows with Tom Spencer posted by producer (and CTG Gardenblogger) Linda Lehmusvirta.

Edit June 23: MSS @Zanthan Gardens has posted about this tour. She visited some some gardens that we missed: 2010 Austin Pond Tour at Zanthan Gardens Blog.