Spicewood Springs Road Nativescape
There is a woman in South Austin who has taken it upon herself to cultivate a lovely flower garden in a patch of public ground. It is an island in the middle of a road.
I haven't seen it, but I read about it in the paper. I am not sure she had any sort of permission to put these flower beds in, but I know she didn't get any money for it. All the neighbors love it. Some have offered to contribute, but she refuses compensation.
We may have something like that going on out here in our part of town. There has always been an area beside the road on Spicewood Springs where a drainage make the land low and hard to use. Of course, bulldozers can fix that, but they haven't done so. It is wild.
Someone has planted it with lovely ornamental natives. Of course, the beautiful live oaks were there to start with. Austin Releaf may have planted the Redbuds and Mexican Plums. But someone also set out Lantana, Turk's Cap, Bay Myrtle, Maximillian Sunflowers and Yucca. The Sumacs and wild gourds and berries probably volunteered.
There's a sign, so maybe there's some official sponsor. But we've seen a woman who lives on a nearby corner, whose yard is beautifully filled with same kinds of plants, working on the side of the road.
She's got a gentle, expert touch. These are hardy natives, after all. I sometimes see her clearing out a bit of dead brush just to show off a plant that's in the height of bloom.
I'd like to meet her, get the whole story, find out what all the plants are. A spot of public garden, of quality horticulture where you least expect it, is a fine thing to give to your community.