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Recharge Your Faith in Gardens

How many times has a plant stopped you in your tracks?
bee flying into prickly pear cactus flower Central Texas Gardener
In our gardens or on the road, we pause in awe.
Texas Sage cenizo in full bloom Central Texas Gardener
You don’t have to be a gardener to get excited about Texas sage/cenizo’s (Leucophyllum frutescens) humidity-driven flowers and bees quickly winging over.
bee on Texas sage Cenizo Central Texas Gardener
We’re amazed when rain lilies suddenly burst like clouds in the most unlikely spots.
Rain lilies popping up in lawn Central Texas Gardener
A few weeks later, here comes another enchantment: glossy black, flat papery seeds poised to launch.
rain lily ripe black seeds Central Texas Gardener
In our eyes, nature’s designs are beautiful, but they’re very purpose-driven. Salvia’s tubular flowers, like on my new ‘Amistad’, don’t care much about me. Nope, this intricate concoction is all about bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.
Salvia 'Amistad' flower Central Texas Gardener
Plants also know what’s best for them, like my native Salvia lyrata that seeded itself into gritty decomposed granite cracks in our back patio.
patio, native plants
A few years ago at a Garden Writers conference, I met exuberant Shelley S. Cramm. When she told me about a book she was writing that united her faith and the wonders of gardening, I asked her to please stay in touch!
Shelley Cramm God's Word for Gardeners

NIV God’s Word for Gardeners Bible: Grow Your Faith While Growing Your Garden is now a hit across the country, and I can see why. Shelley powerfully connects Scripture with her experiences that we all share everyday outdoors.

This week, Shelley joins Tom to explain her inspiration behind the book, plants from the Bible that we can grow, and how it’s raised her awareness of good stewardship. Regardless of your spiritual belief or seasonal garden woes, she’ll renew your spirit!
Tom Linda Shelley Cramm Central Texas Gardener
Check out Shelley’s blog, Garden in Delight, for her plant portraits that teach and inspire, right from her own Dallas garden. Watch now!

Another wonderful connection I’ve made through conferences and garden social media is energetic, video-maker Barbara Wise. Recently, we snagged her between her inspiring workshops at Lake Austin Spa. She and Trisha show us a few tricks to create professional-looking container gardens.
Barbara Wise and Trisha Shirey container garden Central Texas Gardener
container gardener design Barbara Wise Trisha Shirey Central Texas Gardener
Barbara hails from Tennessee as a landscape designer and currently in sales/marketing at Crescent Garden, makers of gorgeous self-watering system planters.
Crescent Garden silver and sedum garden container Central Texas Gardener
In her “spare” time, she wrote Container Gardening for All Seasons that makes it easy for anyone to turn containers into artful presentations. Watch now!
Container Gardening for All Seasons Central Texas Gardener
It’s even possible to grow a photogenic golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) in a container.
golden barrel cactus orange trolley blue pots Central Texas Gardener
Like all cacti, this one strategized to conserve water and offend munching critters. Daphne explains how to grow this striking specimen for well-drained gardens. Watch now!
golden barrel cactus and pups Central Texas Gardener
On tour in a standard Avery Ranch back yard, designer Lisa LaPaso and husband Cavin Weber gather all their senses in a cornucopia of delicious scents, food, and colors.
den window fruit herb design Central Texas Gardener
Lisa turned lifeless soil into water thrifty abundance.
path to patio Central Texas Gardener
pathway Lisa LaPaso food and fragrance garden Central Texas Gardener
dry creek design cute garden Central Texas Gardener
tractor garden art with datura, raspberry mint Central Texas Gardener
She breaks up the rectangular yard with nooks. Evergreen fragrant star jasmine graces a meditation spot.
star jasmine arbor secret room Central Texas Gardener
A corner viewing post offers choice of seating, including a “Flintstone” bench from one of rock hound Cavin’s forays.
bench nook in small space garden Central Texas Gardener
Inspired by her mother Carol Maize, Lisa artfully renders unifying colors.
patio view to food and flower garden Central Texas Gardener
colorful patio Lisa LaPaso design Central Texas Gardener
Quickly, lively diverse wildlife claimed this habitat.
Lisa LaPaso pond Central Texas Gardener
Even this tiny bench from leftover stones houses secretive critters.
bunny sculpture rock habitat wildlife Central Texas Gardener
Her father, renowned Jim LaPaso, contributed kinetic sculptures.
kinetic sculpture Jim LaPaso Central Texas Gardener
jerusalem sage and garden art Central Texas Gardener
A wraparound pea gravel path leads to a corridor garden that Lisa describes as “being a big hug.”
pathway designreduced lawn garden flowers and food Central Texas Gardener
fruit trees berries flowers small garden Central Texas Gardener
garden gate design Jim LaPaso Central Texas Gardener
Lisa worked with the Avery Ranch HOA (along with Bob Beyer) to reduce lawn requirements. She and Cavin dressed up one spot in the “new” front yard with one of his lucky rock finds.
rock sculpture in reduced lawn front yard Central Texas Gardener

Watch the whole story now!

And thanks for stopping by! See you next week, Linda

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