‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum) is intriguing in all its stages. Papery, dainty, purple flowers appear before the black pearl-shaped fruit… …which gives the plant ... Digging

Awful August ends, and I always feel like dancing a celebratory jig. But in central Texas we know that summer doesn’t truly release its hot, sticky grip until about mid-October. No matter. The arrival ... Digging

Flowers have a youthful beauty, but agaves and other succulents are like living sculpture. I find them fascinating and irresistibly touchable, despite those fierce thorns. This is ‘Whale’s ... Digging

Like the school bus in August, bright yellow usually indicates that summer is winding down and autumn is on the way. Around here, the hot yellows of Mexican mint marigold and copper canyon daisy will ... Digging

Since I wrote about inviting wildlife into the garden for Tuesday’s Garden Designers Roundtable, I’ve been looking more carefully to see who is visiting my garden. Lurking among the orange ... Digging

Just in from a morning stroll through my garden, and what delights I witnessed. A tiny, blurry-winged hummingbird making the rounds from Mexican oregano to flame-leaf acanthus to Turk’s cap to Agastache. ... Digging

At the Great Outdoors last week, I spotted this shriveled, dying agave holding up a 12-foot flower spike covered in bulbils, tiny clones of the mother plant. Most agaves bloom only once, after many years, ... Digging

For a nursery located within spitting distance of downtown, on South Congress Avenue, The Great Outdoors is surprisingly large, which befits a place featuring a nearly life-size topiary elephant as its ... Digging

Hello, my name is Pam… I spotted this T-shirt at the Great Outdoors Nursery’s gift shop. Perfect, eh? No, I didn’t buy it. I saved my money for plants I shouldn’t have bought at ... Digging

It’s August. It’s Austin. It’s incredibly hot and humid. Flowers for Bloom Day were pretty scarce, but foliage is, as always, carrying the garden through the toughest months. My faves ... Digging