Great Gardens of the USA: The Austin Garden

The landscape and gardens of Austin, Texas, are captured in this garden’s design, which takes its inspiration from the Lady Bird Wildflower Centre, Blackland Prairie and Edward Plateau and incorporates the plants and habitats of these areas. Corten steel and sandstone, materials commonly used in the region, are a significant part of the garden’s hard landscaping.

A structure made from aged, rusting scaffold poles topped with corrugated iron and a water feature constructed from blocks of natural stone set in a circle and supporting a corten steel bowl form the focal points. The pathways are constructed from crushed stone and reflect the colours found in the region, with boulders creating a feeling of the Texan landscape. The planting includes Echinacea, Acacia, Agave, Ratibida and Coreopsis.