November Yard of the Month: Garden art and native plants

Mixing native plants and garden art in a traditional neighborhood yard is a challenge which Shirley McCurdy met and won at her home on Lamar Avenue in Spring Lake Hills, November’s yard of the month for Spring Lake Garden Club. Shirley’s collection of yard ornaments include family treasures (her maternal grandfather’s garden planting plow) as well as colorful decor that caught her eye at stores and sales over the years. Two large terra cotta pots from Mexico mark either side of the front walk at curbside, filled with thriving sago palms, subtly accented with colorful ceramic petals on stems. Near the entry pots, other garden ornaments are tucked in among hardy native plants including cenizo (Texas sage), mountain laurel, spiny green sotol, salvia, and rosemary.

Shirley grew up in San Marcos and returned 15 years ago after living in Garfield, Texas, near the Colorado River, where her family endured several evacuation orders due to flooding. She insisted that any new home must be on high ground, and the view from her current front porch is definitely downhill. She has befriended the numerous deer who live in the nearby Lime Kiln natural area but spend their days browsing the neighborhood, and come by daily to visit her near the porch. However, her plantings are carefully selected to withstand any deer damage, so no wire cages or other deterrents are necessary. The only garden ornament damaged by deer is a large terra cotta figure which Shirley calls her “decapitated turtle.”

One advantage of buying an older home - Shirley’s was built in the 1970s - is the mature elm trees in the front yard, as well as a large vitex and two colorful crape myrtles in the side yard. Previous owners had established planting beds at curbside, and one of the early renovations was replacing metal edging with stone along existing curved boundaries. The same stone was used to replace decaying landscape timbers defining raised beds next to the house, therefore integrating the landscape design. The front yard now has three distinct zones, with a small turf lawn separating foundation planters and curbside planting areas, which provide welcome privacy to the front porch from the street.

Most of the larger yard ornaments are metal and blend into their plant background, although a breeze brings to life a tall spinning whirligig and bird figures on some carefully balanced mobiles. A few spots of color stand out: a cobalt blue bird bath mirrors a blue bottle tree on the opposite side of the walk, and a spider figure formed from a red gazing ball echos the brightly painted antique plow near the driveway. Large pots also repeat landscape elements: two large containers of split-leaf philodendrons flanking the porch steps are a reminder of the two Mexican terra cotta pots at curbside. The pots near the porch can be moved under the shelter in cold weather, and Shirley covers the potted sago palms when freezing temperatures are expected.

Shirley enjoys her attractive and lowmaintenance landscape, especially the garden art which reminds her of family and friends and shopping adventures. A decorative bird house on the front porch actually hosted a family last year, and other bird houses in the trees have welcomed residents as well. The front porch, with comfortable seating and tall shelves holding smaller garden treasures, offers the perfect spot to appreciate her plants along with an eclectic collection of outdoor art.