October Yard of the Month: Tended by the same hands since 1966

“All my plants have a story,” says Baudelia Arredondo, who has tended the same garden for over 50 years at her family’s home on Candlelight Lane in Sunset Acres. Built in 1966, her house was one of the first in a new subdivision adjoining Interstate 35 when the family began landscaping a bare lot – planting two pecan trees and lining the front walk with boxwood. As plants became established, the Arredondo home was chosen as an early yard of the month for San Marcos. As Spring Lake Garden Club repeats this honor some 50 years later, we celebrate Baudelia’s remarkable gardening skills, practiced even while she was employed full time and raising a family.

Today the entire yard is filled with an amazing collection of plants, with a preference for colorful tropical varieties in pots, along with beds of hardy natives, all accompanied by garden art such as metal birds and flowers and small statues. Baudelia enjoys giving cuttings of her favorites to friends so they can add to their own plant collections, and she cherishes plants acquired from friends and family as gifts or passalongs. She received a handsome rubber plant upon her retirement after 45 years with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission at what is now Texas State University. A plumeria was inherited from her mother-inlaw in 1976 and still thrives in a pot placed in partial shade.

Baudelia also has successfully grown a number of plants from seeds of fruit she enjoyed, including an orange tree, a date palm (rooted in 2010), and avocado and papaya trees thriving in large pots. The contrast in leaf form of the date palm and avocado tree, both near the entry, are part of the garden’s interest, combining individual plants of very different forms. More recent additions from friends are a golden rain tree and a moringa tree, which provides leaves for a healing tea. A thick mass of lemon grass in a large pot is available for cooking or tea as desired.

Arredondo sits with her favorite bougainvillea. Photos by Sharon Lockett

Tropical plants are grown in containers which can be moved to a covered front porch during colder weather, where a heat lamp can be turned on in case of a severe freeze. Bougainvillea, one of Baudelia’s favorite flowers, is a reliable bloomer in the front yard, and hibiscus in a large planter also provides colorful blossoms. In an “outdoor room” beside the house, a passion vine offers delicate flowers, and a clump of banana trees and shrimp plant add to the tropical theme. Adding to color in the yard are several pots of vinca or teresitas in various hues, which are another favorite for Baudelia.

Arredondo’s mini garden of spineless cactus, yuccas and foxtail fern in pot. Photo by Sharon Lockett

The front lawn includes “mini gardens” of beds edged with pavers, and Baudelia notes that one near the curb filled with vibrant purple tradescantia is especially intended to honor our local Rattlers sports teams. A striking combination of spineless cactus, yuccas, and potted ferns fills another bed in full sun, and other beds in more shaded areas are better for other plant combinations. A well-shaded area near the front door is home to a thriving gardenia bush surrounding a stone statue and fountain framed by date palm fronds. This entry patio is a perfect private place to sit and enjoy the outdoors and appreciate all the varieties of plants in the Arredondo garden.