This year's beautiful spring is a reminder of Mother Nature's capricious ways. Last year we endured what seemed like endless drought, and this year we had generous spring rains. No matter, the blooming flowers and shrubs you will see in these five exquisite private gardens are hardy enough to stand just about anything the Texas climate serves up.

Each year, our horticulturists search out the most beautiful and interesting gardens to put on display. We so appreciate the dedicated owners and designers who created these unique spaces and are willing to share them with you. This year, the emphasis is on small urban gardens.

We hope you will go home with great ideas, inspired to recreate some aspect of these spaces in your own backyard. You won't regret it. Native plants are not only versatile, but conservation-minded. They don't require as much water or chemicals to make them thrive.

This guide will direct you to the selected sites. So put on your comfortable walking shoes and join us for a day in the gardens. Our knowledgeable staff and volunteers, as well as garden designers, will be on hand to answer your questions at each garden.

Thanks to our generous sponsor, South Texas Money Management, Inc., to our garden owners and to you for your contributions to Gardens on Tour 2012 which supports our mission to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.

Susan K. Rieff
Executive Director
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave., 78739

About the Garden The Wildflower Center is the nation's leading native plant garden, and again this year we have expanded our gardens to show off stunning Texas plants. Check out the Mollie Steves Zachry Texas Arboretum entrance garden—the arboretum itself opens to the public next week.

Our gardens demonstrate that beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. You might want to look at the Homeowners Inspiration Gardens to see how native plants work in naturalistic, traditional and formal styles, as well as the Texas mixed border garden where Texas natives meet English style. New this year is the Habiturf™ lawn in the traditional garden, which needs less water, less mowing and less weeding.

Art is always present in our gardens, and this year, to celebrate the Lady Bird Johnson Centennial, Logan Stollenwerck has created giant metal blossoms that he calls "A Bouquet for Mrs. J." Shou Ping, who creates three-dimensional paper sculptures from her floral watercolors, has a remarkable exhibit in the McDermott Learning Center.

This year, in addition to the Centennial, we celebrate the Wildflower Center's 30th Anniversary. Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes founded the center in 1982 as a place to preserve vanishing species and to demonstrate native plant horticulture and design.

7316 Brecourt Manor Way

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Take Mopac south and turn right on La Crosse Avenue. Turn right onto Curahee Drive. Turn right onto Brecourt Manor Way. The garden is on the left.

Designers Heather McLean, owner of Goodness Grows In Austin. Design, builds, sustainable landscaping. www.goodnessgrowsinaustin.com

About the Garden Located in a traditional residential neighborhood, this garden space was an open canvas of turfgrass surrounded by fence before its transformation. The owner desired an expanded outdoor living area for family and friends to enjoy. They envisioned separate garden rooms to suit different purposes, but did not want to obscure the view of the green belt behind the property.

Very large flagstone slabs through the lawn create a central axis. The covered dining area has a view of an Asian pebble pot fountain and surrounding rock garden. There is a separate seating area with a table that converts to a fire pit. The plants installed in 2007 were locally grown and selected to give a sense of privacy and continuity with the native environment you see beyond the gate.

7316 Brecourt Manor Way Plant List

PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA

6400 Zadock Woods Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit at William Cannon Drive and go west. Turn left onto Escarpment Boulevard. Turn right onto Oliver Loving Trail. Take first left onto Zadock Woods Drive. The garden is the first house on the right.

Designers Capitol Landscaping www.capitollandscaping.com. Irrigation by Lupton Irrigation www.luptonirrigation.com.

About the Garden The homeowners of this suburban corner lot had an older landscape, water-demanding plants and an outdated, inefficient irrigation system. Drainage issues resulted in standing water and fungus problems. Our goal was to create a hardy, low water usage landscape with comfortable outdoor living spaces that would be beautiful both day and night. The redo included:

• clearing away existing landscaped elements, including two huge old Bradford pear trees, which depleted the soil of nutrients, and bringing in new topsoil.
• a cozy covered patio that used the existing concrete slab patio as a base for a native Llano Texas Sandstone floor and a pergola of native Eastern Red Cedar.
• a native eastern red cedar double-sided fence.
• a zoysia lawn and all native or adapted plants, shrubs and trees mulched with Marble Falls granite.
• shaping the land for proper drainage.
• low-voltage lighting and drip irrigation.

1400 Ridgecrest Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit RM 2244/Rollingwood/Westlake Hills. Turn west onto Bee Cave Road/ FM 2244. Turn right onto Westlake Drive and go 2.2 miles to The High Road. Turn left onto The High Road. Turn right onto Ridgecrest Drive. The garden is on the left.

Designers Lann Sawyer, owner of Lannscape, a design/build company. Installation by Capitol Landscapes. www.capitollandscaping.com

About the Garden The homeowner desired an elegant, beautiful and private outdoor living space that would provide a gallery atmosphere to accommodate an extensive collection of large art pieces from around the world. The garden features raised beds walled with large native Texas limestone boulders. To move these boulders through mud caused by heavy winter rain, we created a temporary native Texas limestone caliche driveway around the house. The caliche was reused as a base in the raised beds to facilitate drainage and cater to the native Texas plant's love of alkaline soil.

The garden has an inviting outdoor atmosphere and low voltage lighting that highlights strategically placed art pieces. Its sustainable features include a drip irrigation system that minimizes waste, native Texas limestone and extensive reuse of existing cedar fence posts, limestone and native plants.

1400 Ridgecrest Drive Plant List

PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA

6309 Shadow Mountain Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit RM 2222/Northland Drive and drive west. Turn right onto Dry Creek Drive. Take the second right onto Mountainclimb Drive. Turn right onto Highland Hills Drive. Take the first right onto Shadow Mountain Drive. The garden is on the left.

Designer Cathy Nordstrom, Sans Souci Gardens www.sans-souci-gardens.com. Mortared walkways by architect Richard Harris. Plant installation and path construction by PSP Landscape. Garden maintained organically by Caraveo Landscape Services.

About the Garden In December 2006 this Northwest Hills landscape was an oasis of large trees and attractive flower beds. However, turfgrass dominated and the property lacked practical foot paths around the house. In January 2007 most of the grass was removed, leaving a ribbon along the street and several interior pockets. The resulting long flowing bed allowed for the addition of mostly native understory trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials. A desert willow, grasses and crossvine now form a dramatic backdrop to the backyard pool. A Hill Country creek diverts storm water from the side of the house and creates a tranquil scene viewed from the den inside. Designated a 'Best of Texas' wildlife habitat, this property now welcomes birds and many other critters all year long. Deer abound in this neighborhood, but they find little to eat in this yard!

6309 Shadow Mountain Drive Plant List

PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA

6808 Jester Wild Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit at Capital of Texas Highway/Loop 360 and go north. Drive about 9.8 miles and turn left at Lakewood Drive. Drive 1.1 miles and turn right on Jester Wild Drive. The garden is on the right.

Designers Russell Womack of Capitol Landscaping www.capitollandscaping.com; homeowners Jim and Lynne Weber and Texas Master Naturalists.

About the Garden A favorite from our 2008 tour, this garden showcases the concept of wildscaping, and complements the 4-star rated green residence and the homeowners' philosophy to live lightly on the land. A 3-tiered waterfall built of local limestone and stone terraces provide a backbone for nearly 200 species of native plants. Care was taken to protect existing ashe junipers, red oaks and little walnut trees. Invasive exotics were removed to lessen competition for existing native plants such as elbowbush, escarpment black cherry, Carolina buckthorn and Lindheimer's silktassel, while protecting uncommon native plants such as green dragon, scarlet clematis, marbleseed and canyon mock orange. Lynne and Jim Weber, homeowners, master naturalists and authors of Nature Watch Austin, have observed more than 75 species of butterflies and 97 species of birds here, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. NOTE: This property has steep paths and stairways.

6808 Jester Wild Drive Plant List
6808 Jester Wild Drive Bird List
6808 Jester Wild Drive Butterfly List
6808 Jester Wild Drive Dragonflies and Damselflies List
6808 Jester Wild Drive Mammals List
6808 Jester Wild Drive Reptile, Frog and Toad List

PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA