Garden Goodness

Austin plant nursery opens stylish studio, showroom, and retail store

Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom

This showroom could almost be called a bookstore with the number of books stacked up all around.

Photo by Whitney Runyon

A well-liked nursery in Austin is expanding its influence with a beautiful new showroom. Barton Springs Nursery's new Design Studio & Showroom opened March 16 at 910 N. Lamar. It will be used to set up landscape services, sell furnishings and gifts, and show off plants in interesting, architectural ways — maybe even some that folks can try at home.

The 3,500-square-foot space looks a bit like a garden-inspired library, with a few different spaces to sit down and lots of books on display that guests can buy. People are encouraged to "unwind, linger, and gather."

Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom Why not have an indoor sand mound for a cactus display?Photo by Whitney Runyon

Visitors stopping by to set up services can take their project in two directions: landscape architecture and garden installation. They'll meet with experts to consult about their outdoor spaces; staff will help evaluate the health of existing plants, check sun and shade conditions, identify possible challenges with soil or the rest of the site, and just help with ideas.

“Rooted in the belief that gardens are not just places, but also experiences, and we truly hope this space inspires people to slow down and reimagine how we live, gather, and connect through landscapes that feel personal, grounded, and alive,” said studio and showroom owner Amy Hovis in a press release.

Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom Fabrics from Oaxaca adds some color to the space.Photo by Whitney Runyon

Guests don't need a big project for an excuse to stop by. They can also come to browse and purchase furnishings, garden accessories, and textiles from Oaxaca. The famous French brands Fermob and Tiptoe supply furniture for retail; the showroom is the only retailer in the country to carry Tiptoe, the release says. Its modular designs allow for customization, and some of the materials are reclaimed to reduce waste.

Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom Practical French furniture highlights the design studio element of the space.Photo by Whitney Runyon

“Bringing these brands into our showroom has been a long-held dream, especially after living in Paris for a decade, where Fermob is found in parks, cafés, and public spaces,” said Hovis. “It’s beautiful, joyful furniture that’s made to be used every day and lasts for years, and similarly, Tiptoe represents everything our team cares about: thoughtful design, longevity, flexibility, and furniture that evolves with the way people actually live."

Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom A closer look at some of the retail goods in the shop.Photo by Whitney Runyon

The Barton Springs Nursery Design Studio & Showroom is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.

openings gardening landscape design architecture

Pollinator Paradise

New app walks Texans through every step of planting a native garden

Photo by Thomas Schimonsky on Unsplash

Few states are as proud of their native plants as Texas is of its blue bonnets.

Texans sensing spring coming in on the breeze can start planning their drought-tolerant gardens now. A new app by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TWPF) gives free tips on planting native species that are low-maintenance and friendly to pollinators.

Users don't need any gardening experience to start planting with Wild Thumb. It lays out instructions step-by-step and accommodates different regions and needs, considering backyards as well as humble flower pots. It's also good for inattentive gardeners, since it can remind users to water and prune their plants when it's time and sends freeze alerts.

To use the app, gardeners will have to sign up with an email and enter their ZIP Code. This connects the account to an ecoregion, an area of land that's defined by certain characteristics like climate, precipitation, wildlife, soil types, and more. That makes ecoregions much more detailed than the United States Department of Agriculture's widely known Hardiness Zones, which are only based on extreme cold data.

After giving a quick overview of the ecoregion, the app settles into a dashboard including the current temperature, time of sundown, and projects. Users can choose the type of project they want to start (pots/planters, beds, and pocket prairies), take a look at some advice for preparing in real life, and then build a schematic with native plants and at-a-glance information about them.

After the diagram is complete, the user can check off a list of tasks and progress through different phases of the project. An "explore" tab lists local nurseries, seed providers, and seed mixes to help with shopping, and the app also suggests that users get on iNaturalist, a citizen science community.

“Wild Thumb takes the guesswork out of native gardening so that anyone in Texas — no matter where they live or how much space they have — can be part of the pollinator solution,” said Julie Shaddox, TPWF’s Director of Development & Conservation Programs, in a press release. “Most people don’t realize that many of our native pollinators, including the American bumblebee, are in decline. By planting even a few native plants, Texans can make a tangible difference in restoring the critical habitat these species depend on.”

The release promises more plant species in the app's future, along with information on what types of pollinators love each plant. There will also be more education about prairie ecosystems; grassland and prairies make up 60 percent of Texas, according to Audubon Texas.

Users can enjoy the app for free thanks to funding from H-E-B, the presenting sponsor of TWPF's Pollinators & Prairies program. Phillips 66 is also a contributing sponsor, and Outside Studio, the Native Plant Society of Texas, and professional botanists helped develop the app. Anyone with a smartphone or iPad can download the app from the App Store and Google Play now.

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