Letter from the Executive Director and Artist in Residence

Greetings!

The little crevice garden partially shown above has become a compelling stop for me when I'm near the office. I find the vivid colors and textures in the contrast between the plants and the limestone very satisfying; a chorus of little exuberant communities bursting out between the rock crevices. 

This crevice garden, which was created by gardener, Luke Kelly, and curated by Luke, Director of Horticulture and Living Collections, Wally Wilkins, and Nursery Manager and Horticulturist, Ashlyn Mashburn, is located near the Garden office in a corner of a larger bed of plants found in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains of northeastern Mexico.

We created the Sierra Madre bed to show a sampling of the variety of plants found through the Sierra Madre Oriental as well as to illustrate one of John and Carl Schoenfeld's plant collecting intentions – presenting "counterparts" as worthy additions to the palette of Asian plants that dominated American ornamental horticulture. Across from the Sierra Madre bed, we're planting some of the Asian counterparts so visitors can make the comparison for themselves.

Here's a list of plants in the crevice garden found in the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains (not all of which are visible in the image).

Bouchea linifolia

Scutellaria suffrutescens 'Texas Rose'

Dyschoriste linearis

Tradescantia sillamontana

Tradescantia pallida

Sedum palmeri 'Mendoza'

Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor'

Echinocereus enneacanthus

Grusonia schottii

Coryphantha compacta

Echinocereus reichenbachii

Salvia greggii 'Cherry Chief'

Acalypha dioica

Chrysactinia mexicana

We're at the beginning of the process, slowly but surely – and at a much smaller scale than John and Carl – articulating this horticultural statement.

A crevice garden provides a lot of beauty in a small area, and if you've got a dry, sunny patch of yard you don't know what to do with, I recommend you consider building one for yourself. As it happens, Luke and Ashlyn are leading a "Building and Maintaining a Crevice Garden" workshop at the Garden in a few weeks. Details are below. If you're interested, you can sign up for it on the events page of our website. 

Warm regards,

Hands on Workshops at the Garden

Drawing as a Means of Seeing

Join us for a drawing class led by Executive Director and Artist in Residence, Randy Twaddle. This is a beginner level class that is about looking as much as drawing. The class will take place in the Garden, where attendees will be asked to focus on individual plants with the hope of increasing their appreciation for the variety of shapes, forms, and textures found in the Garden through the act of careful observation and drawing.

Drawing or painting experience is not required. Attendees will be given a drawing board, paper, and pencils to sketch plant details that they are interested in. The focus of this class will not be finished drawings so much as practice at close observation.

Cost for the class is $100 for members, $125 for non-members, with a limit of 10 people. Drawing materials will be provided.

Date and Time: Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Refreshments and light snacks will be provided.

How to Build and Maintain a Crevice Garden

Do you have a sunny spot in your yard that you don't know what to do with? Join Gardener, Luke Kelley, and Nursery Manager/Horticulturist, Ashlyn Mashburn, for a class on how to construct, plant, and maintain a crevice garden. Crevice gardens are a fantastic way to create visual interest in a dry and sunny part of every yard, and are perfect for planting drought tolerant and xeric plants.

During this class, we will talk about the crevice gardens at The John Fairey Garden, how we selected the plants for them, and proper soil amendment for crevice garden plants. Luke will give a demonstration on how to construct the crevices, and you will be given the opportunity to get some hands-on experience. Once the class has concluded, Ashlyn will show any interested parties around the sales nursery and discuss optimal plant choices for your own garden back home.

Following the class, light refreshments and food will be provided. The class will take place outdoors, so please wear closed toed shoes and bring water and sunscreen.

Cost for the class is $20 for garden members, and $30 for non-members. 

Date and time: Saturday, June 13, 10AM-12PM

JFGN at HSA on Mother's Day

The John Fairey Garden nursery is coming back to the Hotel St. Augustine on Mother's Day for a rare and unusual plant sale pop up. Come by and say hi to Ashlyn and Randy and maybe buy a plant for your mother.

Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival

Another Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival is in the books. The weather cooperated with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. Guests again found rare and difficult to find plants from a variety of vendors, and this year they got to shop with a soundtrack provided by the fabulous Texas Cyclone Band, led by Andrew Vrana. Andrew was a former student of John's who is now a Houston architect who designed our beloved bridge. We moved this year's event to the last Saturday in March to not conflict with spring break and we've decided to keep it on this date in the future, so save the date for next year's sale on the last Saturday of March.

Hop on the Bus, Gus!

Our first ever Hop on the Bus was a rousing success. Thirty five guests boarded a chartered coach and relaxed on the sub-hour drive to the Garden. Once at the Garden they broke up into two groups, each getting a Garden tour led by either Director of Horticulture and Living Collections, Wally Wilkins, or Nursery Manager and Horticulturist, Ashlyn Mashburn. Executive Director and Artist in Residence Randy Twaddle gave a tour of the residence and the studio and discussed the influence of the Garden on his art practice. Lunch was served under the tent by Dixie Friend Gay's mural, with a bit of time left over for some plant shopping.

We loved hosting this event and hope to do another one in the fall during the week for those who might have children in school.

A special thanks to board member Adele Bentsen and former Taking Root Co-Chair, Betty Newton, for the support, coordination, furnishings, and logistical help.



To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee.

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.

"To make a prairie"

by Emily Dickinson