October 05, 2025
Last week while my daughter was in town, we took a morning walk at Pease Park. As always, we explored the rebar-sphere Treehouse perched in a canopy of live oaks, accessible via a steel-grid ramp.
Little kids were racing around the perimeter like excited squirrels.
We stepped onto the net canopy suspended 12 feet above the ground, feeling a bit squirrel-like ourselves.
We also visited Malin the Troll, one of Thomas Dambo‘s wooden creations.
Malin holds an offering bowl — which we all wish was filled with much-needed rainwater right about now.
Keep hoping, Malin.
A screened view of droopy American beautyberry shows how much even our native plants need a good drink after a very dry September. With no real rain chances on the horizon, we’ll just have to hold on and be patient.
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Join me for Jill Nooney’s Garden Spark talk on October 9th
Austin-area readers, I invite you to my next Garden Spark event on October 9th. Artist, gardener, and author Jill Nooney of Bedrock Gardens will speak about her acclaimed New Hampshire garden, and I can’t wait to see her photos and get inspired by her gardening magic. You may wonder what a New England garden has to teach us here in Texas, and I’ll tell you. Like any garden created with passion and creativity, it teaches us to TRY and experiment and risk failure, and to delight in the beauty, humor, and life stories that result. Come join us!
Tickets available here
Garden Spark is open to the public. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
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Digging Deeper
My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, comes out October 14! It’s available for pre-order now on Amazon and other online book sellers. If you’d like to read it or give it as a holiday gift, please consider pre-ordering. (I’m happy to sign pre-ordered copies at my book events!) Early orders make a big difference in helping new books get noticed. More info about Gardens of Texas here — and thank you for your support!
Come see me on tour! I’m speaking in cities across Texas to celebrate the release of Gardens of Texas. Talks in October include: Planta Nativa in McAllen on 10/16; The Natural Gardener in Austin on 10/18; SFA State University’s Fall Plant Fair in Nacogdoches on 10/23; Houston Botanic Garden on 10/25; and The Arbor Gate in Tomball on 10/26. Join me to learn, be inspired, and get a signed copy of the book!
Tour 5 Austin gardens on Saturday, November 8, on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Day tour for Travis County. Tickets must be purchased online in advance, and some gardens limit attendance, so reserve your spot early. Find full details here.
Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events, so join the Garden Spark email list for notification when tickets go on sale: click this link and ask to SUBSCRIBE. Read all about the Season 9 lineup here!
All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
