Westcreek Neighborhood Association

Submitted by Westcreek resident Hannah Williams

Congratulations to Robin Mayfield for winning Yard of The Month in September!

Robin Mayfield’s beautiful yard and certified wildlife habitat has always caught my eye while making the rounds in Westcreek. I love her amazing variety of colors and textures! She was so much fun to talk to about her yard. She had GREAT information to share and also writes a gardening blog!! The website for her blog is getgrounded.wordpress.com and she is part of the Austin Garden Bloggers.

All of her plants and trees are native or adapted native. She uses the city’s Grow Green Guide and tends to frequent nurserys like Barton Springs Nursery, The Natural Gardner and The Great Outdoors. Everything is done organically. She cares for her plants by using compost and mulch twice a year.

In her yard she has a beautiful assortment of Salvia Greggi, Purple Fall Aster, Lantana, Pride of Barbados, Blackfoot Daisy and her favorite: Gomphrena (the little red ones).

Her grass looks great for the horrific summer we had, too! She said that on the left, between her and her neighbor, the grass had a St. Augustine fungus. They worked together and got rid of it with cornmeal and compost from Natural Gardner.

These are Persimmon Trees.

One of her favorites is this Varigated Flax Dianella. It’s great for shade, dies in the winter, but then grows back.

Her favorite, Gomphrena. She gave me a bud to dry out and plant the seeds in my yard! She said that her and her neighbors “plant swap” all the time and highly recommends it.

Ruby Crystal and Mexican Feathergrass.

Varigated American Agave. Eventually this will grow and curl over the tub. The other plant blooms yellow flowers.

All plants are very heat and drought resistant – and look gorgeous, too!

Robin gave us a few tips to share as well. She said that the MOST important thing is MULCH MULCH MULCH! She has 8 inches of mulch in her flower beds. She said not to plant directly in the soil or the plant won’t make it. Lay down the foundation with mulch first. (I’ve learned that the hard way!). Another tip: on her corner bed, she laid down cardboard and then 8 inches of compost. She mulches twice a year.

Hear more great tips from Robin by reading her blog! Here’s the website again: getgrounded.wordpress.com.

Happy gardening!!

Submitted by WNA Officer, Jennifer Voss

Meet our August 2011 Westcreek Yard of the Month Winners… Karen and John Sperry on 6505 Fair Valley Trail. The Sperrys, who are both in the education field, have lived here since the early 80s when Westcreek was first developed. They consider Westcreek as one of the best places you could live in Austin and they have done so much to maintain and beautifully update their home over the years. The gorgeous yard you see pictured is a result of carefully planned and well managed research and work that took 2½ years to finish. The Sperrys completed the hardscaping prior to finishing out the landscaping and irrigation portions. This welcoming yard is full of many drought tolerant native and adapted plants such as Imperial Blue Plumbago, Purslane, Silver Castle Artemesia, Double Knock Out Roses, red/orange Lantana, Liriope, Sego Palms, Agave, Blue Daze, Spring Bouquet Viburnum, Pride of Barbados, Pink Skullcap, Crape Myrtles, Coral Bean, native grasses, and delightful surprises such as a Meyer Lemon tree, a Big Tooth Maple, and potato vines.
As you approach the Sperry’s front walkway, you’ll be drawn to their bright front beds and led towards their front door as you follow a natural, winding path of rich stained concrete sidewalks. The lush green grass all around you is Zorro Zoysia – a drought tolerant grass that shows off an emerald green hue (be sure to plant it where it gets a little shade). But wait…you must see the rock and granite path that leads to the back yard. A dry creek garden area leads to a path with a few subtle curves and takes you back through an intriguing iron gate. Once you walk through, you realize the true beauty of Westcreeks’ greenbelt

The Sperry’s back yard is a mix of the soft Zoysia grass and beds of unique and native plants, including a cozy seating area further down the lawn.

The Sperrys were presented with a $50 Emerald Gardens gift certificate and a $25 Mandola Italian Market certificate to recognize their efforts in keeping Westcreek looking great. Stay tuned for next month’s winner.

Congratulations to Jimmy and Sylvia Gonzales at 4906 White Elm, winners of the July Yard of the Month. They were awarded Gift Certificates from Emerald Gardens and Mandola’s who are WNA’s supporters of our Yard of the Month program. We appreciate their support and hope that WNA neighbors will support them in return.

Jimmy and Sylvia have owned thir home since 1989 and have done extensive remodeling of the house in addition to their new landscaping. Last summer killed off the mix of burmuda and St. Augustine, so this spring Jimmy put in Zoysia turf named “Zorro” as it is drought tolerant and this particular variety grows well in the sun and shade. Wanting to reduce the amount of grass he had to mow, Jimmy covered the side yard with crushed pink granite. A large bed at the corner is filled with river rock and plants such as Agave, Sage, Crepe Myrtle, and Rosemary that require less water. Sago Palms accent the entry and other beds in the yard.

Yard of the month for June goes to Sharon and Joe Clontz at 4701 Summerset.  Joe claimed the Mandola’s gift certificate and Sharon will make good use of the Emerald Garden gift certificate.  They have lived in their home for 30+ years.   Their 5-year-old grandson, Travis, lives with them.  Anyone who walked his or her dog past the house knows Travis.  He is the very energetic 5 year old that chases you down the street to ask if he can pet your dog.  Joe and Sharon are both retired and are remodeling the interior of their home and Travis helps Sharon with the gardening in the yard.  When Sharon learned they won the YOM award, she prepared the following article for the WNA newsletter and website:

“Many people have asked me about my roses.  I have 45 antique rose bushes in the yard.  My advice is simple:

1. Plant only antique roses.  These buses survive around Texas in cemeteries and abandoned homes.

2. Amend the soil before you plant.  I use The Natural Gardener’s Rose Dirt.  It is actually not so much amending as it is putting soil in your yard, since this area is 1-inch dirt and 3 feet of limestone rock.

3. Water at night and water deeply.

4. Use mulch but keep it off the trunk of the roses.

5. Fertilize with liquid seaweed.  This keeps the plant healthy and helps them fend off insects, disease, and stress from the heat.  (Use only after 7pm as it will burn the leaves in the hot sun.)

6. Your best friend is a breaker bar!  I don’t care if I am only planting a sprig of mint, when I try to dig a hole; the shovel gives off that now familiar “chink” which means “rock below”!  My beds are all lined with rocks that have been extracted from my yard!  I have now mastered the art of boulder removal.  When you hit the “chink”, dig around and find the edges of that sucker.  Remove as much dirt as you can from around the rock and use your breaker bar for leverage.  Get it under the rock and put all your weight on the bar.  If it won’t budge, get some additional manpower and put all your weight on the bar and the rock will roll out.  If it is a large rock, toss the sprig of mint and plant a rose bush!  How do you think I ended up with 45 rose bushes?

My “bibles” as far as gardening are Central Texas Gardner by Cheryl Hazeltine who is a local Austinite.  Texas Organic Gardening by Howard Garrett.  The Guide to Antique Roses by Mike Shoup and The Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, Texas.”

Sharon is interested in starting a Westcreek garden club and welcomes interested neighbors to call her at (512) 892-1102.