>> HI.
I'M ROGER COOK FROM THIS OLD HOUSE.
>> CENTRAL TEXAS GARDENER MET UP WITH ROGER WHEN HE CAME TO AUSTIN FOR THE THIS OLD HOUSE
AUSTIN PROJECT.
FOR MONTHS, HOMEOWNERS MICHELLE GRIESHABER AND MICHAEL KLUG AND MICHAEL'S TWO SONS SHARED
THEIR HOME RENOVATION WITH THIS OLD HOUSE.
>> ACTION, PLEASE.
>> HEY, BILL MOORE, SAY HELLO TO TOM.
>> HEY, BILL, NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> WELCOME TO AUSTIN.
>> LOCAL BUILDER BILL MOORE USED GREEN BUILDING TECHNIQUES AND MATERIALS TO EXPAND AND UPDATE
THE 1920'S BUNGALOW.
GREEN BUILDING IS A CONCEPT THAT'S GROWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SINCE AUSTIN HAS BEEN THE HOT BED OR REALLY THE CENTER OF THE MOVEMENT FOR SO MANY YEARS,
WE THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO FOCUS OUR EFFORTS FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.
>> THE ECO RESPONSIBLE RENOVATION EXTENDED TO THE GARDEN.
THE BUILDING IS PART OF THE LANDSCAPE, AND SO YOU CANNOT IGNORE ONE FOR THE OTHER.
>> IT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME.
YOU'RE GOING GREEN IN THE HOUSE, YOU OUGHT TO DO IT RIGHT OUTSIDE THE HOUSE, SO YOU CUT
DOWN ON THE AMOUNT WATER, THE AMOUNT
OF FERTILIZER AND THE AMOUNT OF MAINTENANCE AND THE TIME YOU'RE PUTTING INTO THE AREAS.
>> THERE'S ALSO A MAINTENANCE ASPECT.
THE MORE OF A NATIVE GARDEN YOU HAVE, THE MORE NATURAL
IT IS AND ADAPTIVE IT IS TO THE CLIMATE AND THE
CONDITIONS THAT ARE PART OF LIFE HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
>> AUSTIN LANDSCAPE DESIGNER ADAMS KIRKPATRICK IS CONNECTED WITH THEIR GOALS.
>> ADAMS, WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR THE
DESIGN FOR THIS GARDEN?
>> TO SHOW OFF AS MANY BEAUTIFUL, NATIVE TEXAS PLANTS AS POSSIBLE.
>> BUT BEFORE INSTALLING PLANTS, LOCAL LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR RUSSELL WOMACK AND ADAMS HAD A
LOT OF WORK TO DO.
>> WE HAD WAY TOO MUCH SOIL.
IT WAS REALLY BUILT UP AROUND THE HOUSE.
>> YEARS OF TOP DRESSING BLACK GUMBO WITH SANDY LOAM HAD CREATED PROBLEMS.
>> THE BLACK GUMBO REALLY RETAINS THE MOISTURE A LOT AND THEY WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE
HOME SHIFTING.
>> SO WE REALLY HAD TO ADDRESS THE DRAINAGE FLOW AROUND THE HOUSE PRIMARILY BEFORE DOING
ANY OF THE LANDSCAPING.
>> NEXT THEY TOOK OUT INVASIVE PLANTS LIKE NANDINA.
AND WAX LEAF LIGUSTRUM.
>> WE WANT TO PRESERVE THE ECO SYSTEMS AROUND AUSTIN.
WE WANT TO KEEP THEM AS NATURAL AND HOPEFULLY AS NATIVE AS WE CAN.
>> BUT MICHELLE WAS ATTACHED TO AN ANCIENT LIGUSTRUM UNTIL SHE LEARNED HOW ITS BIRD SPREAD
SEEDS CHOKE OUT NATIVE PLANTS.
>> BECAUSE THE METAL ROOF IS NEW, WE GOT TO SEE FIRSTHAND THE KIND OF RESULTS OF HAVING
THE BIRDS EAT THE BERRIES AND WHAT THEY CAN DO BY DEPOSITING THOSE.
AND NOT JUST THE LOCAL AREA WHERE THEY EAT THE BERRIES, BUT I'M SURE THAT THESE CAN BE
DEPOSITED EVERYWHERE, SO WE TOOK IT OUT.
AND IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE GETTING THOSE OUT OF THE WAY AND THEN GIVING YOURSELF A
CLEAN SLATE TO PLANT WITH.
>> IT REALLY BRIGHTENED UP THE AREA.
IT OPENED UP THE HOUSE.
>> CLEANUP UNCOVERED VALUABLE PLANTS LIKE CHERRY LAUREL AND TEXAS RED BUD.
THEY KEPT THE SHADE TREES, DESPITE THE PROBLEMS IN BEING PLANTED TOO CLOSE TO THE HOUSE YEARS
AGO.
>> I'M TOLD THAT THEY'RE PECANS, BUT ACTUALLY I THOUGHT THEY WERE PECANS, BUT I DON'T WANT
TO ARGUE WITH PEOPLE OVER THAT.
>> FOR YEARS MY MOTHER TOLD ME TO GET RID OF THIS PECAN TREE BECAUSE IT WAS TEARING
UP THE PORCH, BUT I TOLD HER I'D RATHER GET RID OF THE PORCH THAN THIS FABULOUS PECAN
TREE.
THESE ARE JUST ABSOLUTE TREASURES.
I LOVE THIS TREE.
THE COMPROMISE, REPAIRING THE PORCH, SINCE THE OLD TREE HAS MANY SUMMER STORIES TO TELL,
BUT THEY REPLACED THE INVASIVES MAINLY WITH NATIVES, ALONG WITH OTHERS, TO ATTRACT WILDLIFE
AND ADD TEXTURE.
>> THEY'RE ALL SLOW GROWING, SO THEY'RE NOT GOING TO REQUIRE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF MAINTENANCE.
>> I HAVE A BLACK THUMB, SO FOR ME HAVING THINGS THAT CAN PRETTY MUCH TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES
IS VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT MICHAEL AND THE KIDS LOVE TO SPEND TIME IN THE GARDEN, SO WE WANTED ENOUGH VARIETY
OF NATIVE PLANTS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME PUTTERING IN THE GARDEN, BUT ALSO AGAIN THIS
LOW MAINTENANCE ASPECT.
>> THEY ALSO BROKE UP HOMOGENOUS LINES WITH DIFFERENT FORMS TO COMPLEMENT THE HOUSE.
THE BUNGALOW COULD STAND ALONE BY ITSELF, SO ALL WE'RE DOING IS SOME NICE LITTLE WINDOW
DRESSING TO IT.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO HIDE IT OR DECORATE IT TOO MUCH.
WE JUST WANT TO ACCENT WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE HERE.
>> BUT THEY WANTED TO AVOID PAST MISTAKES.
>> WE LEFT A GIGANTIC SPACE IN BETWEEN THE PLANTS AND THE HOUSE.
>> YES.
WE WANT THOSE TO GROW IN TO THAT THEY HAVE ABOUT TWO FEET WHEN THEY'RE FULLY GROWN BETWEEN
THE HOUSE AND THE PLANTS SO THAT THERE'S NO VAPOR BARRIER.
OTHERWISE THESE PLANTS ARE GOING TO TRAP A LOT OF MOISTURE AGAINST THE HOUSE AND THEY
ROT OUT THE WOOD.
>> THEY ALSO CREATED SPACE AND PRIVACY BETWEEN THE CORNER LOT AND THE STREET WITH THEIR PLANT
AND FENCE DESIGN.
>> BECAUSE IT'S AN OPEN FENCE IT DOESN'T CREATE THAT SOLID BARRIER.
IT'S JUST ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU SEPARATION FROM THE STREET.
>> I LIKE THE IDEA OF ADDING THE FENCE JUST FOR THE SEPARATION PIECE, BUT THEN INSIDE
IT THEY ADDED THESE CURVED LINES WITH THE LIMESTONE TO SEPARATE THE LAWN FROM THE PLANTINGS,
AND I LIKE THAT TOO.
>> AND SOME OF THE THINGS THEY DID, LIKE BRINGING PLANTING ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE STREET ON
THE CORNER KIND OF MAKES THE YARD FEEL LIKE IT'S BIGGER THAN IT IS AND MAKES IT PART OF
THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> IN A SIDE YARD, ADAMS ADDRESSED SHADE AND MUD.
>> NOTHING REALLY GROWS OVER THERE, SO WE KNEW WE COULDN'T GO IN AND PUT GRASS.
>> MICHAEL'S BOYS INSPIRED A COVE DESIGN WITH CLUMPING TIMBER BAMBOO AND BAMBOO MUHLY.
>> MY BOYS, SAM AND DAVID, THEY'RE TEENAGER BORDERLINE TEENAGERS, I GUESS, AND FOREVER
THEY'VE BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN GARDENING.
>> I THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT GENETIC.
I GREW UP ON A VEGETABLE FARM IN COLORADO, SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THAT, BUT THEY
I THINK THEY'RE KIND OF UNIQUE.
THEY SPEND THEIR ALLOWANCE MONEY MANY TIMES ON PLANTS.
WE'VE SET ASIDE SOME PORTIONS OF THE YARD FOR THEM TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO, AND I THINK
THAT LETS THEM TAKE OWNERSHIP IN THE SPACE AS WELL.
>> THE IDEA IN THAT AREA WAS TO JUST CREATE A SPACE WHERE THE BOYS COULD SORT OF MAKE
SOME DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN AS WELL.
>> THEY CAN COME IN AND TEND THAT AREA.
THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US PLANT THAT AREAS.
THEY'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HELPING US WITH THAT.
>> AND THEN OVER TIME THEY CAN SEE THE BAMBOO GROWING, AND IT'S THEIR FAVORITE PLANT.
>> ADAMS AND RUSSELL CHOSE SUSTAINABLE PINE STRAW MULCH, PARTLY FOR ITS LOOK, BUT MAINLY
BECAUSE IN A GULLY WASHER, IT WON'T FLOAT AWAY.
TO CATCH THE RAIN, INNOVATIVE WATER SOLUTIONS INSTALLED A 1200 GALLON COLLECTION SYSTEM.
>> THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND A GOOD AND ECO FRIENDLY GARDEN WORKS ANYWHERE, EVEN FOR PEOPLE WHO
CAN'T PRONOUNCE PECAN.
>> IT'S THE SAME IDEAS, ACCENTING POINTS WITH ACCENT PLANTS, PUTTING IN BORDERS, THE IDEA
OF WHEN YOU PLANT, START HIGH AND WORK YOUR WAY DOWN LOW.
AND DO YOUR NICE COLOR BANDS ON THE FRONT.
CURVES TO MAKE THINGS FLOW.
THE SAME IDEAS PERTAIN.
IT'S JUST LEARNING A NEW PALETTE OF PLANTS.