August 27, 2025

Near the end of a long garden-touring day at the Memphis Fling, back in June, we stopped at the woodland garden of Andy Williams and Dr. John Morris. The serene space quietly invited us in, with wide stone steps leading to a wandering path through the trees.

Blue hydrangeas were flowering in the shade.

So were oakleaf hydrangeas.

Glossy magnolia leaves gleamed with reflected light, as if freshly polished.

More ocean-blue hydrangeas

A staddle stone was perfectly suited as a mushroom-like piece of garden art.

Rachel was swiftly sketching the garden, as she did at each one we visited.

Closer to the house, the garden grew more formal, though still understated in shades of green. A stone wall fountain and garden pool made a focal point across a small lawn.

A stone urn on a pedestal and a vine-cloaked wall — all very English

Multiple doorways from the herringbone brick home opened onto a terrace of Arkansas fieldstone.

Door detail

Rustic stone clad another wall, where a vine traced a path and pink hydrangeas bloomed.

A large parrot portrait on a dining terrace made a surprising and humorous sight. Notice “David” scrawled on the back of one patinaed chair. I wonder what stories they tell?

A naturalistic fern bowl at the edge of the woodland garden makes a good stopping place.

This concludes my coverage of the Memphis Garden Fling. For a look back at the Bateson-Tinkler Japanese-style garden, click here. All of my Memphis Fling posts can be found here.

In 2026, the Fling goes to Buffalo, New York, July 9-12. If you share about gardening publicly online — through a blog, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, podcast, etc. — join us! Follow the Fling website and its Facebook page and Instagram for updates about registration in coming months. We’d love to see you there.

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Digging Deeper

Want ideas for your yard besides lawn? Sure you do! I’m giving a talk called “Lawn Gone: 8 Great Ideas for Your Yard” on Saturday, September 13, at the Concho Valley Master Gardeners Fall Symposium in San Angelo, Texas. The cost for the all-day symposium with 4 speakers is $30 per person; refreshments and lunch included. Register by 9/10 at this link to attend. I hope to see you there, West Texas homeowners and gardeners!

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’ll be speaking and hosting book events across Texas this fall and into next spring to celebrate the release of Gardens of Texas. Join me to learn, get inspired, and say hello!

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.