August 21, 2025

During the Memphis Fling in June, our tour buses stopped at Millstone Market & Nursery for a local shopping experience.

A faux bois table on the porch caught my eye. I’ve had a faux bois obsession since traveling to San Antonio for my new book‘s garden shoots and on subsequent visits.

Inside I found more faux bois, which is concrete made to mimic wood. These hollowed “logs” are planters, awaiting clusters of small succulents.

A delicate fern would look pretty in one of these faux bois rounds.

The market side of the store contains home decor and gifts — even furniture.

Speaking of ferns

The owner, Tricia Hunt, was on hand with a very good boy or girl.

Giraffe baskets!

Coral-like candelabras and wavy bowls

Ethereal glass

Mahjong is trendy, and this set is appealingly gardeny.

Lots of ribbon…

…and bows reminded me of our Fling visit with Memphis influencer John Mark Sharpe, who showed us how to make gigantic bows.

I fell in love with a ceramic candleholder with green florals.

This was nice — the staff put out snacks and drinks for us Flingers.

They also gifted us with adorable hypertufa pots of moss and succulents. “Everybody take one,” said the owner. How generous! The Flingers gathered around, each person picking out a favorite.

Amy and Becca with theirs

Jay tucked his in a backpack pocket.

Here’s one in a pants pocket!

Natasha, Janet, and Diana look happy with theirs too.

Orchids, ferns, and ivy dress up a table planter.

Textured ceramic vase

Lots of pots

As I headed to the checkout, I found new Flinger Natalie the Plant Ninja from Texas and Noelle from Phoenix relaxing in the market. Noelle came to visit me in Austin after the Fling, and I recently visited Natalie’s garden for the first time. Look for my post about that soon.

Floral display behind the register

With my purchase in hand, I headed outside to the nursery yard.

I don’t often buy plants on a Fling trip because I prefer to buy locally. But I always enjoy looking.

Millstone Nursery has appealing garden accessories like fountains, furniture, garden art…

…and a charming pig in a flower basket! (What, no blanket?)

Naturally I zoomed in on the mangave section.

Look at this frosty beauty.

When I got home, I put my new candleholder and mossy hypertufa on my dining table, along with an adorable mouse bud vase I also bought at Millstone. It’s holding sprigs of purple heart and sweet almond verbena from my garden. All-in-all, a sweet reminder of good times in Memphis.

Up next: A mid-century, Japanese-style Memphis garden. For a look back at Elvis, antlers, and MoonPies at the Thompson Garden, click here.

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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!

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