The cactus and agave and earth tones of the yard fit in well with their ranch style home with its large front porch. The yard was excavated and leveled with a 3” base of decomposed granite. A thin layer of crushed granite provides the finished mulch look to the surface. Unlike most Austinites, Johnny’s biggest fear is that we will have too much water!

A distinctive feature is the water pond at the front entrance that Thrive designers, Fred Strauss and Gregory Thomas, designed and constructed with the help of John Wilder. Water runs through the short concrete fence to feed the pond. A float valve directs any overflow to the Bur Oak that provides shade in the yard. The stained concrete footpath offers a functional and very attractive design element.

This plant grouping offers a wide variety of plant species and invites you in to take a closer look.

There are surprises throughout the yard, like this deer skeleton, and the coral snake near the front porch – fortunately the snake is plastic though!

For Johnny, the important thing was not how the yard looked – but how it felt. He feels the calming effect lowers his blood pressure! The open front allows for a good breeze most days and the lowering western sun provides a shaded seating area by the end of the work day. He also has a theory that the lack of grass reduces the number of mosquitoes in the yard.

The final benefit of this West Texas charmer is its social attraction. Neighbors stop by to gaze and comment. Johnny doesn’t narmally feed the goldfish but keeps a bag of food on hand so that the neighborhood kids can stop by to watch the fish!