Lindsey Schell is a professional librarian known at The University of Texas for her leadership in the fight for domestic partner benefits (see my 2/16/11 post), her tireless advocacy for books and journals in the face of draconian budget cuts, and her cute shoes. Here are her treasured Kate Spades:
Off campus, though, many Austinites know Lindsey as the entrepreneur behind Lustre Landscapes (http://www.lustrelandscapes.com/), a client-centered business for homeowners "on a more modest budget." (Thanks for thinking of us Lindsey!) After hearing from friends and colleagues what a wonderful job she has done with their yards, I thought it would be fun to look at Lindsey's home landscape in the central Austin neighborhood of Windsor Park.
These spectacular irises, which bloomed last month in Lindsey's front flowerbed, are a good place to start. Lindsey loves irises--"they were my grandmother's favorite, and they're easy to share with people." Once an active member of the Austin Iris Society, Lindsey won Best in Show a few too many times to be able to go back (apparently it was all very Downton Abbey) and now prefers to enjoy her irises in her own backyard.
Linsdey describes herself as an "over-the-fence gardener," sharing clippings and company with neighbors on other side of the open chain-link border between backyards on her street. She told me that after the recent death of the elderly gentleman living next door (a founding member of the Austin Men's Garden Club), his wife had had to move into assisted living. "I'm sad," she said, "because she will miss her rosebush blooming." Lindsey has been pruning that bush for a few years for her neighbors and will likely continue to do so until new gardeners move in.
Also intensely interested in "how the micro-environment of Austin plays a role in the migratory life of butterfiles and hummingbirds," Lindsey maintains giant calico vine for the swallowtail species that visit her yard on their way from Mexico to the north, and pearly milkweed vine for the gulf fritillaries. Here are some tiger swallowtail caterpillars munching on Lindsey's Aristolochia gigantea:
and just for fun, the flower of the same plant:
Letting caterpillars munch through such a gorgeous plant while still getting it to flower must be quite a trick.
Ever the librarian, Lindsey has a fantastic collection of gardening books including many rare and out-of-print items. She calls it "an interesting bibliographic endeavour to find the best field guides," and points proudly to her copy of the out-of-print Cacti of Texas and Neighboring States by Del Weniger as an example. After some gentle prodding by Lindsey--"I did kind of give them hell about it"--The University of Texas Press has just re-issued this classic.
Another lustrous contribution to Central Texas's vibrant garden community.
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