November 07, 2025
Continuing with my sneak peek of tomorrow’s Garden Conservancy tour in Travis County — just under the wire! — today I’ll show you the Canyon Vista garden.
Quick side notes: I’ll be manning a book-signing table at the Belmont Parkway garden from 10 am to 1 pm. Stop by to say hi and see my brand-new book, Gardens of Texas — and maybe check a few people off your Christmas list! For full tour information and tickets — each garden is sold individually — click here. Two of the gardens, including Canyon Vista, have timed entry due to limited parking, so get your tickets ASAP if you want to see those.
Canyon Vista garden
Canyon Vista is the personal garden of designer Heather Lyle, owner of Native Knowledge Landscape Consulting. I always love seeing a designer’s home garden, where they can let loose and be themselves while also putting to work all their design skills.
Located in the hilly Westlake neighborhood, Heather’s home overlooks a canyon in back. In front, a vibrant perennial garden slopes down toward the house, which exudes Hill Country charm with its red metal roof and gracious Southern porch.
Along the winding front walk, Queen Victoria and other small agaves mingle with twoflower melicgrass (Melica mutica), a Texas native that I almost mistook for ‘Everillo’ sedge, thanks to its yellow-green foliage.
A scarlet buckeye tree, another Texas native, was dangling dozens of its distinctive brown seedpods.
A peek at one of its round “buckeye” seeds
Limestone steps with a cedar railing — more Hill Country flavor — lead through the perennial garden down to house level.
When I visited a couple weeks ago, salvias and daisies were coming into fall bloom.
It was all starting to pop.
The bumblebees were busy on goldeneye.
Mexican bush sage and other salvias cascade down-slope, making a pretty view for the lawn and front porch.
More bumblebee activity on a red salvia
A perfectly placed Texas nolina splays out its tresses like Rapunzel.
View up the stairs
Lantana
Datura still open from the night before
Orange esperanza
Yaupon berries
Agave lophantha in the twoflower melicgrass, with a little corsage of hardy Dutchman’s pipevine
Cenizo
This cenizo grows upright with greener leaves and reminds me of rosemary.
Prickly pear with wonderfully elongated pads — is this the one called cow’s tongue?
The porch is all Southern charm, including its blue ceiling.
Succulent and boxwood pots dress up the front door.
‘Pam Puryear’ Turk’s cap adds pink flowers on the shady end.
Stepping into the back garden, you walk through a small woodland garden, where feathery dioon is underplanted with purple heart.
A retaining wall separates the shade garden from the sunny pool patio…
…where a metal-roofed pergola offers shade and hammock-lounging space with a canyon view.
The view — trees and hills
Ghost plant and paddle plant make a turquoise-and-pink combo in a baby-blue triangular pot.
A collection of little stone hearts on a ledge
Under the pergola, green-cushioned sofas echo the garden beyond.
Elephant bush pruned to cascade over a wall
Mangave and plumbago
Formosa lily seedpod
Chaise lounges stand ready for lounging.
An old washtub serves as a mangave planter.
Pretty mangave coloring
Heather enjoys plenty of outdoor living space here, including a large dining table.
The pool sits right at the canyon’s edge.
‘Little Volcano’ bush clover cascades with pink flowers in the garden above.
Side view
Climbing back up to the front yard, you find a micro-prairie of native grasses and perennials. It blankets the home’s septic field while providing habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Buttonbush
Heather also has a collection of native shrubs and trees, including anacua, chalk maple, escarpment black cherry, gum bumelia, and Blanco crabapple. To get tickets to see her garden tomorrow, click here.
This concludes my sneak peek of the November 8th Travis County Open Day Tour. For a look back at the Artist’s Eclectic Eden garden, click here.
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Digging Deeper
My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, is here! Find it on Amazon, other online book sellers, and in stores everywhere. It’ll make a great holiday gift for anyone who loves gardens or the natural beauty of Texas. More info here.
Nov. 8: Tour 5 Austin gardens on the Open Day Tour for Travis County, sponsored by the Garden Conservancy. I’ll be at the Belmont Parkway Garden with a book-signing table for Gardens of Texas, so come say hi! Tickets for each garden must be purchased online in advance, and some gardens limit attendance, so reserve your spot early. Find full details and ticket links here.
Come see me on tour! I’m speaking in cities across Texas, sharing inspiration and ideas from my new book, Gardens of Texas. Appearances in November include: Travis County Open Day Tour at Belmont Pkwy Garden in Austin on 11/8; Community Gardens in Bastrop on 11/9; Redenta’s Garden Shop in Dallas on 11/15; North Haven Gardens in Dallas on 11/16; Wichita River Native Plant Society of Texas in Wichita Falls on 11/17; Grapevine Garden Club in Grapevine on 11/18, and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin on 11/22. Join me to learn, be inspired, and get a signed copy of the book!
Learn about garden design and ecology at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. Subscribe to Garden Spark by clicking here to email — subject line: SUBSCRIBE.
All material © 2025 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
