Lucinda Hutson’s garden

On our last day in Austin, we visited several wonderful gardens. but the first stop for my bus was Lucinda Hutson’s garden, forever recognizable by her purple house. Bill and I visited Lucinda in 2014, but I wasn’t able to write a post about her lovely casita then–I was overwhelmed promoting my book–so I’m going to rectify that now.

As always, click on the photos in the gallery to make them larger and get the full effect. Believe me, for Lucinda’s garden, you want the full effect.

Lucinda Hutson’ purple casita has rosemary hedges out front. I wonder if they are the type of rosemary that blooms blue? Or, are do they bloom white?

Small seating are out front. I notice Kylee Baumle in this photo, but with everyone else’s hats and cameras in front, I’m not sure about the others.

Broken pottery mulch at the bottom of the centerpiece tree. Lucinda doesn’t waste an inch of space.

Lucinda is a treasure and one of my favorite people. She is a lifestyle writer, cookbook author, and speaker. If you love tequila, you should buy her newest book, ¡Viva Tequila!: Cocktails, Cooking, and Other Agave Adventures published by the University of Texas Press. The bloggers had the opportunity to buy the books at the Garden Bloggers Fling closing party and also, to try two of the drinks in the book, a Texican martini, and a Paloma. Both were really good. I personally like reposado tequila myself so I liked the martini best. That chili-spiced salt on the rim was inspired. Sorry I didn’t take a picture!

The photos, below, are mostly of her backyard. It isn’t a huge garden, but it is packed full of curated vignettes.

Tile work along the top of the shed.

Lucinda’s writing room.

Inside Lucinda Hutson’s writing room.

I wonder what the Spanish word for vignette is? Ah, viñeta! Of course!

The gate to the cantina garden.

Huge Swiss chard in Lucinda’s kitchen garden.

Cobalt pots holding begonias perfectly grown.

I think what makes Lucinda’s garden work so well is her innate sense of color. She tends to use pink, purple, turquoise and occasionally, yellow. Then, she takes similar plants and pots them up in Talavera pottery or uses similar pots in different primary colors. I wish I had her skill.

Perfectly placed pots on a small table. Lucinda has an ability to bring diverse items together by using color, or a them, or similar pots or plants. I wish I had the same.

Succulents in Talavera pottery. Luckily, for Oklahomans, we now have access to Talavera pottery too. I love the pumpkins and witches myself.

Lucinda’s vegetable garden is full of bold colors and happy plants.

Agaves along a wall in the back garden.

A shady spot for reflection with a purple chair of course! This is in the front yar.

Lucinda has a joy that spills over into every contact with her. I’m so glad she allowed her garden and home to be on tour for the garden bloggers. Nothing was off limits, and what a fantastic place her purple casita truly is. Lucinda grew up in El Paso and is fluent in Spanish. In fact, when she talks, she mixes Spanish and English together with the most beautiful accent. I love to listen to her voice. Check out this episode of Central Texas Gardener to hear Lucinda. There is also a tour of her garden on another episode.

Below are just a few of the pictures I took inside Lucinda’s house. Because I enjoy Mexican culture so much, I love her collections especially her Santos–Saints–and El Día de los Muertos–Day of the Dead memorabilia.  She’s traveled extensively throughout Mexico so she has treasured pieces from her journeys.

Tiled steps Lucinda calls her “stairway to heaven” and Our Lady of Guadalupe inside the back door. Lucinda loves Madonnas which are a large part of Mexican culture. Our Lady of Guadalupe is very revered in Mexico.

Some of Lucinda’s Day of the Dead–El Día de los Muertos. Lucinda’s friend told us Lucinda celebrates the Day of the Dead with feasting for her relatives and friends.

Check out the agave glasses on this little bar or altar in Lucinda’s living room. I love those!

This is only a taste of Lucinda’s lovely garden and home. I hope you’ll buy her beautiful book if you like tequila. It has even more history of how important agave is to Mexican culture. In Oklahoma, we’re pretty fond of it too.  Thank you, Lucinda, for having us over. It was a morning I’ll never forget.