Cottage garden charm in Tom’s Tarrytown garden, Part 1

In the cottage garden of artist Tom Ellison and his wife, Pat, spuria iris, sweet peas, and pickerel weed make a springtime tapestry.… Read More

The post Cottage garden charm in Tom’s Tarrytown garden, Part 1 appeared first on Digging.

April 25, 2025

Spring is when I get invited — or invite myself — into gardens all around Austin. It’s a rush to see as many as I can before summer and the Death Star arrive. Right now though, it’s sweetness and light! Especially in the charming cottage garden of artist Tom Ellison and his wife, Pat, in Austin’s Tarrytown neighborhood.

I’m sharing the front garden with you today. A neighbor-friendly, see-through fence with a simple arbor creates enclosure, keeps out stray deer, and offers vertical space for vines. A purple clematis rambles along one side. One of Tom’s found-object sculptures makes an out-of-this-world welcome.

Clematis ‘Jackmanii’, I think

It’s a beauty.

Inside the gate, Tom adds pops of red among the greens, echoing his home’s red front door…

…seen here with a potted kangaroo paws, an Australian plant with fabulous, fuzzy flowers. I’ve heard these melt away in our sauna-like summers. Tom is trying it as an experiment. Has anyone in Central Texas had summer-long success? Inquiring minds want to know!