March 30, 2026
Digging turned 20 years old on Valentine’s Day. Two decades is a long time to devote to a daily or weekly practice, which is what blogging is. (Read more in last year’s blogiversary post.) Like gardening, blogging is a practice of observation, stewardship, and creativity. It’s also a conversation with you, the reader. I’m grateful to you for reading Digging, especially those of you who’ve been here for years. You’ve made the solitary practice of gardening so much richer for me. I look forward to continuing this blog for as many years as I can keep up with the technical challenges and costs.
A new chapter
But I’ve buried the lede. After 17 years in this home/garden and 32 years in Austin, I’m moving. My husband and I are relocating to Denver, Colorado, to be closer to our two grown children and to live near the mountains, where our family has long enjoyed vacationing.
I realize this announcement may be surprising or even sad for those who’ve followed my gardening journey in Texas. You may be wondering how I feel about leaving my garden, which I’ve documented for so many years, and about leaving Austin.
The truth is, uprooting from a place I love is hard. Leaving friends and family is emotionally wrenching. I will miss them. I will miss Austin. I will miss Texas.
I’ll miss Tex-Mex, H-E-B, mild winters (mostly), spring-fed swimming holes, the laid-back creative spirit of Austin, and the friendliness of its people. I’ll miss the owls we share the garden with. I’ll miss neighbors and the community that has nurtured me for three decades.
But moving is also exciting. I’m looking forward to having my kids over for family dinners again! I’m eager to explore a new region, experience four seasons, settle into a new home, start a new garden, and learn about different plants. Denver’s climate is far more arid than Austin’s, and at a mile above sea level, it’ll have a whole new set of challenges to adapt to. I look forward to that journey. I also look forward to reconnecting with Colorado gardeners I’ve met and learning from them.
As for my garden, I’m at peace with leaving it. My stewardship is ending. That was always going to be the case one day — and that day is here. The new owner will make it theirs in whatever form works best for them. That’s their privilege and how it should be. A garden is the gardener, so it wouldn’t remain the same even if they keep it going in its current form. Anyhow, I’m carrying this garden with me in my heart, in my lived experience, in my knowledge, and in everything I’ve written about it, so it’ll live on in all these ways.
I hope you’ll follow along as I start over with a new, smaller garden in a place that gets about 14 inches of precipitation a year (compared to Austin’s 34) and that has a real winter and (gulp) a hail season. There are challenges ahead.
But you just wrote a book about Texas gardens! Why are you leaving?
I expect many readers may ask this. First, even though Gardens of Texas is a new book for readers, the creative process happened years ago. I wrote it and we photographed it in 2023. The lead time on book writing is long, and for me it was largely finished three years ago.
The fuller answer is that this book is my love letter to Texas — to the state, to all the gardeners I’ve known, and to future gardeners. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to write this celebration of Texas gardens. While I’ve been on the road promoting it since last fall, the book is now fully launched (with just one more speaking event coming up). I hope it continues to inspire gardeners in Texas and beyond for a long time.
What will happen to Garden Spark?
Garden Spark has had a wonderful 9-season run. Its success was greater than I dreamed when I first invited the public into my home to learn from speakers about garden design and ecology. Presenters included Christy Ten Eyck, Thomas Rainer, Jennifer Jewell, Tom Spencer, Lauren Springer, Loree Bohl, Nick McCullough, John Hart Asher, Michael McDowell aka @PlanoPrairieGarden, Karen Chapman, and Andrea DeLong-Amaya, to name a few. What a joy ride it’s been!
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who ever attended a Garden Spark talk. You helped bring these fantastic voices into our community to inspire and teach us. I’m also grateful to the owners and staff at Leaf Landscape Supply and Barton Springs Nursery for hosting the events in recent years and making them so special.
More questions answered
When are you moving? In early May.
Have your sold your house already? It’s under contract.
Is the buyer a gardener? Are they from Texas? I don’t know if they’re a gardener. They’re from another region of Texas, but for privacy, that’s all I’ll say.
Do you have a house in Denver? Not yet. We’ll move into a short-term rental while we house-hunt and will put our belongings in storage until we find our new home.
Are you taking plants with you? Agaves?? No. Because the climate in Colorado is so different and because we’ll be downsizing, I’ll leave plants behind except for a few small potted succulents.
Are you taking garden art? Yes, probably more than I’ll have room for in a smaller yard. But I’ll figure out what’s right to keep once we have a new place. I already sold a lot of garden art, pots, and furniture in a garage sale and via Facebook Marketplace. I may have a few more things to sell, so stay tuned if you’re looking for a deal.
What kind of garden will you make in Colorado? I don’t know yet. But it will be climate appropriate because that’s important to me. I’m thinking about some raised beds to make gardening easier on my back. And if I have space and sun, I may include a crevice garden because…Colorado!
Will you keep blogging? Yes! A new gardening adventure begs to be blogged about. I look forward to being a beginner again and sharing the process of garden creation.
Will Digging’s tagline change? “Cool gardens in a hot climate” doesn’t quite work for Denver, even though it can get hot there. I’ll figure that out later.
Will you write a new book about Colorado gardens? Maybe, who knows!
Will you be available to give any more talks in Texas? For now, I can’t commit to scheduling any events. I am available for podcasts or radio interviews. You can reach me through my contact page.
Will you keep attending the Garden Fling as a Coloradan? Yes, I plan to.
Will you visit Texas again? Yes, for sure. I still have family and friends here, so I’ll be back as often as I can.
I’ll share more about the move in coming weeks, between bouts of sorting and packing. For now, I’m soaking up April’s beauty, bluebonnet season, and everything I love about Austin and Texas.
Thanks for journeying with me. Onward!
Book Tour Events
Heads up, Central Texas gardeners: I have ONE more speaking event for the launch of Gardens of Texas. And huzzah — it’s free! Come see me, get gardening inspiration, and if you like, purchase a signed copy of the book. Here are the details:
April 18, 10:00-11:30 am – Cedar Park
Presentation: Cedar Park Parks & Rec event
Register for this free talk (limited seating); select Gardening 101: Gardens of Texas
1435 Main St, Cedar Park, TX 78613
Drawing from the visionary landscapes in Gardens of Texas, I’ll share how resilient gardeners are embracing change, shifting their plant palette, nurturing wildlife, and finding deeper joy in the process. I’ll have books for sale and signing at the talk. Free and open to the public.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
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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’s for anyone who loves gardens or the natural beauty of Texas. More info here.
All material © 2026 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
