September 22, 2026
The third garden on the Boulder Open Days Tour back in June was located on a lovely old street near downtown. Called simply Cary’s Garden, it was one I looked forward to seeing because I’d met the owner, Cary, at a Garden Conservancy Digging Deeper event the week before.
Cary’s charming blue house, built in 1910, is framed by classic white hydrangeas and red roses out front.
The main garden in back is more expansive, especially when you consider its borrowed view of Flagstaff Mountain. Unlike Denver, which sits on a plain with a view of the Rockies, Boulder presses up against the foothills. And there they are, just over the fence.
Cary’s garden was professionally designed and planted in 2019, although it retains some existing heirloom roses and an old Arkansas black apple tree. A lawn curves outward from the house, circumscribed by a flagstone path that leads to a small patio and then up to a detached garage.
Yellow-cushioned chairs under a yellow umbrella make a cheerful spot to sit and look back toward the house…
…where double-decker porches plus a pergola-shaded patio offer more places to relax.
Along the path are screening shrubs with color-contrasting foliage — blue, maroon, variegated green — with red hot poker in the foreground.
Purple clematis on the fence looks even prettier with a borrowed blue spruce in the neighbor’s yard.
Red hot poker and blue spruce
A wider view
The patio features a dripping fountain (birds must love it)…
…and a succulent-planted birdbath, along with other containers.
A pink-flowering ice plant edges a gravel path near the garage.
Antlers accent the garage, including a hose rack.
More ice plant with blue fescue and artemisia
Stone steps access a higher patio at back, where a yellow umbrella shelters a pair of contemporary Adirondacks.
A closer view
Lattice trellises help vines climb the wood privacy fence.
‘Gold Flame’ honeysuckle
Ice plant, blue fescue, hesperaloe, and artemisia of some kind
The house gables echo the nearby mountains.
A pergola-shaded patio has sofa seating…
…and more pretty planters. Thanks for the tour, Cary!
Up next: An artist’s garden in Old Town Lafayette. For a look back at Katy and Gary Bohn’s flowerlicious garden rooms, click here.
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!
__________________________
Digging Deeper
“Gardens of Texas is not your typical door stop/coffee table book filled with beautiful images of gardens you can never hope to achieve. The photography is definitely inspiring, but Pam’s thoughtful, detailed storytelling and “Try This At Home” features…makes one feel empowered to create similar garden magic….This is what I’ll curl up with on late August afternoons when the mercury in Austin soars and I’m stuck indoors.”
–MomInAustin, a reviewer on Amazon
Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State is here! It’s for anyone who loves gardens or the natural beauty of Texas. Find it on Amazon, other online book sellers, and in stores everywhere. More info here.
All material © 2026 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
