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Cheers! Amy Stewart & Lucinda Hutson

What a show we’ve had with skyrocketing succulents! Yucca rostratas at Habanero Mexican Café synchronized their traffic-stopper explosion.

yucca rostrata blooms at Habanero Mexican Cafe Austin

We know that some agaves die after blooming, like Randy Case’s Agave victoriae-reginae.

Victoria Regina agave in bloom

Agave victoriae-reginae flower

But what about yuccas and sotols (Dasylirion wheeleri) like this one in the Travis Extension Office demonstration garden?

sotol bloom travis county extension

Indeed, they don’t die, as Daphne tells us this week. But removing the dried flower stalks can inflict wounds on you! Get her tips on how to do it without EMS to the rescue.

Sotol, agave and many familiar plants like pomegranate aren’t just for show and food: you can drink them! Amy Stewart, NY Times Bestseller author of The Drunken Botanist, joins Tom to toast the plants in your favorite drinks with really tasty stories.

Amy Stewart and Tom Spencer Central Texas Gardener The Drunken Botanist

The Drunken Botanist so intrigues that it’s hard to put it down to mix one of Amy’s recipes. You’ll say “I didn’t know that!” every page. Even if you don’t drink, you’ll be captivated at how plants turn into booze or flavor it.

the drunken botanist

Totally sober I was taking this picture: just crooked drunk on awe.

amy stewart at historic Austin City Limits studio

On CTG, Amy serves up a spirited aperitif about the science, history, hilarity, and perceptions about plants, even those in your garden. Cheers!

Lavendula intoxicatea cocktail The Drunken Botanist

If you grow figs, don’t miss Amy’s chapter on that easy-to-grow fruit. On Backyard Basics, Tim Miller from Millberg Farm shows how to take fig cuttings, plus how he conserves water for his organic fruit and vegetables.

Fig cutting Tim Miller Millberg Farm Central Texas Gardener

Author Lucinda Hutson fills us up with tasty tales and recipes in her books, Viva Tequila and The Herb Garden Cookbook. But what inspired her to bring her love of Mexico and its rich colors across the border? 

Lucinda Hutson's purple cottage Central Texas Gardener Ed Fuentes

On tour with director Ed Fuentes’ dreamy video, see how Lucinda’s passion led to joyful rooms that make her small space feel quite roomy.

Lucinda Hutson's brugmansias and purple cottage lucinda hutson's decorative plate herb bed Lucinda Hutson's outdoor dining room central texas gardener lucinda hutson's outdoor dining room cabinet lucinda hutson's outdoor living rooms central Texas gardener austin lucinda hutson's charming outdoor garden rooms Lucinda Hutson's tequila cantina

Isn’t this a charming salad bar in her front yard?

Lucinda Hutson's front yard salad bar

And what a lucky find for this succulent “bed.”

lucinda hutson's succulent bed container

Through poignant stories, meet a bit of Lucinda’s history that prompted her designs.

lucinda hutson's mermaid pond room lucinda hutson's Mexican bathtub nicho and patio room lucinda hutson's milagros door to patio lucinda hutson's mosaic stairway to heaven

And get the inside story about her traditional Mexican wall of chairs and agaves on the roof.

lucinda hutson's traditional Mexican chairs on wall agaves on roof

Take the tour right now!

Thanks for stopping by! Next week, we’ve got lots of shady ideas for you. Linda

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