August 01, 2025

During the Memphis Fling garden tour in early June, I wasn’t expecting so much interesting architecture. From private homes to estate gardens to downtown buildings, Memphis has a lot of grand old buildings. Here’s a sampling of the structures that caught my eye, along with their gardens.

Art Moderne – Charles Kistler Garden

When I spotted the Charles Kistler house, I nearly exclaimed — maybe I did exclaim — over its curvy stone facade (see top photo) and Art Deco-style gold door. Designed by architect George Awsumb, it’s a 1949 Art Moderne showpiece. (Check out this link for a Memphis Magazine story about the house with interior photos.)

In back, a large swimming pool with spouting fountains dominates the yard.

The back door is interesting in sky blue with portholes.

Ever since I admired a distinctive Cosanti Originals windbell in Lisa Negri’s SummerHome Garden, I’ve been noticing them in other gardens. The Kistler garden has one too.

The owner is an art collector, and several figurative sculptures adorn the garden.

I spotted more figurative art through a glass-block window.

A back house in the same Art Moderne style features another eye-catching door…

…verdigris and arched, set in an echoing arch of stone.

Pilar Hernandez resting under a pot of tall ruellia

Frank Eddy enjoying the shade of a crape myrtle

India Brown surprised everyone by easing herself onto a float and paddling across the pool in her street clothes. Now that’s a way to stay cool!

Steel-pipe planter like sun rays

Italian Renaissance – Mills-Haynes House

Rain was pouring down at the garden of Dr. Mark Mills and Scott Haynes, but I paused under my umbrella to snap a photo of their Italian Renaissance mansion, the historic Joseph M. Fly House.

On my soggy exploration of the garden, I found a secret grotto in the side yard.

In back, an elegant, tile-roofed pool house provided a little shelter from the rain.

But the garden still beckoned, so off I went.

Lilies and tall verbena

Giant coneflower, its glaucous leaves echoed by powder-blue bench pillows

Giant coneflower’s giant cones

Fountain and lawn — a formal garden to match the house

Mediterranean Revival – Armstrong-Clark House

When we arrived at the buttercream-yellow Mediterranean Revival home of Frank Armstrong and Terry Clark, a thunderstorm was brewing. I dashed past the recessed entrance…

…and made a quick run through the back garden, where an elevated pergola overlooks a fountain encircled by ‘Sunshine’ ligustrum.

A columned back terrace offered a warm glow as the sky went dark.

India Brown and Jill Nooney were all smiles, even so.

Georgian – Dixon Gallery & Gardens

On another day we toured the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, a 17-acre public garden and art museum established at the Georgian home of late philanthropists Hugo and Margaret Dixon.

Statues…

…arbor tunnels…

…and elegant paving define the formal gardens.

Pink hydrangeas were in bloom.

So were cosmos…

…and filigreed ‘Purple Kisses’ Queen Anne’s lace.

Castor bean and tall verbena made a pretty combo.

Castor bean is lovely backlit by the sun.

More giant coneflower

Stamina #3 by Brian Russell adds a contemporary note.

In a courtyard, a cast of a somber sculpture by Auguste Rodin greets you.

The Three Shades is part of Rodin’s The Gates of Hell, depicting a scene from Dante’s Inferno — heavy.

On a lighter note, here’s Venus of Memphis by Wheeler Williams.

Italianate – Annesdale Mansion

For our Fling banquet dinner on Saturday evening, we arrived at the elegant Annesdale Mansion. Originally an 1855 Victorian farmhouse, it was transformed into an Italianate villa in 1913. New owner Bill Townsend has grand plans to “restore the mansion to its 1913 splendor and to revive the gardens as they might have appeared in the early 1930s.”

The grounds were peaceful on this warm summer day.

On the upper porch, cool and inviting, Lolly Jewett and Connie Cottingham enjoyed the view.

Inside, an Art Deco moment

The Flingers enjoyed a buffet dinner on a large patio under festive string lights…

…and Memphis Fling organizers Kim Halyak, Sharron Johnson, and John Simi basked in the glow of putting on a successful and very fun Fling!

A group shot of the Memphis Flingers

By the way, if you share about gardening publicly on a blog, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, podcast, or any other social media outlet, you’re invited to join the Fling’s annual meetup and tour. It’s held in a different city every year, and in 2026 we’ll be Flinging in Buffalo, New York. Mark your calendar for July 9-12 and be watching the Fling website, Facebook, and Instagram for news about when registration opens. Space is limited, and it’s always a great time with fellow garden lovers and online sharers!

Up next: The hospitable Memphis garden of Bonnie and David Thornton. For a look back at the upcycled art of the McClain garden, click here.

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Digging Deeper

Want ideas for your yard besides lawn? Sure you do! I’m giving a talk called “Lawn Gone: 8 Great Ideas for Your Yard” on Saturday, September 13, at the Concho Valley Master Gardeners Fall Symposium in San Angelo, Texas. The cost for the all-day symposium with 4 speakers is $30 per person; refreshments and lunch included. Register by 9/10 at this link to attend. I hope to see you there, West Texas homeowners and gardeners!

My new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State, comes out October 14! It’s available for pre-order now on Amazon and other online book sellers. If you’d like to read it or give it as a holiday gift, please consider pre-ordering. (I’m happy to sign pre-ordered copies at my book events!) Early orders make a big difference in helping new books get noticed. More info about Gardens of Texas here — and thank you for your support!

Come see me on tour! I’ll be speaking and hosting book events across Texas this fall and into next spring to celebrate the release of Gardens of Texas. Join me to learn, get inspired, and say hello!

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Read all about the Season 8 lineup here!

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