Provenance:

Alamo Heights-Terrell Hills Garden Club  Search this

Photographer:

Kardys, Sarah  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

United States of America -- Texas -- Bexar County -- San Antonio

Selig Garden (San Antonio, Texas)

Scope and Contents:

13 digital images (2017-2018) and 1 file folder.

General:

The owner is a plant collector who has found ways to grow varieties not usually suited to the semi-tropical climate of San Antonio. After the 2007 purchase of the historic district Greek Revival stone house on a double city lot with one old sabal palm it took three years to develop non-traditional garden rooms in the four microclimates that comprise the property. An Australian grapefruit hedge, agave, other gray and silver desert plants, rosemary and cacti are planted along the sidewalk and in the front garden. At the end of the covered front porch sitting area there is a limestone obelisk focal point; an armillary sphere in the enclosed front garden is nearly hidden by rosemary that blooms from October until April. The gravel driveway is conceived as an allée bordered on both sides with prickly pear cactus and other xeric plants. Branching off at the end of the gravel there is a teak bench shaded by the neighbors' pecan trees and framed by large containers with clipped white oleanders along with boxwood, seasonal bulbs and tubers, beauty bushes, nandina, Leyland cypress, and a loquat tree. Another container and tropical garden lines the driveway to the parking area. A kitchen garden behind the house on a paved patio has Meyer lemon, bay laurel, seating and many pots of herbs, perennials and white narcissus. An antique limestone and bronze sundial purchased in England is the focal point for another garden room outside the guest house/office. This is a tropical garden with varieties of banana, palm, fern, a Brazilian pepper tree, ginger and ground covers. The gardens on this property emphasize foliage, shape and scent rather than colorful flowers. Intense summer sun and heat, a yearly freeze and widely swinging temperatures have been mastered by planting clusters of tropicals, bulbs under flowering perennials, and herbs and vegetables in containers. Persons associated with the garden include: Minnie and Susie Martinez (former owners, no dates given); Peter and Jocelyn Selig (owners, 2007- ).

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Topic:

Gardens -- Texas -- San Antonio  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File TX203

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Texas

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6bbc7960c-ed4b-4d70-bc17-4fa32b846000

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref33188