Hi There - We broke ground on Monday for our new home in the TX Hill Country just west of Austin.

The home is a Tuscan Farmhouse design and we'd like to integrate that aesthetic into the landscape design. So, lots of gravel with some beds for native plants and herbs. Plants in pots dotted about in the gravel areas and as accents on the retaining walls. Fountain. Outdoor kitchen under a pergola. My husband insists on some non natives like Italian cypress, fig, olive, etc. but I think we can make them work. (Although the deer may find them too delicious to resist).

I'm trying to find some photos or descriptions of typical plant communities found on west-facing slopes in the Balcones Canyonlands area. Sure, my beds will be beds, and thus not so natural. But maybe the plants and pairings can be something you'd actually see out on a natural hillside community.

Also, I'd like some help designing the bones ... or hardscape. You know, the retaining walls, paths, general layout. Is there some software that's really good at this sort of thing if you plug in the elevations and preexisting features? I did this on graph paper at my last house and it took me a very, very long time.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on my post.

Here is a link that might be useful: Il Poggio Secco