As San Antonio’s growth brings exciting opportunities, it also intensifies challenges, particularly in providing affordable and accessible housing—a critical issue that the city must address to ensure equitable progress for all its residents. In fall 2023, Ensemble Texas founder Cory Ames interviewed Marc Eichenbaum, Houston’s former Special
Hey y'all, Cory here. Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you get better connected to our city. Enjoy! ⭐️ Featured Recommendations of the Week: ⛪️ San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
With the Edwards Aquifer hitting critical lows and water restrictions tightening, the impact of a dwindling water supply is everywhere in San Antonio and Central Texas. However, hope lies in learning from others who have faced similar challenges worldwide. In a 2022 conversation I recorded with regenerative land expert Neal
Hey y'all, Cory here. Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you get better connected to the countdown city (2...1...0...). ⭐️ Featured Recommendations of the Week: San Antonio’s
While I couldn’t attend the recent panel on the future of downtown San Antonio at the San Antonio Report's City Fest, I promptly tuned in to the recording published soon after and wanted to share some key themes from the conversation. This discussion, also recorded live for
Hey y'all, Cory here–Happy Halloween! 🎃 And, maybe more importantly for San Antonio, happy Dia de Los Muertos! 💀 Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you connect better with the
On a warm early afternoon in October at Mission San Juan, San Antonio’s Certified Deconstruction Contractor Training was in full swing. Here, participants gathered to learn how to carefully dismantle a residential building instead of demolishing it, salvaging each component for future use. This method, called deconstruction, lies at
Hey y'all, Cory here. Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you connect better with the Alamo City. This weekend, San Antonio celebrates Dia de Los Muertos (although the actual
Hey y'all, Cory here. Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you connect better with the Alamo City. 💀 Dia de Los Muertos is fast approaching, and I think it'
Hey y'all, Cory here. Welcome to your Thursday Guide to Living in San Antonio. Here's this week's list of timeless and timely recommendations to help you connect better with our city. October kicks off the holiday season in San Antonio–as our city excitedly
Austin, Texas. A city that’s near and dear to my wife and I’s love story. It’s where we met. And in a short time after, it’s where together, we left (and moved South to San Antonio). I moved to Austin in the summer of 2016. It
The announcement of the Arboretum San Antonio marked a major step toward creating a sanctuary for trees and green space on San Antonio’s South Side. At a press event in May 2024, local leaders, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg and former Mayor Henry Cisneros, unveiled plans for the 188-acre tree
Native Plants
Common Buttonbush, also known as Honeybells or Honeyballs, is a distinctive perennial Native Texas shrub that thrives in wetlands across the United States. Its unique, globe-like creamy white flowers bloom from June through September and attract many pollinators. Known for its adaptability, Buttonbush can flourish in diverse wet environments—from
Interviews
The San Antonio River is more than just a body of water. Its water has shaped the history, culture, and development of the city for centuries. The river is the reason San Antonio became San Antonio. It was the lifeblood for the city’s earliest residents and a refuge for
Native Plants
Inland Sea Oats, commonly known as Indian Wood Oats, River Oats, or Wild Oats, is a versatile and ornamental perennial Texas native grass. Native to Central Texas and found eastward to the Atlantic coast, this plant thrives in shaded slopes and along stream banks. With striking seedheads that turn warm
San Antonio, a city teetering on the edge of extraordinary transformation, is brimming with potential. The journey ahead promises a future filled with excitement, progress, and innumerable possibilities. At the same time, we're thrilled to announce a new show dedicated to navigating these changes while preserving and enhancing
Native Plants
Rock Rose is a fast-growing evergreen Texas native shrub, typically found in the rocky woods and limestone outcrops of Central and Western Texas. It’s known for its showy, hibiscus-like pink blooms, drought resistance, and low maintenance requirements, making it an excellent choice for new or experienced Texas native gardeners
Native Plants
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a remarkable plant native to the southeastern United States. It is best known for its display of vibrant purple berries that cluster along the branches. This deciduous Texas native shrub can reach an average height of 3 to 6 feet, adding a pop of color
Native Plants
Texas Frogfruit, or Phyla nodiflora, is a fantastic low-growing, semi-evergreen groundcover native to Texas and many parts of the US. Some think Frogfruit might be a weed since it has the potential to invade lawns. However, this Texas native groundcover can be a stellar addition, providing an abundant blanket of
Native Plants
The Flame Acanthus is a deciduous Texas native shrub best known for its red tubular flowers that are beloved by hummingbirds. This might be why it’s also known as the hummingbird bush. The Flame Acanthus naturally grows on the rocky slopes of Texas and in the proper conditions it
Native Plants
Turk's Cap is a beautiful flowering shrub native to Texas and the southeastern region of the United States. It’s mostly a low-growing perennial that’s famous for its little red, tubular flowers that are hummingbird magnets. Turk’s Cap can spread easily and blooms for almost six
Native Plants
The Agarita is an evergreen shrub, concentrated most densely in Texas but spreading through New Mexico, Arizona, and south to Mexico. It's also one of my favorite Texas native plants in my own landscape. Agarita is most known for its very prickly gray-green leaves, which in nature protect
Native Plants
The Yaupon Holly is an evergreen Texas native shrub or small tree that's become one of the most commonly used plants in landscapes around the state. And for good reason! It's highly versatile, withstanding full sun or tolerating full shade, and drought-resistant, but it doesn'
Native Plants
The Anacacho Orchid is a small tree native to Texas and Northern Mexico that's an interesting addition to any Texas native home landscape. The Anacahcho Orchid doesn't take up too much space, it's spring blooms are prolific and it attracts pollinators. It's