The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is a mix of cultivated gardens, an arboretum, managed natural areas and wildlands. The 284 acre site is part of the University of Texas in Austin and was founded in 1982. It’s founders? Former first Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and Helen Hayes!
“Beautification is far more than a matter of cosmetics, for me, it describes the whole effort to bring the natural world and the man-made world into harmony; to bring order, usefulness — delight — to our whole environment, and that of course only begins with trees and flowers and landscaping.” – Lady Bird Johnson
The Center is different from other botanic gardens throughout the country in that it features what it says in the name, wildflowers, specifically native wildflowers to Texas.
It also features these native plants in beautiful sustainable landscapes. As a matter of fact they’re also:
- A founding developer of SITES, the most comprehensive rating system for sustainable land design and development in the world.
- Developed SkySystem planting medium for green roofs and Habiturf native turfgrass mix
- 18,375 square feet of green roofs installed in urban areas
- Collected six million seeds for the Millennium Seed Bank
- Collected 200,000 milkweed seeds for milkweed propagation
- Collected 9,000 seeds from nectar plants for monarchs and other pollinators for the Texas Seed Bank
- Has stockpiled seeds from eight species vulnerable to extinction
My visit there was two years ago now during one of the Garden Blogger Fling meet-ups. Before I could get through the entire park, there was a downpour that halted all touring. I have to get back there sometime!
Visit some of my other visits!
- Fall around the world: Photos from past October vacations
- The RBG Rock Garden: The Royal Botanical Garden in Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the best public gardens within a short drive of Buffalo.
- Chihuly Gardens and Glass visit: When in Seattle…
- Spring at Butchart: You haven’t experienced spring until you’ve been to Victoria BC’s Butchart Gardens in May.
- The Atlanta Botanical Garden: A tour of a past Chihuly glass exhibit.
- Fab in Fall in Scotland: Branklyn Garden in Perth, Scotland
- A garden with a peaceful easy feeling: The Nitobe Memorial Garden Vancouver
- Gardening Wright in the desert: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen West
- Falling for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: One of the best botanical parks I’ve been to. And I’ve been to a lot.
- A tropical garden in northern Scotland Really: Inverewe Gardens has a plant collection from around the world.
- The ghoulish gardens of Salem: Pumpkins and corn stalk bundles are for wimps.
- Awesome in Austin: Buffalo-style gardens are everywhere…
- Disney Concert Hall: Garden and a bit of The Broad
Disclaimer: Where I’ve listed plant names – it’s my best guess!
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Great post 🙂
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I’m glad that they have attempted to replicate some of the native areas that have been decimated, such as the savanna. I think every large garden should try to have a natural area consistent with its place in the ecosystem. I try to maintain a small woodland in the back of my property, cutting out invasives such as Japanese Honeysuckle and English Ivy, though the battle is never completely successful.
Thanks for the fine pictures!
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