Beautiful opportunities can be found in the extraordinary vistas, water features, shady groves, native plants, and colorful seasonal blooms of Texas’s botanical gardens.
The Lone Star State boasts carefully cultivated Edens, each with a unique array of features and experiences. Some provide a tranquil respite from the bustle of big cities like Dallas or Houston, and others offer lush surprises on the coast, in the desert, and in the Piney Woods.
Plan a road trip now to discover a little bit of paradise in each of these gardens.
Houston Botanic Garden
Two distinct garden spaces — the Island and the South Gardens — are connected by a bridge across Sims Bayou in Southeast Houston. There are 132 acres of the Houston Botanic Garden to explore and enjoy, including a culinary garden, a pine grove, a community garden, a coastal prairie exhibit, and an array of exotic plants from around the world in the Global Collection Garden. Children will be enchanted by the water play area and the nature play structures in the Susan Garver Family Discovery Center.
South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center
One of the most kid-friendly gardens beckons from Corpus Christi. Once a one-acre cottage garden founded in the late 1980s, the South Texas Botanical Garden and Nature Center has blossomed into 182 acres of natural wetlands, cactus-lined trails, and native habitat. Exotic parrots, Sulcata tortoises, and reptiles capture the awe of younger visitors, while a playground and a Monkey Mansion treehouse help them burn off energy. Adults will enjoy the rose garden, the orchid and bromeliad conservatories, plumeria garden, the butterfly house and garden, gardens that attract hummingbirds, and a bird-watching tower.
Tyler Botanical Garden
Small but spectacular is the best way to describe the four-acre garden near the southern section of the famed Tyler Rose Garden. Vibrant greenspaces of the Tyler Botanical Garden include the Heritage Garden, the Shade Garden, and the Sunshine Garden full of yellow roses, daffodils, irises, and black-eyed Susans. The IDEA Garden exists to “Innovate, Demonstrate, Educate, and Apply” good gardening practices.
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden graces the southern edge of White Rock Lake and packs a lot of variety into 66 acres. The Rose Garden features 16 varieties of hybrid tea roses, while A Tasteful Place presents an ornamental garden and kitchen with tastings and cooking demonstrations. The Woman’s Garden feeds the female soul with sculptures, an infinity pool, and fountains. Colorful beds of seasonal plants comprise the 6.5-acre Jonsson Color Garden. The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden entices younger visitors with a caterpillar maze, treehouse, and “plant-petting zoo.” Other distinct gardens feature crape myrtles and azaleas, camellias, magnolias, Japanese maples, a pecan grove, and a fern dell.
San Antonio Botanical Garden
The San Antonio Botanical Garden is northeast of downtown and includes 38 acres of native and imported plants, including 35 endangered and rare species. Enjoy exotic plant life from tropical rainforests and the deserts of Mexico and South Africa, as well as an enchanting Japanese garden donated by San Antonio’s sister city across the Pacific, Kumamoto, Japan. The Texas Native Trail gives guests an opportunity to stroll through Texas history to visit transplanted, authentic homes, including two pioneer log cabins, an adobe house, the limestone cabin of an early German settler, and a carriage house — each with its own story to tell.
Zilker Botanical Garden
Zilker Botanical Garden was opened in 1946 with a $50 donation from the Violet Crown Garden Club. Today, 1,100 members of the Austin Area Garden Council represent 26 garden clubs dedicated to keeping Zilker a haven for conserving native flora, protecting wildlife, and promoting gardening education. The landscape includes live oaks, a sunny lawn, atriums, walking paths, streams, and koi-filled ponds. Specialty gardens include the Taniguchi Japanese Garden, the Riparian Steambed, the Harman Prehistoric Garden, and the Mabel Davis Rose Garden.
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center
Just south of Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens invite visitors to explore a path featuring 165 species of plants that are native to the Trans-Pecos region. Other areas demonstrate the interaction between native plants and pollinators. Demonstration gardens flourish among volcanic rock outcroppings, and a quarter-mile hike leads to a scenic overlook and breathtaking views. Visit the world’s largest collection of cacti and succulents in the Maxie Templeton Cactus Museum.
