In early March, Karen and I visited Austin, TX, which meant I could finally got to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Even though I’ve lived in Texas for almost six years now, I haven’t been to this incredible garden; however, I have longed to see it. The Wildflower Center has a rich history since being founded by Lady Bird Johnson and Helen Hayes in 1982 with the central mission for “inspiring the conservation of native plants.”
Aquilegia canadensis greets visitors in a courtyard at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
We certainly experienced that guiding philosophy walking through the garden. I was so impressed with the garden’s genuis loci, its spirit of place. It wasn’t just a hodge-podge of native plants through around. No, walking through the garden I sensed this agrarian theme with threads of Spanish influence woven throughout. There were no mass beds of annuals, except the site-appropriate Lupinus texensis. It was wild, and it was real. And, I saw flora friends I’ve known for years, and I even made some new ones.
In the silo garden, Lupinus texensis and Ranunculus macranthus provide early spring color. Grasses and Rudbeckia maxima provide good texture early in the year.
Right as we entered the garden, we passed by stone work that resembled old Spanish missions of the area. There was a large stone facade that supported an aqueduct for water that extended out toward the parking lot. This structure is used in their rainwater harvesting. There was even a water garden to illustrate how in this xeric environment there were still some wet springs that supplied water.
Visitors walk past a stone aqueduct as they enter the garden.
From this main entrance, we entered a large courtyard that was dotted with wildflowers. In cracks of stone grew Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana, a rare yet reliable columbine for growing in Texas. Scattered about in others beds were varied cool color forms of Tradescantia gigantea.
Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana flowers in a courtyard at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Tradescantia gigantea blooms in a range of cool colors seen here.
From here we approached the silo courtyard that featured a small metal grain bin that was planted with Texas wildflowers like Lupinus texensis, Ranunculus macranthus, and Rudbeckia maxima. For kicks they also espaliered a Texas redbud. This garden only made me want a silo for my home garden even more!
The silo courtyard looks like it belongs on a farm. I love the galvanized effect.
Who has ever seen a Cercis canadensis var. texensis espaliered? Such a funky way to treat a native!
I began to notice that wood was a unifying design element used throughout the garden. Logs were used to line the pathways in the woodland garden to delineate the path from the Chasmanthium latifolium and Phacelia congesta. I, too, have grown fond of using logs in my own garden for edging. However, they used what appeared to be rot-resistant eastern red cedar instead of the fallen snags I employ.
Logs edge the beds in the woodland garden.
Many species within the borage family feature scorpioid flowers where the blooms on the cymes zigzag. You can see this incredible arrangement on this Phacelia congesta.
In the theme gardens, raw cedar was also used for fencing and to build an arbor that ran the length of the garden. The agrarian gestalt was continued with galvanized troughs used as planters for more Lupinus, Ipomopsis rubra, and other natives. In other beds the gardeners were planting a diversity of new plants. One told me that they were evaluating some native species for use in cultivation. Twinkle lights were draped back and forth over the garden. I would love to see this section at night.
This arbor features native vines like Gelsemium and Lonicera sempervirens.
What an incredible flora display from this Lonicera sempervirens.
Seeing these stock tanks gave me inspiration about using them at my own house.
From the theme gardens, we ventured back to the family garden that featured many areas for parents and children to find delight. There were sinuous and spiraling short walls in the garden. Also, we saw a dinosaur creek and a stumpery with nests made from grape vines. Here, native plants reigned in the landscape, too. Prunus mexicana provided early spring color in tree form while Packera obovata covered the ground. In the family garden was also a mass of Lupinus texensis. I noticed they suffered from the sitting disorder that plagues bluebonnets.
A bit of whimsy with curvilinear mosaic walls and tree crowns turned upside down in the family garden.
Nemophila phacelioides dots itself in beds in the family garden.
I enjoyed seeing this blue Lupinus texensis and yellow Packera obovata dyad color pair in the family garden.
Here you see a problem that plagues Lupinus texnesis, the butt hole disease.
Packera obovata electrifies the ground layer under Prunus mexicana with its yellow flowers.
We headed back toward the entrance, past bluebonnets a plenty and a thick patch of Salvia lyrata that hadn’t come into bloom yet. I thought it would make an excellent groundcover if used with that density. Before we left, we made a quick run up the observation tower to glance out over the garden.
Salvia lyrata that occurs sporadically along roadsides and in lawns can be massed as a groudcover.
The observation tower at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
One final look at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center from the observation tower.
I left with the impression that this garden was a prime example of south meets west. Karen and I both commented about what a great visit we had. I can’t wait to see it again in other seasons to learn about more great natives to incorporate into my garden.
