Christie and I visited the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens during the Spring Festival, which is held in the Japanese Garden. See all of our pictures from each of these gardens:
Click a picture to see a larger view.
The FWBG has dedicated 7 acres to formal Japanese Gardens that are very impressive. It is something you have to see in person. The Spring Festival made the Japanese Gardens a little bit crowded, but provided us with additional entertainment and things to see, including traditional Japanese dancers, arts, crafts, a bonsai exhibit, ikebana (flower arranging), and music.
We chose to visit the FWBG on this particular weekend because of the Spring Festival in the Japanese Gardens, but we were very lucky to find that the annual Orchid Show and Sale was occurring the same weekend in the Garden Center. The Orchid Show was setup in a large room with displays by about 8 different groups with many prize-winning orchids displaying their ribbons. In the next room (a little larger than the show room), were about 6 long rows of tables densley packed with orchids for sale. One of the vendors had travelled from the Chicago-area to attend this sale. I was particularly impressed by the miniature orchids for sale. Also, the prices were very reasonable. I left with 4 new plants. :)
Behind the Garden Center is a colorful courtyard, filled with Lupines and other colorful perennials. Also, there is the winding colorful Polk Fuller Garden that is a wonderful setting for stopping to smell the flowers.
The Conservatory at the FWBG is a tropical setting, including a waterfall, river and Starlings flying through the upper canopy. It contains many plants from the Marantaceae (Prayer Plant) and Araceae (Aroid) families, which was very exciting for me. There are also a lot of Palms and Begonias. This great indoor garden only charges $1 in admission!
The FWBG has several greenhouses used for growing plants which will be installed in different gardens on the land. They also have a couple of greenhouses used for research and exhibitions. One of these greenhouses contains the Begonia Species Bank, which is a collection of pure Begonia species. The Begonia collecting hobby has fueled the hybridization of so many new varieties that many of the naturally occurring species have been neglected. The Begonia Bank exists to keep a living collection of the naturally occurring species, as well as a small collection of the hybrids that have been produced. This collection is open to the public by appointment. The curator, Debbie Garrett, was happy to show it to us and answer any questions that we had.
The Four Seasons garden is planted with a range of plants that are meant to provide some color throughout all months of the year. During our visit the long bed of Iris blooms was most impressive.
The FWBG has four different gardens that are dedicated to roses. The Rose Ramp is a really nice slope of roses (pictured at the beginning of this section), leading down to the Lower Rose Garden. There is also the Republic of Texas and Miniature Rose Gardens. Lastly, there is the Oval Rose Garden. These rose gardens make up the oldest part of the FWBG. The original installation was accomplished during the Great Depression by otherwise unemployed laborers who worked 2 day shifts for $2/day.
The Texas Natives Forest Boardwalk is an elevated walkway leading through a forest of tall, established trees. The layout has been planned such that the plants to one side of the boardwalk are actual natives, while the other side persists of invasives that were introduced from Europe. There are a lot of informational plaques along the boardwalk, with some activities for children to learn more about their environment.
