The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

One of my favorite places in Austin is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, partly because it is beautiful, and partly because it helps to make me feel truly at home in Austin.  I had the good fortune to work at the center as it was moving from its original location on the eastern edges of the city to its current location. Having seen, and indeed helped with, the birth of the center as we know it, and seeing it now, as though it has always been there, makes me feel like I have grown up along with Austin and am part of it now too.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Johnson on several occasions and was impressed by her kindness and graciousness. Her words, though softly spoken, carried great weight. I think all of the volunteers worked even harder after meeting her. She has left a wonderful legacy with the Wildflower Center and other open spaces around Austin, the state of Texas, and around the country. She was truly a great lady.

Since opening on 43 acres at its current site in 1995, the Wildflower Center has grown to 279 acres, been renamed in honor of its avid founding patroness, and become a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin. Its original, distinctly Texas-styled buildings, demonstration gardens, and extensive rainwater collection system remain.  The center's message is clear throughout the property: native plants offer myriad beautiful, yet practical, options for our gardens.  Given severe droughts in Texas, California, and elsewhere, I suspect their audience may be listening a little bit more closely.

A good place to begin your visit is the top of the tower, which surrounds one of the rain barrels and affords views of the major areas of the center.

The seed silo with the tower in back

If you are looking for ideas for your own garden, be sure to visit the theme and homeowner inspiration gardens.

Theme gardens

New acreage has allowed inclusion of several additional facilities, such as an arboretum of Texas trees, hiking and running paths, large meadows dedicated to research, and a family garden and children's play area.

In the Arboretum

Entering the Luci and Ian Family Garden

When I visited, a mud pit in the children's play area was clearly a big draw for the ten and under crowd.  Hoses were available for clean-up afterwards, but it is advisable to have a set of clean clothes.

The gardens and plantings seemed particularly lush to me during my visits this July, due to plant choices that are well-suited to the site and to some recent well-timed rains.

Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple coneflowers

Butterflies were plentiful in the butterfly garden.

Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) on Simpson's rosinweed (Silphium simpsonii) 

And throughout the center.

Queen butterfly on purple coneflower 

Speaking of butterflies, I have been butterflying the corner seams of the border for my compass quilt. With only four thicknesses of fabric at any part of the corner, quilting will be much easier.  I must give credit to Jan over at Bemused for reminding me of this little, but important, trick.  I am making steady progress on these borders and will have more photos in my next post.