Gardens on Tour 2013 will be on Saturday, May 11, during Mother's Day weekend. The tour, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. rain or shine, will feature exclusive looks at five private gardens as well as all the gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 

As always, these beautiful gardens are excellent examples of fine design using wildflowers and native plants. You can purchase a $25 wristband to see all the gardens online or at the Wildflower Center Store. Wristbands are also on sale at our partners: Barton Springs Nursery, TreeHouse, Shoal Creek Nursery and The Natural Gardener. Tickets of $6 each to visit individual gardens are on sale at each garden along with wristbands. Children 5 and under are free and kids 6-12 are $3.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave., 78739

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Take MOPAC south past Slaughter Lane to La Crosse Avenue. Turn left on La Crosse. The Wildflower Center is on your right.

About the Garden For a stunning array of native Texas plants—more than 600 species—you can't beat a visit to the Wildflower Center. Our gardens are better than ever, and the 16-acre Mollie Steves Zachry Texas Arboretum offers an accessible 1.1 mile trail with exhibits, iconic trees and inviting swings.

Our gardens demonstrate that beauty and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. You might want to look at the Homeowner's Inspiration Gardens to see how native plants work in naturalistic, traditional and formal styles, as well as the Texas Mixed Border garden where Texas natives meet English style. And visit our research plots to learn about Habiturf™ lawn, which needs less water, less mowing and less weeding, and our green roof research.

The whimsical kinetic sculptures in our garden were created by Jim La Paso. Shou Ping's colorful floral paper sculptures are on display in the McDermott Learning Center, and Denise Counley's watercolors, done en plein air, are in The Store.

A stop in the Visitors Gallery is well worthwhile to learn more about our founder, Lady Bird Johnson, as well as the environmental work done at the Wildflower Center.

PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA

2401 Kathy Cove

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit onto US-290 E/TX-71 East. Merge onto South Lamar Boulevard. Turn left onto Barton Skyway which dead ends at Barton Hills Drive. Turn left on Barton Hills Drive and take the fifth left—you will still be on Barton Hills Drive. Turn left onto Mountain View Drive. Turn right on Kathy Cove. The garden is on the right.

Designer Planting design by Scott Meyer, homeowner; Hardscape design and installation by David Mahler and Troy Nixon, Environmental Survey Consulting.

About the Garden The first of four phases of this garden was installed in 2009 and the most recent from January to April, 2013, creating a time lapse example of how plants grow into their planting niches over time. On this steep site, extensive natural stone steps and patios with rich, mostly native plantings were created to replace the original traditional landscape. Integrated between the pool and hot tub are a natural rock bird bath and a 20 by 4-foot maidenhair fern wall. The shaded dripping of the fern wall complements the sunny rock terraces with their niches for the succulent collection. A network of cedar log trails in the far back yard leads you through a diverse community of original and restored plants reflecting the adjacent Barton Creek greenbelt.

Note: Steep slopes and stairways may provide a challenge to some visitors.

List of native plants at 2401 Kathy Cove
Complete plant list for 2401 Kathy Cove


PHOTO BY DAVID MAHLER

2001 Westridge Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit on US-290 E/TX-71 East. Merge onto South Lamar Boulevard. Turn left onto Barton Skyway which dead ends into Barton Hills Drive. Turn right onto Barton Hills Drive. Turn right on Wilke Drive. Turn left on Westridge Drive. The garden is at the end of the street.

Designer David Mahler, Environmental Survey Consulting. Architect: Miro Rivera Architects.

About the Garden Surrounding this special modern home is a garden created entirely with more than 100 species of plants native to Central Texas. Entirely, that is, except for the raised bed vegetable garden and the 20 types of fruit trees in the orchard. A small Buffalo Grass lawn and a planter of native succulents frame the front walk. The quarter-mile of trail that circumambulates this steep property will take you past a created limestone spring and pool and then through an elm woodland, a prairie with remnant populations of penstemon and little bluestem, and a cedar break, all with planted species appropriate for each habitat.

Note: Steep slopes and stairways may provide a challenge to some visitors.

List of native plants at 2001 Westridge Drive
Complete plant list for 2001 Westridge Drive


PHOTO BY DAVID MAHLER

3703 Bonnell Drive

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1
Exit on 35th Street and drive west. Turn right on Mt. Bonnell Drive. Turn right on Fall Trail. Turn left on Bonnell Drive. The garden is on the right.

Designer Landscape Architect: Curt Arnette; Sitio Design Landscape Contractor: Stan Powers, Powers Landscapes; Architects: Miro Rivera Architects; Builder: Divit Tripathi.

About the Garden This garden merges contemporary architecture with the scenic beauty of this hilltop site. Groupings of native and adapted plants are designed to complement the architecture and blend with the existing vegetation. Texas mountain laurel, persimmon, Mexican buckeye, evergreen sumac, silktassel, kidneywood, plateau goldeneye and fragrant mistflower are a few of the native species preserved on the site. The architecture of the home extends into the landscape with cut stone walls, steel plate retainers and rough limestone block terracing. Lawn areas are limited to usable spaces for outdoor entertaining and sports activities.

Note: Steep slopes and stairways may provide a challenge to some visitors.

List of native plants at 3703 Bonnell Drive
Complete plant list for 3703 Bonnell Drive


PHOTO BY PAM PENICK

4602 Placid Place

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit on 45th Street and drive east. Turn left onto Placid Place. The garden is on the left.

Designer Judy Walther, homeowner.

About the Garden I call my yard “Bit-by-Bit Garden.” First I decided to outsmart Bermuda grass by creating a thicket. That began my work-in-progress planting of a diversity of native plants. I take in orphan plants. I add this and that as needed. It’s a landscape-by-defense strategy. After mail carriers kept trampling the yard, in went a controlling stone path. For an escape-prone dog, up went a large fence. My neighbor’s drainage forced me to construct a fence/barrier to eliminate unwanted lakes after rains. My pervious gravel driveway and rail fence echoes a country lane, and finally the yard became enticing enough to put in mulch paths and a few benches. I wanted a small water feature, so now I have two funky, not-expensive water fountains. It will never be finished. It may not win awards, but it’s my habitat haven, with lots of butterflies, birds, lizards, and peace of mind.

List of native plants at 4602 Placid Place
Complete plant list for 4602 Placid Place


PHOTO BY JUDY WALTHER

3202 Highland Terrace West

Directions from MOPAC/Loop 1 Exit at 45th Street and drive west onto West 45th Street which becomes Perry Lane. Turn right on Valley Oak. Turn left on Highland Terrace West. The garden is on the right.

Designers Homeowners Colleen Jamison, Colleen Jamison, Inc., www.colleenjamison.com and her husband, Bruce Baldwin, Original Bruce Design, www.originalbrucedesigns.com.

About the Garden This garden uniquely demonstrates how to beautifully respond to ongoing drought with two separate gardening styles. The gardens around the house have an English garden feel and invite the visitor to wander from room to room of drought tolerant plants set in an informal, playful setting. Showcased are a square foot garden, sun and shade gardens and a beautiful integration of paths, decks and gazebos. Fountains, waterfalls and a pond add whimsy and much needed water for wildlife.

After the 2008 drought, the homeowner felt compelled to see if she could create a pleasing garden with many challenges: deer, no irrigation, poor soil, and rampant weeds. The median in front of the house demonstrates this and has become a community project for the neighborhood.

List of native plants at 3202 Highland Terrace West
Complete plant list for 3202 Highland Terrace West


PHOTO BY ANDREA DELONG-AMAYA