Wildflower Center Chronology

 

Founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson and the late Helen Hayes, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to protecting and preserving North America's native plants and natural landscapes. Our mission - to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes - guides all that we do.

Timeline

1982
Founders Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes establish the National Wildflower Research Center on Mrs. Johnson's 70th birthday. The Center's first home is in a small house on a plot of undeveloped land east of Austin, Texas.

1983
The Junior League of Austin selects the Wildflower Center as a sponsored project, generously giving $30,000 over a three-year period to develop a volunteer program.

1984
The Center begins its first research project: "Germination for Seedling Identification."

Mrs. Johnson is awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for her dedication to the beautification of America.

1986
The Center's Library and Clearinghouse acquires more than 20 journals, 300 new books, and 1,500 slides.

The Center receives more than 15,000 letters requesting wildflower seed sources and information after an eight-page article appears in the March issue of Reader's Digest.

1988
The first edition of Wildflower, the journal of the Wildflower Center, is published.

"Wildflowers Across America," by Lady Bird Johnson and Carlton Lees, is published. The book's 309 pages feature inspiring text and 400 colorful illustrations.

The Jubilee Celebration, held in honor of Lady Bird Johnson's 75th birthday, in Washington, D.C., raises more than $1 million for the Center from friends and supporters across the nation.

1989
The Wildflower Handbook, a guide to landscaping with native plants in the United States, is co-published by the Wildflower Center and Texas Monthly Press.

1995
The Center celebrates the grand opening of its new 43-acre site at La Crosse Ave. The design is a model of "total resource conservation" and emphasizes the importance of native landscapes.  It receives a number of environmental and architectural awards and is featured on the cover of Architecture magazine.

1997
The National Wildflower Research Center is officially renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The Brown Foundation of Houston donates $5 million to the Center for on-site educational programming. The Brown Center for Environmental Education is established to provide information and on-site interpretation for visitors.

1999
The Wildflower Center acquires an additional 136 acres adjacent to the site, making possible the development of its Landscape Restoration Program. The program researches how to best manage the landscape through different land treatments.

2001
The Wildflower Center launches its Plant Conservation Program and becomes a participating institution in the Center for Plant Conservation, a national coalition dedicated to conserving and restoring the rare native plants of the United States.

2002
The Ann and O.J. Weber Butterfly Garden, a native-plant garden designed to attract butterflies, opens. The Margaret and Eugene McDermott Learning Center, a restored carriage house moved from Central Austin, also opens.

An agreement between the City of Austin, Stratus Properties (a local developer), and the Wildflower Center culminates in the donation of 100 acres of adjacent land, bringing the Wildflower Center's acreage to 279 acres.

The Royal Botanic Gardens invites the Wildflower Center to become part of the Millennium Seed Bank Project, making it one of only five non-profits in the United States partnering in this global conservation effort aimed at safeguarding 24,000 plant species from around the world by 2010.

2003
The Native Plant Information Network (www.wildflower.org), a free online resource, is launched, offering information on more than 7,000 species of North American plants and more than 19,000 plant images.

2005
NASA awards the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center a grant to create a native plant landscape master plan at the Johnson Space Center.

The Wildflower Center and the American Society of Landscape Architects start the Sustainable Sites Initiative to create incentives and standards or sustainable landscapes.

2006
Landscape Restoration Division works with clients such as AMD, San Antonio Mission Trail and Blue Hole in Wimberley to design and implement innovative, practical restoration programs backed by solid science and field research.

The Wildflower Center becomes an official component of The University of Texas at Austin, as an Organized Research Unit of the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Architecture.

Houston Endowment awards the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center a grant to collect and conserve seeds of native plants in the Houston and East Texas area, extending the Center's efforts in a globally important plant conservation effort, the Millennium Seed Bank Project.

The U.S. Botanic Garden joins the Sustainable Sites Initiative as a partner.

2007

The Meadows Foundation awards a $262,000 grant to the Wildflower Center to support the Sustainable Sites Initiative.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center celebrates its 25th Silver Anniversary with its "25 Wild and Wonderful Years" themed Gala and Silent Art Auction.