Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Don't Mess With Texas Gardens And Don't Miss This Dallas Botanical

The Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area is lucky 
to have two gorgeous botanical gardens just about a hop, skip and a jump (or about 45 minutes in drive time) away from each other. 


 I recently blogged about the Fort Worth Botanical Garden when I visited Texas in early May. The very next day, I went to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and couldn't have been happier to be here, too! Think of it as kind of another 'Texas two-step' next time you are in the area--you just have to do both.


The place was jumping on this week day visit too. The school buses planted in the parking lot should have tipped me off but I never noticed them.


I did, however, notice hundreds of school-aged children inside the garden that day,


doing the things children do in a park--running, laughing and taking a roll down a grassy hill. 
That made me smile. Good times.


In addition to the school children, I counted four brides and one quincenera doing photo shoots in the garden. And for good reason. It is gorgeous here. This 66-acre garden isn't free like the Ft. Worth Botanical Garden, but it is definitely worth the time and money.


The garden, including the rose garden,


with pink polyanthas, knockout red roses and a Weeping Atlas Cedar (Cedrus Atlantica) drooping over a stone-walled garden with classic urns and low green hedges create a romantic backdrop.


I couldn't get enough myself.


The vistas, which included a lake in the background, were beautiful no matter where you looked.


The garden designs are pleasing to the eye, and eye-popping color where you least expect it is a wonderful twist in a maze of  hedges.


It was Spring when I visited, in the beginning of May.


The columbines (Aquilegia) were perfect,


the foxgloves (Digitalis) too.


The gardens whether from a distance 


as well as close up were immaculate and with such attention to detail.


I have to say that I have never been a huge fan of weathered wood that turns gray, but this classic  and weathered garden bench surrounded by silvery dusty miller at its feet, and against trimmed green hedges and bushes, won me over. I get it now. Understated and beautiful.


I couldn't close without showing you the great display of Japanese Maples at this garden.


A beautiful collection 
combined with a woodland setting and waterfall


that you don't want to miss.


As they say in these parts, don't mess with Texas. Now I get that, too.
This is GardenEnvy, y'all.



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