Sunday, September 4, 2011

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens last September.
The Rose Gardens were built by the WPA during the Great Depression. 
The local builders used native sandstone and limestone to build the
hard-scape of the the gardens.


"This too shall pass...this too shall pass...."  I keep repeating this phrase to myself each time I drive past dried up, scorched fields with a few skinny cows looking for grass or count the growing number of brown, sagging trees that have already dropped their leaves and gone into early hibernation.

Have you heard about these?
Thundershirts are suppose to help
dogs who are scared of thunder.
Who knows maybe they work.  Nothing
helped my Border Collie but a tight hug,
and I couldn't keep hugging him
for an entire storm.
We've experienced droughts before and lived to tell the tale...we'll make it through this one, too.  Some magical night in late September, we will have one of those North Texas storms with thunder so loud it shakes the house to its foundation, sets off all the car alarms in the neighborhood, and sends the pet owners scrambling to find the doggy Prozac.  "Honey, where are those storm pills?  We're never gonna get any sleep with Sweet Baby Dog howling under the bed!" 

If we're really lucky, we might get some rain, too.

Until then, we're looking for relief,...drinking big glasses of iced tea...eating Popsicles and ice cream... hiding inside in the air conditioning.  Today, in desperation, I started looking through my photo files for pictures of cooler, moister times.  I ran across some pictures of the Fort Worth Botanical Garden.  Around here we call it The Botanic Gardens.  These photos were taken last September when weather conditions were more normal and amiable, when it actually rained, and plants had blooms.  These pictures were a sight for my sore eyes and they help me to keep believing, "this too shall pass!"  Enjoy.


Red Spider Lilies!

This spray of Confederate Jasmine looked and smelled gorgeous.


These are School House Lilies.  The early settlers planted them close to schools and churches
where they quickly naturalized and spread.  They use to be common, but they fell out of
style.  Now they are hard to find.  The Fort Worth Garden Club sells them at their
twice yearly plant sales, but you have to get there early to snag them. 





 The School House lilies were scattered all over the Gardens.



 How can a plant as beautiful as Jimson Weed be poisonous?



 A few years ago, the city raised this bronze statue to honor the brave women who
moved to Texas in the early days.  These hearty women tamed the lawless towns,
built the first churches and schools, and brought culture and art to Texas.
These pioneers were the archetype of the "iron fist in the velvet glove."




 The gardeners fill this garden with colorful annuals each season.



 Wisteria, trumpet vine, Texas sage, artemesia, and healthy St. Augustine.  Ahhh!



 Pecan trees make the best shade and squirrels love them.



 A pretty little bridge over the creek is shaded by a nice oak tree.



 This little lizard was so well disguised against the hosta that I almost didn't see it.




 Turk's Cap.  I love the bright little swirls.
  



 Caladiums, begonias, and wood fern may be a garden staple, but I still love them.
  



 One of my favorite parts of the Botanic Gardens is this shady walkway that meanders
under the live oak trees.  The arms of the live oaks are living sculptures.



This is a nice little spot to stop and be serene.


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