Fort Worth Botanic Garden
The 120-acre oasis Fort Worthians have enjoyed since it opened in 1934, has just been named as one of the South’s most beautiful gardens by Southern Living Magazine. In fact, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) was the only garden on the iconic publication’s list (fifteen in all) that hailed from the Lone Star State. Yay us.
This list of gardens was compiled by the editors of Southern Living Magazine, who visited, researched, and reported on what they experienced across the South over a year-long time span. Other gardens on the list include the Jungle Gardens in Avery Island, Louisiana, The Crosby Arboretum at Picayune, Mississippi, and the Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Virginia to name a few.
The FWBG is the oldest botanic garden in Texas (try 90-years-old) which provides guests with an array of plants, flowers, and trees to enjoy throughout the year. Inside the over 100 acres that make up this tranquil space are 23 specialty gardens, including the Fuller Garden, Rose Gardens, Japanese Garden, Rock Springs Garden, and Native Texas Boardwalk among others.
Stephen Montoya
According to Southern Living, the 7.5-acre Japanese Garden is considered a fan favorite, “where visitors can find an intricate lace of walking paths beneath cherry and magnolia trees. There are also ponds filled with the sparkling scales of koi circling just beneath the surface of the waters. In fall, Japanese maples canopy the walks with swaths of tangerine-hued leaves.”
Besides its open natural space, the FWBG also boasts a 10,000-square foot conservatory that contains plants from tropical rainforests from all over the world. Plus, the botanic garden’s on-site greenhouse is home to the largest begonia collection in North America.
Outside of all this, the FWBG also offers community education for adults, children, and families. In 1987, the FWBG became host to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). This institute focuses its research on themes of biodiversity, evolution, and conservation, which is in turn used to contribute to the garden’s world class collections. The BRIT Philecology Herbarium contains nearly 1.5 million plant specimens from around the world making it one of the largest herbaria in the United States, according to a release.
“The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is honored to be recognized as a top garden by such a highly regarded publication like Southern Living,” president and CEO of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Patrick Newman said in a release. “The Garden has been treasured by our community for generations and we are excited to introduce its beauty to the rest of the country.”
The Full List of Southern botanical gardens mentioned:
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden — Coral Gables, Florida
- Sarah P. Duke Gardens — Durham, North Carolina
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens —Birmingham, Alabama
- South Carolina Botanical Garden — Clemson, South Carolina
- Atlanta Botanical Garden — Atlanta, Georgia
- Garvan Woodland Gardens — Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Norfolk Botanical Garden — Norfolk, Virginia
- Cheekwood Estate and Gardens — Nashville, Tennessee
- United States Botanic Garden — Washington, D.C.
- Ladew Topiary Gardens — Monkton, Maryland
- Fort Worth Botanic Garden — Fort Worth, Texas
- Jungle Gardens — Avery Island, Louisiana
- Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — Sarasota, Florida
- Missouri Botanical Garden — St. Louis, Mississippi
- The Crosby Arboretum — Picayune, Mississippi
