Culinary

Culinary Garden EDIBLE & MEDICINAL PLANTS Growing Tomatoes Tomatoes are self-pollinating, meaning they have both male and female parts within one flower. Pollination results when bees get into the flower and vibrate (a sort of pollination dance). Wind can also create a similar vibration, while gardeners can also pollinate tomato plants with their hands or a toothbrush. The Incas and Aztecs, who first found the delicious and juicy fruit growing wild…

Butterflies

Beautiful Butterflies GARDENING FOR POLLINATORS Pollinator Syndromes The co-evolution of flowering plants and pollinators, like butterflies, is awe-inspiring. Each organism involved in the pollination process has evolved morphological characteristics to ensure the most successful interaction possible. Flower type, shape, color, odor, nectar, and structure vary by the type of pollinator they wish to attract, and that specific pollinator’s vision, mouthparts, sense of smell, and physical capabilities fit these flowers perfectly! These…

Bananas

Bananas VERSATILE FRUIT Panama Disease Did you know that the common bananas you get from the grocery store are all the same variety? The Cavendish is now the most common banana, although that was not always the case. Until the later 19th century, the Gros Michelle was the most delicious and popular banana variety. Unfortunately, Panama disease (Fusarium oxysporum) decimated the global plantations growing the Gros Michel banana in the 1950’s and…

Bamboo

Bamboo AN AMAZING PLANT Spreading vs. Clumping Varieties Removing the human spine-like rhysomal runners of a decades-old planting of running bamboo from a backyard can lead to much consternation and extraction efforts. For Houstonians who have had this experience, bamboo is considered a wildly problematic plant. They are half right. Bamboo, the fast growing plant on the planet, and the largest grass genera, comes in two major catergories: clumping and running. For…

Arid Plants

Arid Plants SOIL MECHANICS Agave and the Aztecs Agaves may bring to mind for adults the smoky flavor of mezcal, or the sharp taste of tequila in your margarita, but historically and ecologically, it is so much more. Did you know that the indigenous people of the Americas, including the Aztecs, used agave leaves as thatch for dwellings and the fibers for making rope? Their thorns were used as needles, and…

Interpretation

Interpretation LEARN

What’s In Bloom

What’s In Bloom VISIT Fall SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER Global Collection Garden Camellia sasanqua ‘pink snow’ 100% Odontonema tubaeforme 100% Culinary Garden Plinia cauliflora 100% Cynara cardunculus 100% Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden Russelia equisetiformis 100% Acmella oppositifolia var. Repens 100% Pontederia cordata 100% Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Red Flare’ 100% Winter december january February Global Collection Garden […]

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Concert Series

Now in its third year, the Garden’s Sunday Concert Series returns for five consecutive Sundays – April 16-May 14 – to provide a refreshing, family-friendly outdoor cultural experience combining the sound of live music with the aural sensations of nature. Each year, the Garden curates a line-up of artists with local ties who reflect and embrace the diversity of both the surrounding community and the wide-ranging…