I've long wanted to visit the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, and I got my chance last week. We are hosting the Shirley Meniece Conference, a cherished annual conference of the Garden Club of America. I had the idea that I should attend this year's conference in Austin to have the opportunity to see how the conference runs and help in the planning of the 2013 conference. It was very worthwhile, and the ladies of the GCA are great. I really enjoyed spending the time with them. It was a whirlwind of great speakers from the start, but I did have some time to check out the surprising diversity of native plants in bloom.
This is chocolate flower, Berlandiera lyrata. I have seen this in gardens in the Washington, DC area, but it seems to have more intensity of fragrance here.
It was windy, and I'm lucky that I got a somewhat clear shot of the prairie zinnia, Zinnia grandiflora.
Gray Glove Mallow, Sphaeralcea incana has wonderful woolly gray leaves and striking orange flowers.
Gregg dalea, Dalea greggii, was used in many places to good effect as a ground cover. The magenta flowers on long stalks floated above the foliage.
Maxamilian sunflower, Helianthus maximiliani, was in bloom everywhere, and the bees were busy collecting pollen and nectar.
At the end of the day, a very blue Wheeler's sotol, Dasylirion wheeleri, was striking in a bit of shade among the whites and beiges of the limestone walls of the structures in the garden. We have a lot of work to do in the Introduction Garden at the Arboretum to create anything as striking as the display at the Wildflower Center, but I trust the creativity and hard work of our staff will result in something equally inspiring.
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