Interactive Map

We design and manage our gardens to teach, inspire and please and to promote the use of native plants. Our gardens show how Texas native plants may be used in many landscapes and garden styles to bridge the gap between people and the natural world. On our 279 acres, we feature about 650 species of Texas native plants with a focus on the Central Texas Hill Country.

Don't miss the Courtyard, the Hill Country Stream and Woodland Garden, the Theme Gardens, the Home Owner Inspiration Gardens, the Butterly Garden and Insectary, the ponds and water features.

Theme Gardens

Passing from the Meditation Garden through the gateway of an impressive limestone wall, you find yourself in an al fresco foyer which opens onto the Display Gardens, a cornucopia of native greenery that comprises the most extensive exhibit of all the Wildflower Center's natural areas. Here, twenty-three separate themes beds demonstrate just a few of the infinite varieties, uses, and adaptations of plants native to the Texas Hill Country. The different beds - some of which change according to season and fancy - showcase many different types of native plants from delicate groundcovers to fearsome cacti. And, the garden installations themselves demonstrate techniques - all well within the reach of the weekend gardener - for attracting butterflies, using water and rock features, and protecting your plants from voracious deer.

The flowering plants of the Display Gardens, such as the regal Indigo Spires, fiery Big Red Sage, and cagey Cenizo, are frequently alive with buzzing, fluttering pollinators. Along both sides of the gardens, a shady arbor runs the length of the Gardens. Sturdy vines, including Texas Wisteria, Coral Honeysuckle, and Mustang Grape, have woven themselves throughout the arbor, providing respite from the strong Texas sun. To the right, just beyond the arbor, stands the Growing Operation where plants are cultivated for use in the gardens as well as for our biannual plant sales. To the left, visitors find the beautiful Members' Garden and three separate Homeowner Inspiration Gardens. Beyond, at the far end of the Display Gardens, lie the gurgling fountains of the Butterfly Garden and the cool interior of the McDermott Learning Center.