FACTS

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to inspiring the conservation of native plants. As the Botanic Garden of Texas, the Center displays native plants from across the state in its gardens and arboretum and serves as a model for creating beautiful, sustainable landscapes.

The Center has guided the development of urban and rural landscapes across the U.S. that incorporate native prairies, green roofs, rainwater harvesting and other sustainable features. It operates Native Plants of North America, the most comprehensive online native plant resource, and has set aside millions of seeds from Texas native plants for future generations and restoration activities. In addition to educating children and adults about native plants and training citizen scientists to identify and report invasive species, the Center led the development of SITES®, a sustainable landscape rating system now used worldwide.

Our Mission

Inspiring the conservation of native plants

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Basics

  • Founded: 1982
  • Founders: Lady Bird Johnson and Helen Hayes
  • State Botanic Garden and Arboretum: Designated in 2017
  • Location: Austin, Texas
  • Ecoregions: Edwards Plateau and Texas Blackland Prairies
  • Coordinates: 30.1854° N, 97.8705° W

Gardens & Arboretum

  • 284-acre site featuring over 1,000 species of Texas native plants
  • 9 acres of cultivated gardens
  • 16-acre Texas Arboretum displaying more than 70 species of native Texas trees
  • Animal diversity includes more than 1,800 insect species148 bird species and 15 mammal species
  • 76 acres of plots dedicated to long-term research on prescribed fire and land management

Sustainability

  • 65,000-gallon rainwater storage system
  • Efficient low-flow landscape irrigation system
  • Use of local materials, harvested on site and nearby
  • Solar arrays for power generation

Community

  • 16,500 members and growing
  • More than 240,000 guests annually
  • Volunteers contribute 22,500 hours of service annually

Education & Outreach

  • 15,000 adults and children taught annually
  • More than 25,210 native plants featured on Native Plants of North America
  • 10,000 garden questions answered
  • More than 41,000 native Texas plants sold annually

Impact

  • 90,887 acres of landscapes impacted through Center projects
  • Founding developer of SITES®, the most comprehensive rating system for sustainable land design and development in the world
  • Developed SkySystem™ planting medium for green roofs and Habiturf® native turfgrass mix
  • 18,375 square feet of green roofs installed in urban areas
  • 6 million seeds collected for the Millennium Seed Bank
  • 200,000 milkweed seeds collected for milkweed propagation
  • 9,000 seeds from nectar plants for monarchs and other pollinators collected for the Texas Seed Bank
  • Seeds from 8 species vulnerable to extinction stockpiled

Awards

Last updated June 2023

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Program Overview

Learn more about the Center's programs

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Our History

Our founding and development from 1982 to today

Lady Bird Johnson

Meet Mrs. J

Explore a website dedicated to Lady Bird Johnson