San Antonio Botanical
Garden
San Antonio,
Texas
October 2007
I’d
looked forward to visiting this garden for quite a while. Reading
about their renovated conservatories and other major renovations
really made it sound enticing, and pictures I’d seen made it look
beautiful. Of course, the garden would not be at its most
spectacular in November, but San Antonio isn’t the frozen north so
I knew a visit would be worthwhile.
One problem immediately became obvious – signage to the garden is a
muddle. Following our rental car map, and the Garden’s brochure,
got us close, but we couldn’t find it. I stopped at a gas station
and asked several customers and the clerk. No one knew where it was
and the clerk had never heard of it! And this less than a mile from
the entrance! Seems like they need a little more PR. Anyway, I
called the garden and got directions (we were only 5 minutes
away).
After the frustration of trying to find the place, the actual
entrance, through a beautiful carriage house, was a pleasant
surprise.
There
was no one in line at the entrance but the clerk was on the phone.
We waited more than 6 minutes (6 minutes from the time I got
irritated enough to begin timing) for him to finish his call and
take our money! Not the best start to our visit, but when we walked
through the door into the garden, all our previous trials were
forgotten. The entry path and signage made it clear which way to go
and what we would see, and the plantings along the path were lush
and well maintained.
The
first display we came to was “Dora and Diego’s Garden Adventure”.
We had no kids with us, but wandered through thinking how much our
grandkids would enjoy it. There seemed to be many great activities
for kids and families. I love to see displays that help get kids in
touch with nature and this one looks like great fun.
Walking on we came to the Japanese Garden. It is surrounded by a
fantastic bamboo fence, maybe the nicest fence I’ve
seen.
The
fence is not only a work of art but it effectively screens out the
rest of the garden. When you step into the Japanese Garden you have
really left everything else behind.
I was
impressed with the Fountain Plaza. Nicely done water features
always appeal to me and this one is grand.
The
entrance to the conservatories is ahead. Like most of the
hardscaping in the botanical garden, the entrance is very nice. It
really looks like you’re entering a special
place.
The
first house is the “Exhibit Room”, which I found to be a
hodge-podge of tropical plants, and sadly, most of them are not
that interesting. However, it very lush and tropical in
feel.
The
floor is carpeted with an uninteresting selection of Coleus. There
are many beautiful varieties of Coleus, but these looked like they
were just bought at Home Depot. Most of the plants fell into this
same category, in my opinion.
There were a few orchids and several great bromeliads but overall a
dismal plant collection, housed in a spectacular setting. Almost
none of the plants were identified and there was no
interpretation.
The view as you leave the “Exhibit Room” is spectacular. You are in
a courtyard of palms, cycads and exotic trees, surrounded by
beautiful glass houses.
We
went first to the “Desert Pavilion”. The house is beautiful, and
the layout inside is great. It’s laid out as a steep hillside with
the trail looping through it. A perfect visual setting for desert
plants.
Sadly, the plants are again a disappointment. They are not mundane,
as in the “Exhibit Room”, but many are in terrible condition. Most
are readily available commercially so should be replaced. Again,
the signage is atrocious. Most plants have no identification label,
and others still have the white plastic nursery label (badly faded
and brittle) as the only identifier. There is a pretty good
introductory panel about deserts.
Next is the “Tropical Room”, another beautiful structure. However,
the collection inside is sort of wall-to-wall green shrubbery. It’s
impossible to see any single plant for the forest. I’d recommend
selecting the most interesting specimens (fewer than half of the
current number), and eliminating the rest. Maybe even select a
particular tropical region, or a particular tropical plant group,
to focus on, rather than trying to display the world’s tropics in
10,000 square feet. It really isn’t necessary to display
everything. Instead, concentrate on something you can do well.
Sometimes less really is more.
Unfortunately, the giant “Palm and Cycad Pavilion” is closed for
renovation. Like the other glasshouses, it is a beautiful looking
structure.
I hope
after the renovation, the plant collection inside is as wonderful
as the house is outside.
Our final stop in the conservatory complex is the “Fern Grotto”. I
love the cave-like entrance
and
inside it’s my favorite element of the complex. An interesting
collection of ferns and epiphytes is creatively displayed on the
rocky walls,
and
there are good interpretive signs. I wish they’d identified more of
the individual plants but I recognize that it would be really
difficult without destroying the aesthetic of the grotto. I hope
they can find a creative solution.
The Children’s Garden was a real highlight,
my
wife’s favorite part of the Botanical Garden. An enthusiastic
volunteer led us around, telling us which school grew which
vegetables, and pointing out the best and largest squash and
tomatoes. One of the best things a garden can do is get children
involved in gardening and nature. This Children’s Garden is a great
example of a garden reaching out to children in its community. Not
only is it a great exercise for children, but their care and
enthusiasm have created a beautiful display as well.
The cactus garden is nicely laid out on a gentle slope, and some
lovely specimens are displayed.
Sadly,
there’s really no interpretation. I was left wondering if the
plants were Texas natives (there’s a lot of desert in Texas), or
even if they were all cactus! An educational opportunity
missed.
The path then took us around a beautiful lake in the “Texas Piney
Woods”.
There
was lots of wildlife around, birds flittering and animals
scurrying. The area had a serene, natural feel and didn’t need
interpretation. I enjoyed the ambience of just strolling along the
lakeside.
We then followed an aqueduct to an overlook in the middle of the
garden. It gets you up high enough to see the entire garden and the
buildings of downtown San Antonio. A great view! It allows you to
see the beautiful layout of paths, sweeping lawns and
gardens.
“Watersaver Lane” is a great exhibit of water smart landscaping. It
displays six small houses, each with a small garden in
front.
All
are landscaped differently to show what can be done with low water
plantings. The landscapes are so different from one another that
you realize water conservation does not have to limit your
imagination in landscaping. The signage is simple but effective and
doesn’t interfere with the visual impact of the gardens. It’s a
great lesson, well told, and my favorite exhibit.
We exited through the “Sacred Garden” and the “Rose Garden”. Both
were all right but neither had interpretation to tell you why they
were special and neither was spectacular enough to stand without
interpretation. Plant collections within a Botanical Garden should
be more than just a bunch of plants. They should have a reason for
being. Unless that reason is blatantly obvious, you need to convey
it to the visitor.
I wanted to love this Botanical Garden, but on reflection, I'm left
with a sense of disappointment, of great potential unfulfilled. The
infrastructure of the garden is all in place. The path system, the
glasshouses, the layout of the beds, are all excellent. The Garden
suffers from lack of imagination in plant selection, lack of
signage and lack of direction. There must be local plant societies
that would provide direction and assistance in plant selection.
Interpretive signage can be expensive, but identification labels
for plants are cheap. At least make a start. With so much already
in place, the Garden could quickly become a showplace.
Reading the review again, it sounds pretty critical. I think all
the criticisms are justified. However, we spent more than three
hours wandering the grounds and throughly enjoyed ourselves.
They're doing a lot right.
Click here to see more photos of the San Antonio Botanical
Garden.
To visit the official website of the San Antonio Botanical Garden,
click here.