Wednesday, September 17, 2008

NATURAL GARDENER: One of Texas' Best Garden Centers in Austin Texas


A friend and I decided to spend our morning today at the Natural Gardener -- what a treat! There was so much to see and do. Definitely a great place to take the kids and walk around.


Texas Gardener magazine


If you love gardening, native plants, or simply spending time outdoors, The Natural Gardener in Austin, Texas, is worth a visit. More than just a garden center, it's a destination where visitors can wander through beautiful display gardens, discover unusual plants, attend educational workshops, and gather inspiration for their own backyards. During one of our visits, we spent the morning exploring the nursery, browsing gardening books, and enjoying everything this unique Texas landmark had to offer.

While browsing inside the store, I decided to purchase a copy of the Texas Gardener magazine. Imagine my surprise when I recognized a local blogger as one of the feature stories. Blogging has been taking off as a great way for Austin gardeners to network and share information and tips.



I also purchased the Texas Bug Book. This was originally Pamela's idea to own the copy. But after I started digging through the pages, I realized this was a VALUABLE book to own! Not only are there pictures of all the Texas bugs, but information on pest control for your home and garden. A must have!

The Texas Bug Book became one of my favorite gardening references.

 
Texas gardening books available in the gift shop.


The nursery was very well kept and full of surprises. The kids got to see lots of animals, the butterfly garden, and an amazing variety of plants. And the staff, by the way, are very friendly.

I'll most definitely be back -- especially to take advantage of their free workshops. This will especially be an asset for Pamela's horticulture 4-H projects.

Beautiful display gardens at The Natural Gardener.

Friendly nursery staff and a sense of humor






Native Texas plants throughout the nursery.








chickens go well with gardens. Compost! 


Plenty of displays for inspiration on what to grow


Walking paths through the gardens.


Plenty of windchimes to choose from




Colorful seasonal flowers.


Garden art and sculptures.





Butterfly-friendly flowers in bloom.


Love the creative arbors at Natural Gardener


Teepee displays


beautiful pottery throughout the garden for purchase


Afterwards, we decided to go vegetarian for lunch and eat at Mr. Natural. I had an incredible spinach, rice, and bean dish (can't remember what it was called) and for my drink, spinach pineapple juice. Not bad!

Well, time to start working on my FALL GARDEN! (Hoping for "fall" anyways... we had a nice surprise earlier this week with 70-degree temps... but now we're expecting our temps to rise back to the 90's.
Hoping for COOL WEATHER for the wedding!

Why We Keep Going Back

One of the things I appreciate most about The Natural Gardener is that it's much more than a place to buy plants. Every visit gives me new ideas for gardening, landscaping, composting, wildlife habitat, and growing vegetables naturally.

If you're visiting Austin and enjoy gardening, I'd definitely recommend adding it to your itinerary. Whether you're shopping for plants, attending one of their educational workshops, or simply walking through the gardens, it's an enjoyable way to spend a few hours surrounded by nature.




4 comments:

Patty said...

Lucky you, I wish I could have gone there.

Jeanne Matney Birkhead said...

That reminds me of this field trip I took with Julia's class a couple of years ago to a place here called Oxley Nature Center. Learning about the insects in our region and plants, etc..

What a group of cuties.

What is that gigantic aloe looking plant?

Unknown said...

Thanks for featuring me in your post. I love visiting the Natural Gardener and I'm sure you guys had a blast.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to visit that place.. I've been thinking of making a water garden/pond and loved the picture of the one with the waterfall.. might do mine that way.. the sign about unattended kids was so cute.
That bug on the bottom left I call stink bugs and those buggers use to be a pain in the butt when I had a garden in Midland TX. The only way I could keep them under control was painting their eggs with finger nail polish.
I already have a fall garden growing of radishes and turnips.. still picking string beans too.