11 So Many Flowers & Plants!!!!: The Botanic Garden, Fort Worth, TX

Last Thursday morning, I decided I would take a trip to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. And the first thing I have to say is wow!!!!! I cannot believe I have never been here before in the full three years I have spent at TCU. I haven't been to a botanic garden anywhere before so I really didn't know what to expect, but any expectations that I did have were definitely blown away. 

As I walked in the door, I was greeted by friendly employees who gave me a map and pointed me in the direction of the gardens. Upon leaving the doors and beginning my journey into the botanic gardens, I was already impressed by the beauty and wide variety of plants and flowers ahead. The right image above was the first display of plants I saw and it made me excited to see what else the gardens had to offer. As I looked at the map and began walking deeper into the gardens, I was shocked to see how big this place was!! I was totally oblivious walking in at how many different areas and sections the botanic gardens had. Ready to explore, I set off.

The first area I found myself in was a walkthrough area fulled with beautiful flowers in every direction I looked!! My favorite part was definitely the path of arches that stretched over the walkway and had lots of ivy, greenery, and different flowers growing on them. This made for a super cool experience being that I was truly surrounded by all of the different plants.

Next, I entered into a beautiful garden of roses, along with some other plants mixed in. There were roses of so many different colors, some growing on bushes and some hanging down from little fences and structures. There were many bees and butterflies all over this area so it was very fun to get to sit for a bit and watch them move from flower to flower. 

The photo above is probably my favorite that I took of the entire day, being that there is such an explosion of colors and plants everywhere!!! Additionally, in this area I tried out using one of the plant identifier apps called, PlantSnap. It was fun snapping pictures and having the app tell me a little bit about each species. 

The next area that I found myself in I thought was super cool and honestly wasn't expecting to see. It was a compost area and backyard, community vegetable garden!! I thought the botanic gardens would really only be full of flowers so this area exceeded my expectations once again! There were lots of different vegetables and produce being grown from peppers, to squash, to carrots, to watermelons, and so much more. I thought it was really cool that someone took the time to make this garden for the community. In addition, they also had a compost area for excess food so they could use it to recycle back into helping the new crops. I thought this area was so amazing and it made me want to be a part of helping to create it!!

After leaving the produce garden, I wandered into many other different little subsections of the botanic gardens and was so impressed by the great variety that was offered. I first passed this little cactus area which was so quaint and pleasing. I loved the cute, little greenhouse filled with succulents and cacti on every shelf. I myself love plants like these and have tons in my room so I really loved seeing them!

Next, I explored the Japanese garden area. This area was the one I spent the most time in, being that it was SO peaceful. I don't think I have ever been in a place so serene and relaxing honestly. I sat on a bench for awhile, just feeling the cool breeze, watching the coy fish in the pond, and listening to completely silence. There was really no other visitors in this area when I went so I got the place all to myself. It was so enjoyable that I was sad when I realized I should probably keep moving through the rest of the gardens and head home at some point before they closed.

Finally, my last stop of the day took me on a walk through the rainforest conservatory. This was the only indoor portion of the botanic gardens but it was so impressive.  I thought it was really cool that they were able to create such a rainforest vibe and feel in the middle of Texas. I loved walking through this area on my way out and took lots of photos. I truly felt like I was in a tropical forest with the scenery and I even felt some heat and humidity!

Overall, I absolutely LOVED the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens and I can't believe I was missing out on this for so long while being here at TCU. The expansiveness of the gardens really took me by surprise, in the best way possible. I was also super impressed by the huge variety of flowers and plants at the gardens as well as the effort and time that is put in to maintaining everything. I am so fortunate that the botanic gardens are available for people like me to visit. I probably spent about 3-4 hours by myself in the gardens, taking everything in and just enjoying my time outdoors surrounded by nature. I will definitely be returning to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens very soon and I encourage everyone else to take a visit as well!!