Flowers of a Texas Nature Center

From derelict apartments to wildflowers

My name is Linda Kennedy . I grew up in Grand Ledge , Michigan . I was not very interested in garden when I was young but was surrounded by it . Both my parents and grandparents had efflorescence andvegetable garden . I did bang the beautiful blossom , their cast and coloring material , but we kids , as part of our weekly job , had topull weedsfrom the vegetable gardens , which is in all probability why I did n’t really care gardening so much back then . I moved to Dallas in the early ’ 80s and start my own flower gardens . I realized apace that plant that did well in Michigan did n’t necessarily make out well here in Texas , so I often relied on botanic garden , nature preserves , local horticulture group , and neighbor ’s gardens to infer what would work well in my area . My main objective now is to grow native plant that not only look beautiful but are good to the ecosystem .

These pictures were all taken atTwelve Hills Nature Center . Once a twenty - acre tract with apartments that , over meter , had become derelict and dangerous , the neighborhood rallied to have them tear down . After many years of talks between the residential area and urban center , five acres of Din Land was secure as a green infinite with the idea that it would be an environmentalteaching areafor local domain school baby ( there are two elementary shoal within walking distance ) and adults likewise . Their goal was to renaturalize the land as it was before the apartments were built in the ’ 50s .

Now , thanks to so many military volunteer and private donors , Twelve Hills is a place for children and grownup to determine about native smoke , wild flower , and wildlife .

Twelve Hills is about a mile from my house , so I visit it often . I not only apply it to learn what plants survive and are beneficial to our area but also to relax and enjoy the beauty it put up . It ’s a little slice of nirvana right here in the city .

Salviamicrophylla‘Hot Lips ’ ( Zones 7–10 or as an annual )

Penstemondigitalis(Zones 3–8 )

Borage(Boragoofficinalis , annual ) is both beautiful and comestible .

Showy eventide primula ( Oenotheraspeciosa , Zones 4–9 ) . Thisnative plantis beautiful and very leisurely to mature , but it can spread aggressively , so it is not a good option for humble gardens .

vino cups ( Callirhoeinvolucata , Zones 4–9 )

A beautiful informal hayfield of wildflower .

Purple coneflower(Echinaceapurpurea , Zones 3–9 )

Morewine cupsin bloom .

The flowers of there d yucca(Hesperaloeparviflora , Zones 5–9 )

Have photos to partake in ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular aggregation of flora you love , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to impose !

To pass on , send 5 - 10 exposure to[email protected]along with some selective information about the plants in the picture and where you took the pic . We ’d love to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are proud of , failures you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite flora , or funny stories from your garden .

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