Looking to learn about home gardening or water conservation? Trying to become an expert on seasonal crops or native birds? Interested in landscape architecture or different planting methods? A hidden gem is waiting for you right in the heart of College Station.
Currently occupying seven acres on the West Campus of Texas A&M University, The Gardens serve as a teaching and research space for the community. The Gardens is an ever-evolving project that is currently in Phase I, which includes the construction of the Leach Teaching Gardens, opened June 2018. There are a range of features included in the 21 gardens encompassed, including seasonal crops, pollination, water conservation and different species of butterflies. Future phases include a family adventure garden and the entire project will eventually span the full 40 acres of designated green space.
The Gardens Director Mike Arnold has been at Texas A&M since 1993, where he currently teaches horticulture, participates in research and oversees The Leach Teaching Gardens. He says that he enjoys having a busy schedule, and that each day he gets to do a little bit of everything he loves.
“[Today], I spent the morning working on some things we've seeded up that we're getting ready as replacement plants for the winter,” Mike says. “And then this afternoon I'm back on my teaching side. So, it's constantly changing but it's a lot of fun. You don't have time to get bored.”
Gardens Manager Joseph Johnson graduated from Texas A&M in 1988 and returned in 2016 to oversee the construction and further management of The Gardens. Joseph says he is in The Gardens every day and gets to work closely with volunteers, gardeners and students for the maintenance of the actual landscape.
“I started right when they just started putting up the first construction fence around the side,” Joseph says. “I watched it all the way through construction, working with the landscape architects, engineers and construction folks to help them through the construction of the first phase.”
Both Mike and Joseph say they get to spend a good mix of their time within The Gardens as well as inside for administrative work on occasion. Since The Gardens updates consistently throughout the year and hosts numerous events, Joseph and Mike each stay busy, working on the spring and summer seasons as early as the prior November.
Though The Gardens change constantly, some of the existing features include the Martha and James H. Ware Citrus Garden, the Bird Garden and Mary Helyn’s Rain Garden, among many others. With such a wide variety of features, there is something interesting for everyone who visits. Since The Gardens main goal is education, people are encouraged to make a stop by different sections to learn about water conservation, seasonal vegetables and fruits, home gardening and even about construction and architecture. Mike says there are also different heritages represented through horticulture throughout the space.
“Each of the venues are set up to highlight either a different style of gardening or a different heritage of gardening,” Mike says. “We've got quite a few different styles that people can come and see, ranging from the Mexican heritage garden, which highlights kind of South Texas and San Antonio type of architecture and plant materials that we might use, to the German Czech heritage gardens.”
The Gardens hosts four main events each year including the Fall Festival, Merry & Bright Holiday Stroll, Hullabloom Fest and a summer birthday celebration. There are also events like Darwin Days, where a group puts on a celebration of all things science, and where Mike says he got the chance to hold Sprinkles, the boa constrictor.
Hullabloom is a free, come and go event to learn about all things spring. Activity tables will be open for kids to make spring-inspired crafts, learn about the pollinators that make the world go round and even watch or participate in a butterfly release. For those unable to attend, other options are available, like an online gardens scavenger hunt and a photo opportunity at the spring blooms photo wall during April.
Looking towards the summer, there is an annual birthday celebration for The Gardens opening in June, where people of all ages can enjoy learning about horticulture and grab treats along the way. Joseph says that each event is so unique he can’t pick a favorite, but he enjoys getting to see the community attend them all. He also adds that parking can be a challenge since it’s a public garden that is on campus, but people hoping to visit should check The Gardens website for information about parking and current events.
“I think that's my favorite component of it, is the fact that it's an ever-changing landscape,” Joseph says. “You're painting a new design every day and you're getting to show people what's coming next like seasonal colors and hardy plants for our area and how this relates to pollinators, fruit production or vegetables.”
The Gardens at Texas A&M University is located on West Campus at 578 John Kimbrough Blvd and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.. For more information or to keep up with events, visit gardens.tamu.edu.
