A Visit to the San Antonio Botanical Garden

When we got into the garden we were at the formal garden section.  It was neat paths between raised beds, but not very colorful.  Many of the plants were not in bloom due to the heat and arid conditions.  I suppose when the roses are blooming it is a spectacular area.  This day they were not in bloom.

Surprisingly, there were banana trees in the garden.  These were larger than the ones that grow near my home.  I did not notice any bananas, but the foliage was lush and the trunks large.

On the way out we took a closer look, and indeed found some flowers not readily apparent.

Before getting back to the formal garden we traversed many trails.  They were well worth the effort, even if the greenery was what was most apparent.

One thing that quickly became apparent was the number of staff watering plants. 

When I view nature I am not looking for man-made objects, but the few sculptures were well placed and not intrusive.  I photographed one with scattered spheres, and the image is below.  Look closely and you will see the blue sphere in the distance, and the larger orange sphere dominating the focus of the garden.  Another is of feeding birds.

There was a small fountain in a pool, and a trough filled with water extending in one direction.  Small sprays of water arched into the trough.  At the other end of the feature was a pile of rocks with a waterfall feature. 

This feature was too extensive to capture fully in one image, so I caught the two main parts separately.  The trough can easily be seen, and if ou look closely you can see he arches of water.

A winding trail rose upward to a tower feature atop a hill.  One could not get to the top of the tower, just its floor.  The roof had cacti visible from the path, but how they are tended is a mystery.  In the base of the tower were potted plants.  It was not enclosed with walls, so seeing in any direction was easy.

One feature was a small depression in the wall that paralleled the path up to the tower, and there was flowing water within.  The head of the flow was water coming from within the wall on the top.  It appeared to be a miniature aqua duct.  Following the water down it fed into a larger aqua duct feature, perhaps a foot across, that crossed a large part of the garden. 

One trail descended with a series of long stairs.  It took four steps at each level to descend.  I went to see if it was worth everyone else making the descent, since climbing back would be more difficult in the heat.

There was a conservatory, but I had to rejoin my family so I did not enter.  There was also a pond feature.  The rest had no interest in going down the long descent, so we went a different way.  Eventually, we could see over the side of a wall, and we were looking out at tree tops visible through the glass.  The pond below was also visible, and easier t photograph than had I been at the edge of the water.

Cacti of various kinds were placed throughout the grounds.  Their structure is itself beautiful, even when not in bloom.  They were separated, so one could see the entire plant, not always the case with bedded plants.  I appreciate this feature.

One fortunate circumstance was that some of the cacti were in bloom.  There were just a few flowers, but looking at the buds I could just imaging the spectacular blooms that were poised to open.

Caladiums are attractive plants even when not in bloom.  One shaded section of the garden had copious caladium plants.  Their coloration was all similar, which made them appear as a bed of pink.

There were large hibiscus blossoms.  I was poised to take a close up when a bee flew to the flower.  I readied the focus to capture its image, only to see it go so deep into the flower it seemed to disappear.  Well, I would just wait, and it would soon emerge.  Indeed, it did, and walked across the flower.  When it got far enough out that its weight disturbed the petal on which it walked it flew away. I pressed the button just as it left, but my camera shutter was too slow in operating.  When I examined my photograph I realized the bee was faster than my camera shutter, for it was gone before I captured the flower’s image.

I do not panic when I see a bee.  I do not make a threatening move, and the bee goes about its business.  One is much more likely to be stung if the bee is put on the defensive.

There were three trails, not paved as the others were, but well maintained.  We took one, which was through plants native to a section of southern Texas.  There was brush and trees, some with names on small signs stuck into the ground.  At one point the trail got close to one of the other trails, but there was a stone wall that kept people from crossing over.

Time and temperature prevented us from taking all of the trails.  This garden could be a multiple day adventure if done right.

The trail we did take ended at the children’s vegetable garden, but it had little growing.  There were sorting tables, and a building with several large doors, perhaps a tool shed.

A multiple tiered bird house rests atop a tall pole in the garden.  In fact, there were a couple of cardinals that alighted while I was sitting on a bench.  Birds are welcome garden visitors.  I did also see a small bird that I took as a hummingbird, but it did alight on a branch briefly, behavior unexpected of a hummingbird. 

I suppose there is a better time of year to visit the garden, but it was still impressive.  I think if more were in bloom it might be sensory overload.  And, with fewer flowers are also fewer people.  It was very peaceful. 

Even in the hot, dry season there was enough to make a visit enjoyable.  I would like to return.  For those living close to the garden there is an annual pass, and I would think it would be well worth the purchase.

I am happy we did not say this is not the optimal time for visiting a garden, for even in summer nature puts on quite s show.

This article contains links to affiliate programs from some or all of Amazon, Viglink, and Ebay through Viglink, and Adsense advertising.  These must use cookieside s to allow for proper crediting. 

The introduction image is my own image..It is of the main building at the entrance to the garden, as shot from inside the garden.