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Houston Matters

Photos: Houston Botanic Garden Blooms At A Former East Side Golf Course

The 132-acre garden opens today amid a growing movement to create more green spaces for entertainment, conservation, and storm water management throughout Houston.

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Houston Botanic Garden
The Houston Botanic Garden has a boardwalk maze around a lagoon in the Susan Garver Family Discovery Center section of the garden.

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The new Houston Botanic Garden opens its doors to the public today on the former site of the underutilized Glenbrook Golf Course in east Houston.

The garden contains 132 acres of outdoor gallery space — with 70 of those acres on an island in Sims Bayou — and a bridge connecting to the Susan Garver Family Discovery Center across the water. Some of the original walkways from the golf course are still in use throughout the garden.

The venue contains 2.5 miles of walking trails with six specialized zones — storm water wetlands along the bayou, woodland glades, a global garden collection, coastal prairie, a family center, a boardwalk maze throughout a lagoon, and a culinary garden that will focus on medicinal and edible plants.

Photos: Inside Houston Botanic Garden

  • Natural and man-made inclines throughout the gardens create hidden walkways for visitors to discover new paths. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    Natural and man-made inclines throughout the gardens create hidden walkways for visitors to discover new paths. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • Visitors walk past wetland plants along the lagoon in the Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    Visitors walk past wetland plants along the lagoon in the Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • The Global Collection Garden transitions from tropical to eastern Mediterranean and arid desert plants. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    The Global Collection Garden transitions from tropical to eastern Mediterranean and arid desert plants. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • Tropical and semi-tropical plants alongside the alcoves of the Global Collection Garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    Tropical and semi-tropical plants alongside the alcoves of the Global Collection Garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • "Curiosity cabinets" let visitors hide away from the direct sunlight and protect equipment. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    "Curiosity cabinets" let visitors hide away from the direct sunlight and protect equipment. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • Arid plants line the walls near the Welcome Fountain at the entrance to the garden. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
    Arid plants line the walls near the Welcome Fountain at the entrance to the garden. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
  • The garden is currently between seasons as more flowers are expected to bloom late into fall. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
    The garden is currently between seasons as more flowers are expected to bloom late into fall. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
  • Hidden seating areas throughout the garden allow visitors to relax and reflect while maintaining social distancing. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
    Hidden seating areas throughout the garden allow visitors to relax and reflect while maintaining social distancing. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
  • Shades provide some cover for plants still taking root. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
    Shades provide some cover for plants still taking root. (Photo Credit: Brenda Valdivia/Houston Public Media)
  • Some of the original golf course walkways that pass through native Texas plant life still exist throughout the garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    Some of the original golf course walkways that pass through native Texas plant life still exist throughout the garden. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
  • The "Tropical Heart" in the Global Collection Garden hides misters that maintain the high humidity certain plants require. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)
    The "Tropical Heart" in the Global Collection Garden hides misters that maintain the high humidity certain plants require. (Photo Credit: Houston Botanic Garden)

The garden currently has a 30-year lease from the City of Houston and is in the first of several planned phases, including hosting classes on horticulture, gardening, health, and arts and culture.

Face masks are currently required to enter the garden.

In the audio above, Houston Botanic Garden President Claudia Gee Vassar tells Houston Matters host Craig Cohen more about what visitors can expect there.