Winter stroll at Zilker Botanical Garden

January 23, 2020

In need of a garden fix a couple of weeks ago, I stopped by Zilker Botanical Garden with my daughter, looking forward to strolling around the gardens for 45 minutes or so. I was surprised when the gate attendant told me admission for two Austin-resident adults is $12. Admission used to cost just a couple of dollars, and when my kids were younger it was free.

If only I’d thought to bring my Wildflower Center membership card with me. I learned later that Zilker honors reciprocal memberships with participating botanical gardens around the country. The lesson? Always carry your membership cards, fellow garden visitors!

Of course Zilker Botanical Garden is cash-strapped and has been working for a few years to build a conservancy to take over management from the city’s over-extended parks department and bring much-needed improvements to the gardens. I applaud those efforts, and I am sure they thought long and hard about raising admission fees. Zilker definitely does need our support.

Here are a few winter-quiet scenes I enjoyed as I walked around the gardens.

In town, Austin has experienced only one or two light freezes so far this winter, and many parts of the gardens are largely green, although flowers are few.

Soon the heat of summer will return, so I plan to soak up as many cool-season garden visits as I can make time for.

There’s always something to see, no matter the season. So how are you getting your garden fix this January?

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Digging Deeper

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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

8 responses to “Winter stroll at Zilker Botanical Garden”

  1. Sofia says:

    I simply love botanical gardens and “collect” them by visiting as many as I can. Thank you for the inspiration!

    • Pam/Digging says:

      I collect them too, Sofia. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I like that phrasing!

  2. Nan says:

    Getting my fix by watching Monty Don’s American Gardens on YouTube

    • Pam/Digging says:

      I keep hearing people talk about him. I need to figure out how to watch his show. I don’t have cable TV. Is it watchable online?

      • sandy lawrence says:

        I’ve been watching his ‘American Gardens’ on YouTube, also, but look forward to seeing better quality versions of those episodes when they air on BritBox. That’s where you can see episodes of ‘Gardeners’ World’ online, too, well worth the (low) price of a subscription to BritBox. I think NetFlix also has a program or two featuring Monty Don, if I’m remembering correctly?

  3. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    I know this sounds odd but I go to a local florist shop now and then. They have an old run down greenhouse attached to their building but I can go in there and smell warm soil and plants growing. The closest thing to a botanical garden within miles of where I live. Some days it makes me feel good to just step into that area.