Mexican Blue Palm. One of the many palm trees at Peckerwood Garden that are native to Mexico
Those of you who know me or have been reading The Herb Cottage Newsletters for a while, know I love to visit gardens. My most recent visit to a garden took place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law and I visited Peckerwood Garden, not too far from here, outside of a small town called Hempstead, a little more than an hour northwest of Houston.
The Garden is only open to visitors occasionally. One open day is the 4th Saturday of the month. So, we were in luck and made our way there.
From the website:
“There are many ways to describe Peckerwood Garden: it is a collection of more than 3,000 plants including many rarities; it is a conservation garden containing examples of numerous threatened species, many of which are no longer found in the wild; it is a laboratory garden testing a wide range of ‘new’ plants and our Mexican discoveries.
It is a garden with a mission to encourage other gardeners to see a beauty in landscape that is consistent with our plants and climate; it is a pioneering garden exploring new plants and cultivation methods and aesthetic concepts for other gardeners. It is a garden that looks to the future, not to the past.
Yet, most essential, it is my studio, a place where artistic and horticultural research are fused to create an environment that stimulates all of the senses, including the most elusive of all, our sense of time.”
—John G. Fairey
We were greeted by such friendly staff! Our visit was lead by 2 docents who are very knowledgeable about the many species of trees and other plants planted on the property. The plants are mostly introductions from Mexico and Asia, that thrive in the local climate. There are native Texas trees and plants, too.
I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the plants. I felt I was completely stuffed with plant information by the time our tour ended.
This Mexican Oak is one of many varieties of oaks I’d never seen before
There were so many trees I’m unfamiliar with. We were told that Mexico has more types of oak trees than any other country in the world, including China and the US.
Below is a beautiful specimen of a Mexican Magnolia. There are many here, all grown from seed collected in Mexico.
Magnolia tamaulipana. This Mexican Magnolia is so beautiful. I fell in love!
I’ll leave the rest of the pictures for you to enjoy on the tour, below.
I hope you can make a visit Peckerwood Garden one day.
Give the slide show a bit of time to load.