Best Gardens In North Texas

Gardening is a great way to experience the outdoors, grow food for yourself, and learn lots of little details about nature that'd otherwise escape you. It's even more fun when you can garden with others, and there are plenty of ways to do that in North Texas. Here are five fun gardens you should definitely check out.

Bowling Green Park's community garden has been in operation for over a decade. They have about 51 plots, and they rent the plots out to people who then maintain them. Every year most of the plots are full, but you shouldn't let that stop you from trying to secure a spot! The 18-acre park itself has three benches, picnic tables, a playground, and a swing set. In short, Bowling Green Park's community garden sounds like a good way to make Denton home.

The Community Gardens of Lake Highlands are the first gardens officially supported by the City of Dallas. Their main garden consists of 89 plots. In addition to their offline gardening, the organization maintains a vibrant online community that posts gardening information regularly, often gardening information specific to North Texas. They strive to be a learning center, and believe "locally grown produces reduces the total carbon foot-print for food products" and improves "food security because the gardeners know where the food is grown."

The 109-acre Fort Worth Botanic Gardens are the oldest botanic gardens in Texas. Constructed between 1933-1934 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens were the first botanic gardens built with federal funds. The Gardens feature 23 specialty gardens and showcase over 2,500 native and exotic plants. It's a really beautiful place to go explore nature or just lie on the grass and stare at the clouds. The Japanese Garden is especially a huge hit with everyone. Except for the conservatory and the Japanese Garden, admission is free.

Inside Dallas's historic Fair Park there are 7.5 acres of prime garden. The Texas Discovery Gardens are the first public gardens in the state of Texas to be certified 100% organic by the Texas Organic Research Center. Besides all the beautiful native and exotic plants, the organization offers gardening workshops and guided tours, aiming to teach how to conserve nature in an urban environment. They maintain approximately 500 butterflies in their Butterfly Exhibit, too!

Your Own Backyard

The most time-honored solution to finding a great garden in North Texas is to find or build one in your own backyard. One great method is Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening, which works indoors or out. With simple gear like a ball of twine, some discount lumber, and a bag of potting soil, you'll be ready to harvesting crops pretty quickly. Just think -- no more need to buy thyme or tomatoes, just get them out of your backyard! You'll learn a lot about plants and appreciate our world a lot more, too.