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Houston’s newest greenspace just opened on Sept. 18.
HOUSTON — What floated around as an idea for decades is finally a reality: Houston has its own botanic garden.
“It’s just been meeting and exceeding expectations and we are so proud of that,” says president Claudia Gee Vassar.
The Houston Botanic Garden opened to the public on Sept. 18. For five years since signing a lease with the city, organizers and volunteers turned 132 acres along Sims Bayou into a horticultural hamlet from the real world.
“I think people are really recognizing, especially because of the pandemic, how healing it is to be out in nature — physically, mentally and emotionally,” Vassar says.
You can find that healing by wandering around what used to be Glenbrook Golf Course. There’s the Global Collection Garden, the Culinary Garden, the Coastal Prairie and even a Family Discovery Garden.
“I’m so fortunate,” laughs Vassar. “This is where I work, so I get to be out in nature every day!
Parts of the garden are still under construction, like the water walls that are slated to get running in December 2020. But this is only Phase 1 of this project. Organizers have a whole lot more planned.
“In the future, we hope to have an education and events building, a seasonal garden so people can see what they can plant in their own gardens and get some great inspirational ideas,” Vassar says. “Production facilities for research, a conservatory, so many wonderful things that we want to build!”
Whether any of that happens depends on how many Houstonians visit and support the garden. Right now, things are looking good.
“I think what has been so wonderful to hear from our guests so far is that this was even more than they even could have imagined,” says Vassar.
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West 8, the award-winning Dutch landscape architecture and urban design firm with offices in Rotterdam and New York City, has unveiled the highly anticipated first phase of the Houston Botanic Garden, a years-in-the-making, first-of-its-kind horticultural hub for the Bayou City that aims to attract tourists, green thumbs, and the scientific community.
When fully complete, per West 8’s master plan, the so-called “living museum for plants” will encompass 132 acres of a bayou-bound island and adjacent shoreline along Sims Channel, with roughly half of the compound being on the island. Much of the Houston Botanic Garden is located on the former grounds of the old and underused 1920s-era Glenbrook Golf Course.
Following a prolonged period of NIMBY outrage, as some southeast Houston residents rallied against the project largely due to concerns over traffic and the loss of Glenbrook, which had been used by residents as an informal neighborhood green space, plans for the Houston Botanical Garden were formally revealed by West 8 in 2018 with construction kicking off early the next year. To be clear, while this marks the first time that Houston has had a proper botanic garden within city limits, there is a botanic garden at the Mercer Arboretum in unincorporated Harris County.
Described in a press statement as “an oasis of learning, discovery, and horticultural beauty” that differentiates itself from a typical arboretum by featuring an evolving, curated collection of plants, the Houston Botanic Garden opens to the public at a strange and difficult time for marquee cultural institutions, plant-focused or otherwise. However, the expansive and open-air nature of the walking trail-laced campus, which features a multitude of outdoor galleries that showcase a sizable collection of tropical, subtropical, and arid plants, does inherently lend itself well to safe and socially-distant visits.
“Adding a world-class botanic garden to enhance the breadth and depth of Houston’s cultural offerings has been a long time in the making,” said Claudia Gee Vassar, president and general counsel of the Houston Botanic Garden, in a statement. “We believe the benefits of an extensive outdoor museum like the Houston Botanic Garden will be especially desirable at a time when so many are looking to engage with, and be inspired by nature.”
Outside of the ongoing pandemic, Tropical Storm Beta has thrown a slight wrench into the garden’s opening week plans. (It officially opened September 18.)
Key architectural elements revealed in Phase One include a series of 21 innovative, thin-shell concrete alcoves that line the main collection gardens and provide a natural place for visitors to duck out of the hot Houston sun and catch some shade (fabricated by Fine Concrete); a pair of monumental steel gates with intricate, botanic-inspired designs that are found at both the main pedestrian and vehicular entrances (fabricated by Renfrow + Co. Metalsmiths); a Welcome Fountain constructed from coral stone that was sourced by West 8 as a
“You’ll be able to see the incredible diversity of plants from across the globe,” Botanic Garden president Claudia Vassar said earlier this week.
The 132-acre garden shows off plants from southeast Texas and from around the world. They have more than 350 different species.
The land is an old municipal golf course leased from the city in 2015. Since then, the staff at the botanic garden and others have been planning, and now it’s a reality.
“As a global firm we were so honored to be invited by the people of Houston to contribute to a first for the Bayou City,” said Donna Bridgeman-Rossi with West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, who helped shape the garden.
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Vassar added, “It’s just a beautiful place, outdoor space, particularly during this time of coronavirus, when people are looking for incredible places to be, that’s a wonderful green asset to have.”
After two years of construction, the garden is ready to be shared with Houston.
You can purchase tickets and learn more about Houston Botanic Garden on their website.
Tickets are priced at $15 for adults, $10 for students with valid school identification, and $10 for children ages 3-15 years old.
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Read moreBallard Designs, a catalog and online retailer of furniture and home decor, will open a store in the Houston market in Rivers Oaks Shopping Center.
The Atlanta-based omnichannel retailer will take over the 10,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Gap Stores in February, the company announced.
Ballard Designs joins other design and furniture stores in Weingarten Realty Investors’ renovated River Oaks center as it continues its brick-and-mortar expansion. The Houston store will be the chain’s 16th since first opening stores 2007.
“We’ve been serving Houston designers and homeowners for 35 years through our catalog, so we already have a large following here,” Dominic Milanese, senior director of retail for Ballard Designs, said in an announcement.
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Ballard is targeting a soft opening in early 2021. Social distancing protocols will be in place.
“Shopping is one of the Top 10 things to do in Houston,” Milanese said. “And at Ballard, we have such a robust assortment, we expect people to love our upholstery and larger furniture pieces, but also to stop in for smaller accessories as well.”
The location on West Gray Street near Shepherd Drive is close to the affluent River Oaks and Montrose neighborhoods, a couple of miles west of downtown. Weingarten Realty is developing the 30-story Driscoll at River Oaks apartment tower in the center, with opening planned in mid 2021.
Ballard Designs also has stores in Fort Worth and Dallas. The company is part of Qurate Retail Group, which also includes QVC, HSN, Zulily, Frontgate, Garnett Hill, Grandin Road and Ryllace.
Deserts and rainforests and water walls, oh my.
The former Glenbrook Golf Course, a few minutes south of downtown, blossoms anew this month, transformed into the 132-acre Houston Botanic Garden. The city’s newest cultural institution opens with four staggered weekends of family-friendly activities, each featuring the plants, food and culture of a different region of the world to reflect the diversity of Houston and the gardens.
The festivities nod to Latin America Sept. 18-20, Asia Oct. 2-4, Africa Oct. 16-18 and the Mediterranean Oct. 30-Nov. 1.
Upon entering from Park Place Boulevard and crossing a new bridge over Sims Bayou, visitors will encounter a free-admission zone with a picnic grove and a wetlands garden. More dazzling enticements beckon beyond the coral limestone walls and scalloped portico of the modernist Welcome Pavilion, designed by Overland Partners.
In the centerpiece Global Collection Garden, whose zones provide a brief botanical trip around the world, an upland forest grows near a tropical rainforest, a drought-tolerant sanctuary, a semi-arid Mediterranean zone, a desert, a grassy savanna, a ridge of pines and a bamboo forest. Smaller sections of the global collection feature the discoveries of Texas botanists, pollinator plants and plants with colorful leaves. Curiosities of the plant world that have fascinating form and structure will fill one corner. All told, the global collection will contain more than 350 diverse varieties that can withstand Houston’s heat and humidity.
A couple of “curiosity cabinets” — elegant, Zen-like sheds in the spirit of European wunderkammer — around the global collection will hold small treasures visitors can examine up close. Near the savanna, there’s a dramatic water feature called the Dewdrop.
On the other side of the Welcome Pavilion, the Culinary Garden also will have plants grouped by regions and feature a dramatic water wall. Farther afoot are a woodland glade for weddings, a coastal prairie garden, a stormwater-wetlands garden and the Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden. Kids will want to make a beeline for the discovery garden’s boardwalk, wildlife-friendly lagoon and sandy pad of interactive pumps and other water play devices.
Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily beginning Sept. 18; $8-$12.50 weekdays, $10-$15 weekends including the grand openings, kids younger than 3 free; memberships $50-$500; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day; 8210 Park Place Blvd.; 713-715-9675,
hbg.org
.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — In the playoffs, you need all the help you can get.
![a man holding a football ball: Houston Rockets’ Danuel House Jr. (4) defends against Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (23) during the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18Xc4k.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=432&y=292"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18Xc4k.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=432&y=292"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18Xc4k.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=432&y=292"}})
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Houston Rockets’ Danuel House Jr. (4) defends against Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (23) during the first half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
So on the eve of an elimination Game 5 against the Lakers, the Houston Rockets got unfortunate news: Danuel House, one of their key rotation players, was forced to leave the bubble after an NBA investigation concluded he had breached health protocols by inviting an unauthorized guest to his room.
The Rockets played the last two games, both losses, without House (11.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg in the playoffs) after the league launched an investigation into a Sept. 8 encounter with an unauthorized guest, reported by The Athletic to be a female subcontractor, in his room in the Grand Floridian Hotel for multiple hours. The Rockets are the only team occupying the hotel, which also is a quarantine site for some player guests.
House won’t play again for Houston this season, which now that the Rockets are down 3-1 is looking perilously short. Houston did not hold a media availability ahead of Saturday’s Game 5, tipping at 5 p.m. PDT.
It’s the first violation of bubble protocol that has resulted in the player having to leave. Richaun Holmes and Bruno Cabaclo (who is also on the Rockets) received additional quarantine after violating the required boundaries for food pick-up. The Clippers’ Lou Williams had to quarantine for additional time after it was revealed he visited an Atlanta strip club during an absence from the team for personal reasons.
House had played in nine games for the Rockets, starting four in place of Russell Westbrook. The Lakers have capitalized on the shortened rotation with their depth, even throwing rookie Talen Horton-Tucker at them in the last game. But Danny Green, a winner of two titles in San Antonio and Toronto, cautioned against complacency.
“Elimination games are always hard regardless of what round it is,” he said. “They’re always hard. It’s the hardest game to win. A team has nothing to lose and they’re fighting for their lives.”
The Lakers are largely occupied off court with their families from when player guests were let into the bubble a week-and-a-half ago. Coach Frank Vogel said he’s not concerned about his team making the same mistake as House.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like our group has to have that talk,” Vogel said. “Our guys are really locked into the task at hand. Obviously the situation is a reminder, they’re seeing it on their phones. Obviously we don’t want to do that.”
Assistant Phil Handy linked to Nets
Rumors about lead assistant Jason Kidd being a candidate for other head coaching jobs have persisted for months, but the Lakers likely will have to start protecting the rest of their staff after leading the Western Conference in
The Arid Valley of the Global Collection Garden create a dramatic contrast to the adjacent tropical and shady subtropical sections. Sparsely scattered drifts of grasses and a variety of succulents growing among boulders dominate under the full sun.
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The Arid Valley of the Global Collection Garden create a dramatic contrast to the adjacent tropical and shady subtropical sections. Sparsely scattered drifts of grasses and a variety of succulents growing among
… more
Photo: Michael Tims Photography
The Arid Valley of the Global Collection Garden create a dramatic contrast to the adjacent tropical and shady subtropical sections. Sparsely scattered drifts of grasses and a variety of succulents growing among boulders dominate under the full sun.
less
The Arid Valley of the Global Collection Garden create a dramatic contrast to the adjacent tropical and shady subtropical sections. Sparsely scattered drifts of grasses and a variety of succulents growing among
… more
Photo: Michael Tims Photography
After two years of construction, Houston’s first botanic garden will finally open Sept. 18.
“The Houston Botanic Garden is a 132-acre living museum for plants that showcases the biodiversity that thrives along the Texas Gulf Coast,” Claudia Gee Vassar, the garden’s president and general counsel, said.
“A stroll through our outdoor gallery spaces – including the Global Collection Garden, Culinary Garden, and Susan Garver Family Discovery Garden – will engage the senses in the unique cultural experience associated with a botanic garden, which are found throughout major metropolitan areas around the world, but until now was missing among the world-class institutions here at home in our diverse and internationally known city.”
The garden’s Phase 1 is now complete. Phase 1’s Global Collection Garden so far includes a tropical zone with a “rainforest” and plants displaying some of nature’s most beautiful and vibrant shapes and colors, a Culinary Garden with edible and medicinal plants, a family discovery garden with water machines and a boardwalk maze, and two natural ecosystem areas, as reported by the Houston Business Journal.
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An educational space and a space for weddings is also in the works and will be completed at a later date.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Phase 2 involves enhancing the current collections and some additional research work, and Phase 3, which will likely be happening in the years to come, could include an education and events building and “seasonal display area aimed at home gardeners.”
Opening day will kick off a series of weekend events, according to Director of Communications & Community Engagement Justin Lacey, with opportunities for guests to learn more about the Bayou City’s cultural richness and biodiversity.
The Houston Botanic Garden will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and customers will be required to abide by COVID-19 safety guidelines, including wearing masks and social distancing. The garden will eventually be located at
Meet the Houston women behind three of our favorite local home decor shops on Etsy.
If you’re anything like me, you love to see the silhouette of the great state of Texas plastered on just about anything. The Houston artisans featured here do just that, but in the classiest, most artistic ways.
From handmade wall signs to flocked doormats and wooden welcome signs customized to show off our Texas pride, you can get it all in their online Etsy shops. In case you’ve never heard of Etsy, it’s a global market place filled with handmade and vintage items of all kinds.
Whether you’re looking for new home decor for your own place or personalized housewarming gifts, their products are picture perfect! Trust me, when it comes to the sweetest Texas-themed home decor, you won’t have to look any further than this page.
Twins Lauren and Lindsey, born and raised in Tomball, have always had an eye for design and a love for home improvement projects. Their interests in creating flocked doormats began as a hobby in their garage, but has since evolved into a flourishing online business.
Their motto: “If you can think it, we can make it. And if you can’t think it, we can still make it.” The sisters design, manufacture and print every doormat right here in Houston. “It brings us great pleasure to bring humor, style, and comfort into your home, especially during these trying times,” they said. Both their humor and love for Texas shows in their Texas doormat designs.
Editor’s Favorite Item
Personalized Texas Doormat – etsy.com
59.00Shop Now
Style Tip: Place a patterned cotton rug under these doormats for an irresistible layered look that’s on trend!
Owners’ Favorite Item
Texas Welcome Mat – etsy.com
39.00Shop Now
Michelle opened her Etsy shop in 2019 after years of wholesaling her custom-made home décor and gifts. Her shop is filled with thousands of the cutest personalized items like makeup cases, hand towels, and coasters. But, it’s her Texas-themed home décor that we’re crazy about!
Michelle, a lifelong Houstonian who met and married her kindergarten classmate, has a deep love for the Bayou City. “I love the can-do spirit of everyone in Houston, and Texas for that matter,” she said. “I also love the diversity in the people and how everyone is willing to help others and come together in time of need.”
Editor’s Favorite Item
Personalized Wall-mount Key Hanger – etsy.com
37.99Shop Now
Owner’s Favorite Item
Personalized Texas Home with Heart Throw Pillow – etsy.com
18.99Shop Now
Julia and her daughter Haley enjoy crafting together. So when friends started asking them to make crafts for them too, they knew they were good at it. That’s when they decided to create an online
