The San Antonio City Council recently approved the San Antonio Botanical Garden 2010 Master Site Plan. This video provides an overview of the Garden and the improvements visitors will see in the future. High on a hilltop overlooking downtown San Antonio, you'll find a 33-acre oasis of colorful plants, fragrant flowers, trees, butterflies and birds. The San Antonio Botanical Garden invites you to enjoy the awe-inspiring world of nature. Each year more than 100,000 people from all over the world visit the garden. School aged children, on educational field trips, discover the importance of nature and plants, and learn to become stewards of our environment. They're also treated to special exhibits such as Dave Rogers' Big Bugs, Art in the Garden and Playhouses and Forts. Special events include Bootanica, Chocolate Day, Dog Days of Summer, Family Days and Viva Botanica. Visitors will be even more inspired as the Botanical Garden continues to evolve as one of the nation's finest regional gardens. The acquisition of additional property along Funston Place has created the opportunity to expand. The 2010 Master Site Plan increases the role of the garden as a dynamic community resource and tourist destination. The plan currently calls for a new Entry Sequence and Parking, a Welcome Center, a Family Adventure Garden, a new Children's Vegetable Garden, a flowing paseo connecting the Core Garden areas and dramatic new Conservatory gardens on the Funston property. An Indoor Education and Event Center and a New Event Lawn will complete the improvements. The garden will continue to host major outdoor performances and festivities such as community favorites Shakespeare in the Park and Gardens by Moonlight. The focal point of the Garden is the iconic glass conservatory featuring plants from desert regions to equatorial rainforests. The glass houses surround a courtyard and tropical lagoon filled with aquatic plants. Each group is housed in its own climate-controlled environment ranging from the 65-foot tall forest of palms to the glass display filled with orchids. The Texas Native Trail remains an 11-acre "walk across Texas," where guests discover the diverse ecosystems of our state. This area consists of plant communities' characteristic of the Hill Country; the East Texas Piney Woods, featuring a one-acre lake and the South Texas region, featuring a bird watch. The setting is enhanced by early Texas cabins that demonstrate the use of native materials. The master plan calls for the additions of a West Texas region. Families explore and experience the Garden at their own pace. A natural home for birds and butterflies, the WaterSaver Garden offers San Antonio friendly plant selections that are drought hardy and colorful. The Sensory Garden heightens awareness of all our senses, with plants such as hoja santa demonstrating texture and aroma. The Kumamoto En Japanese Garden, a gift from our Sister City, Kumamoto, Japan features finely crafted structures and symbolic features that will continue to bring peace and tranquility to all who visit. The Garden is and will remain a beautiful living reference book of plants with a mission of connecting people to nature. The San Antonio Botanical Garden, building a love of gardens and nature through the generations.

• published: 27 Oct 2010
• views: 4357