The Japanese Tea Garden
The Japanese Tea Garden was built on rock-solid foundations. Once a limestone quarry, it closed in the early 1900s, and city officials obtained the property, envisioning a sunken oasis where once there was a gaping hole in the ground. Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert enlisted the aid of master gardener J.E. Jingu to help with design and development. Although a Japanese motif is the central theme, the garden offers a wide variety of plants and flowers--from banana trees to morning glories. One of the added benefits of developing the site: there were plenty of stones already there, ready to be used for landscaping.
Six-in-One Garden
"A garden should be beautiful," says seasoned gardener Harry White, and he's taken his own advice. He's divided his six-acre spread into six distinct gardens, each full of many rooms and secret places. One of the gardens seems twice its actual size, since White uses mirrors to give the garden a spacious feeling. A Mexican fountain that drips with water and long tendrils of moss is the main attraction in another garden.
McNay Art Museum Garden
The McNay Art Museum houses priceless works of art, but outside is a masterpiece as well. Artist Marion Kugler McNay built the estate in the 1920s, and her artistic inclinations are well-documented in the lay of the land. The 23-acre grounds include sparkling fountains, lily ponds, flowering plants and statuary blend to create a garden environment that's picture-perfect.
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