Another post about the Dallas Arboretum? Shocking isn’t it! I have more to tell you – really.
A certain nameless friend had been wanting me to take her to the Dallas Arboretum so she could see the Chihuly glass sculptures. She has a birthday soon, and a group of us thought a day at the Arboretum would be a fun way to celebrate her birthday. To be honest, I was worried. Could this group of walking wounded, stroll the grounds of the Arboretum? Yes, some prayers were lifted up, and they were answered.
Enter Volunteer Tom and his tram.
Tom volunteers every Thursday, and he drove us around – plus he provided tour information and quizzes. It was so much fun, and we learned so much.
This bois d’arc tree is over 200 years old. It is a male – doesn’t bear fruit. Female bois d’arc have the large “horse apples”. The wood from a bois d’arc tree is extremely hard – termites don’t even eat it. (I knew about bois d’arc trees from our days at the Heard Museum, but I did not know they had a “Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa” bois d’arc tree at the Arboretum.)
One year Mrs. De Golyer gave Mr. De Golyer a fancy gate for his birthday. This was the original stone entrance to the estate. Think about this. He liked to read and hunt for oil. She on the other hand enjoyed gardening and her home. Who was this gift for? Just wondering? Truthfully, I am sure he was elated!
How cute is this playhouse? There are five artist playhouses in the gardens. This playhouse is fashioned after Monet’s paintings. Love, love, love the bridge. The other artist playhouses represent Van Gogh, Seurat, O’Keeffe, and Picasso. Children were running through the houses having the best time.
Be still my heart! There are six of these large urns in the garden. They once adorned the top of the Dreyfus building in downtown Dallas. When the building was demolished , these magnificent urns were donated to the Arboretum. I like them, I love them!
See this fountain. It was donated to the Dallas Arboretum by none other than Greer Garson. Now you know! It is in front of the Camp House.
Be sure to also visit the De Golyer mansion if you get a chance. FYI: This mansion was one of the first air conditioned homes in the United States. So, if you visit the gardens on a hot summer day, let it be known that you can cool off with a guided tour (on the half hour and the hour) inside this beautiful, humongous (21,000 square foot) home that overlooks White Rock Lake. Mr. De Golyer loved books, and the library is 1,700 square feet large. (Sweet Mother of Pearl! Our first house was a lot smaller than this room.) He owned over 8000 books which were donated to Southern Methodist University, Oklahoma University, and the University of Texas.
After the tour, Volunteer Tom was there to give us a ride back to the entrance. We could not have made it without him!
The Arboretum actively conducts trials on various plant. What will grow in our Texas heat? That is what they find out. SunPatiens are a relatively new type of impatiens that were tested at the Arboretum.
Now SunPatiens border many of the beds along the trails of the garden. SunPatiens will grow in the sun compared to other impatiens that must be planted in the shade. (I’m sure you already figured that out.) I especially like the variegated leaves on this variety. Gorgeous just gorgeous.
Dear Gussie! Each time I visit the Arboretum, I notice something new. This time I was fascinated by these “black” caladiums. I know they are probably dark, dark, dark, green, but … Isn’t that something?
Of course, we also saw the Chihuly glass sculptures. The girls were beyond impressed. 
Oh, how wonderful is the Dallas Star. All of these amazing sculptures continue to take my breath away.
Happy Birthday dear friend, and may you have many more.
Blessings to you and yours,
P.S. Thank you again Volunteer Tom. You should be volunteer of the year!