December 2014 Events
The Twelve Days of Christmas take center stage during the holidays at the Dallas Arboretum, where dramatically designed 25-foot-tall gazebos around the grounds are filled with life-size Victorian-flavored depictions of the scenes described in the traditional carol. The Arboretum is open every day except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. In addition, an outdoor lighting infrastructure allows for nighttime viewing on selected evenings. Find details and links in the Dallas section of the calendar below. Photos courtesy of the Dallas Arboretum.
To submit a garden-related public event for the e-gardens calendar, please e-mail details to events@sperrygardens.com. Deadline is the 15th of the month prior to the event date.
Austin / Travis County
Take in several special events at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center during the holiday season: Fibonacci Day (Nov. 23), Holiday Countdown Begins (Nov. 28-30), Wild Ideas Holiday Shopping (Dec. 5-7) and Luminations (Dec. 13-14). Find details at http://www.wildflower.org/events/.
Celebrate an Austin holiday tradition – Luminations — at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, 6-9 p.m. Thousands of luminarias and twinkling lights turn the center into a holiday wonderland, and admission is free with two canned food items for the Capital Area Food Bank. Performances by area musical groups both nights, as well as visits with Frosty and children’s activities in the Gallery. Find the schedule at http://www.wildflower.org/luminations/.
Corpus Christi / Nueces County
Leave time in your holiday schedule to ready your landscape for winter. Staff horticulturist Carol Krank of South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center presents “Getting Ready for Winter” on Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m. – noon. She will discuss how to ready your plants and yard for the cold, and also what colorful freeze-hardy annuals and perennials will make your winter landscape festive. Seminar free for members; free with general admission for non-members. Call 361-852-2100 for details or directions.
Dallas / Dallas County
Make your own holiday wreath at Texas Discovery Gardens, or learn about Christmas gifts from your garden in the coming weeks. Find details here.
Buy tickets now for “The 12 Days of Christmas,” opening this week at the Dallas Arboretum. Tickets are selling fast for evening viewings of this spectacular Victorian-styled Christmas display featuring 25-foot-tall gazebos built around the 12 days named in the popular carol. The exhibit continues through Jan. 4, 2015. Daytime general admission is regular pricing and free for Arboretum members. Find detailed information at http://www.dallasarboretum.org/. For inquiries regarding discounted tickets for groups of 15 or larger, contact groupsales@dallasarboretum.org or call 214-515-6520.
Take advantage of buy-one, get-one-free general admission to the Dallas Arboretum on BOGO Wednesdays, now through Nov. 26. You’ll enjoy Autumn at the Arboretum displays, including the acclaimed Pumpkin Village. BOGO tickets are available onsite only. See details about this and many other special offers at www.dallasarboretum.org.
Fort Worth / Tarrant County
Make “tweets” for the birds and bring them to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden for the traditional Birds’ Christmas Tree celebration on Saturday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m. – noon. Find parking details at www.fwbg.org.
Houston / Harris County
Enjoy the Christmas Open House at the Arbor Gate in Tomball on Saturday, Dec. 6, 4-7 p.m. Food, merriment and music. Find details at www.arborgate.com.
Johnson City / Blanco County
Experience “Christmas at the Boyhood Home of LBJ” in Johnson City on Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20. National park rangers conduct open house at this historic home, decked out for a 1920s-style Christmas celebration. On Dec. 6 only, visitors can board a shuttle bus for a five-minute ride to Johnson Settlement, where they will be guided by lantern light even further back in time to a late 1860s Christmas in frontier Texas. The events are free of charge and are complemented by the stunning lighting display in majestic live oaks at the Pedernales Electric Cooperative across the street from the LBJ Boyhood Home. Find details here.
McAllen / Hidalgo County
Celebrate the season with Songbird Strolls or Garden Walks at Quinta Mazatlan. There are many such events on the calendar for December. General admission is $3 adults and $2 seniors. Quinta Mazatlan is located at 600 Sunset Drive in McAllen. Find details at www.quintamazatlan.com
McKinney / Collin County
Visit the Holiday Trail of Lights at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, Dec. 13, 19 and 20, 6:30-9 p.m. Guests will enjoy thousands of lights (some synchronized to holiday music) along a half-mile nature trail. Beverages, treats and photos with Father Christmas. Savings available with advance ticket purchases at www.heardmuseum.org.
Nacogdoches / Nacogdoches County
“Deck the Halls — Using Evergreens to Decorate for the Holidays” on Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-noon in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center. Join Dawn Stover, research associate at the SFA Mast Arboretum, to learn how to create elegant wreaths and garlands using materials from the garden. Fee ($25 members/$30 non-members) includes all materials. Class size is limited, so please pre-register (936-468-1832 or erodewald@sfasu.edu).
Attend the December lecture in the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series on Thursday, Dec. 10, when Dave Creech, director of SFA Gardens, speaks on “The Special Trees of SFA Gardens.” The lectures are held on second Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the new Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches. A rare plant raffle is included. The lectures are free and open to the public, but donations will be appreciated. Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School. For more information call 936-468-1832 or e-mail grantdamon@sfasu.edu.
Quitman / Wood County
Mark your calendar for the Spring Conference of the Wood County Texas Master Gardeners, scheduled for March 28, 2015, at Quitman High School. Steven L. Chamblee is the featured speaker.
San Antonio / Bexar County
Experience Holidays in Bloom at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Nov. 28 – Dec. 31. It’s your chance to step away from the holiday whirlwind and enjoy the season in nature. Find details at http://www.sabot.org/events/.
Take the kids to Nature Connects, an exhibit of art made with LEGO® bricks at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, now through Jan. 4, 2015! The exhibit features 27 sculptures in 14 displays created from nearly 500,000 LEGO® bricks by artist Sean Kenney. The largest sculpture is a mother bison, made from 45,142 bricks. Regular admission rates apply. See details at http://www.sabot.org/events/.