Zilker Botanical Garden, a stop on the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling

In early May, on the last day of the Austin Fling, we visited Zilker Botanical Garden...
From their website: "Zilker Botanical Garden is located on 26 fenced acres of varied topography on the south bank of the Colorado River near downtown Austin. Its diverse topography is especially suited to depicting different habitats and displaying an array of native, hybrid and exotic plants. The Garden is the centerpiece of Zilker Park and the Lady Bird Johnson Lake (Colorado River) corridor and is its most extensively used facility. Over 300,000 people annually visit the gardens from across Texas and the U.S., as well as over 100 countries."

Many of the Cycads around Ausin had been knocked back hard by a bad winter, it was impressive to see how quickly they bounced back, putting out fantastic new growth.

I think the fuzzy yellow squiggles are what's left of the female flowers?

I envy Austin their ability to grow Cycads.

I wasted no time in finding the small cactus and succulent garden.

Tall blooming Yucca were almost as much a fixture in Austin as the blooming Agaves.

And blooming Cylindropuntia!

I believe these go by the common name horse-crippler? (for obvious reasons)

That's a pretty little flower.

These two! They darted into and out of cover the whole time I was exploring. I'm glad I finally managed to capture a portrait.

Nice trimming work on that palm trunk...

Were there birds in here? I honestly can't remember.

I think I would love to be able to grow Tradescantia pallida like a weed.

Bromleiads and giant Staghorn ferns (and such harsh shadows you can barely see them)!

And waterlilies...

More Cycads and Agaves...

And a fern forest!

The Prehistoric Garden was said to be quite the draw, and after lunch, and a few speakers, our time in the garden was drawing to a close...time to hurry on through...

Favorite palm ever, Bismarckia nobilis.

Rebounding Cycad (Dioon edule)...

I've considered planting out my Dioon edule a time or two, they're rumored to be one of the hardier Cycads.

What the what?

A new flush of Cycad growth, doing their best impersonation of the praying hands emoji.

Ya, I may have went a little overboard on the Cycad photos...
More excellent palm trimming!

Finally it was time to get back on the bus, which picked us up by the lower gate.

Pretty cool, eh?

Weather Diary, Dec 17: Hi 52, Low 34/ Precip .41"

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