The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
located in the cultural district of
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. Established in 1934, the garden is the oldest major botanic garden in Texas and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2009.
History and organization
The botanic garden started with development of the 37.5-acre Rock Springs Park in 1912 involving natural springs, streams and rock features.
Completed in 1936, the Rock Spring Park was redeveloped in 2013 as the Tinsley Garden at Rock Springs, restoring the water features and re-planting with plants native to north Texas.
Workers employed by the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government that served as a lender of last resort to US banks and businesses. Established in ...
and the
Civil Works Administration
The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was a short-lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States in order to rapidly create mostly manual-labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers. The j ...
built the oldest areas of the garden including the Rose Garden, which was dedicated in 1933. Together, the Rock Springs Park and the Rose Garden became the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in 1934.
[Kline, Susan Allen (December 19, 2008). “Fort Worth Botanic Garden.” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Texas Historical Commission. https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/08001400/08001400.pdf Retrieved April 22, 2025.] The landscape architecture firm
Hare & Hare of Kansas City, Missouri designed these gardens, the horticulture building, now called the Rock Springs Building, and the Horseshoe Garden, which was developed in the 1950s.
The Cactus Garden also was part of the original design. Created in 1935, it was replaced by the Perennial Garden in 1983.
Additional gardens have expanded the range of visitor experiences in nature, including the
Fort Worth Japanese Garden, where a Japanese Festival is held in the spring and the fall.
In 2011, the
Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) opened its new center next door to the botanic garden in the city's cultural district. In 2020, BRIT took over management of the botanic garden, although the city retains ownership.
Gallery
File:Fort Worth Botanic Garden October 2019 17 (Republic of Texas Rose Garden).jpg, Republic of Texas Rose Garden
File:Fort Worth Botanic Garden October 2019 21 (pond and Rose Ramp).jpg, Pond and Rose Ramp
File:Fort Worth Botanic Garden October 2019 27 (Rose Ramp and Lower Rose Garden).jpg, Rose Ramp and Lower Rose Garden
File:Fort Worth Botanic Garden October 2019 34 (Adelaide Polk Fuller Garden).jpg, Adelaide Polk Fuller Garden
File:Fort Worth Botanical Gardens Rose Garden 3 Wiki (1 of 1).jpg, Gate at Rose Garden
File:The Vista, Fort Worth Botanic Garden (20106146).jpg, Postcard of the Vista at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, undated
File:Lagoon and Rose Terraces (20106160).jpg, Postcard of the Lagoon and Rose Terraces at Fort Worth Botanic Garden, undated
File:Fort Worth Japanese Garden October 2019 26 (Main Entrance Gate).jpg, Fort Worth Japanese Garden October 2019 (Main Entrance Gate)
See also
*
References
External links
AABGA Historic Landscapes Committee Networking Guide to Historic Landscape Resources Survey FormNational Register Search, Texas Historical Commission AtlasFort Worth Garden Club Collection in the Portal to Texas History
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National Register of Historic Places in Fort Worth, Texas
Culture of Fort Worth, Texas
Parks in Fort Worth, Texas
Botanical gardens in Texas
Economy of Fort Worth, Texas
1934 establishments in Texas