10 Gardens To Visit in Houston
Houston doesn’t fall short when it comes to greenery. In fact, Houston was one of the US’ most “Biodiverse Hotspot Cities”.
You’re spoiled for choice in Houston if all you want to do is to enjoy nature. And if you visit them during the spring? Let’s just say you’re in for a treat!
So don your most comfortable walking shoes and outfit as we find out which one of Houston’s gardens suits you best!
1. Houston Botanic Garden
Address: 1 Botanic Lane, Houston, TX 77017
Phone Number: 713-715-9675
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Spanning 132 acres, Houston Botanic Garden lets you explore a different side of Houston than expected! You’re not just dropping by a garden after all – you’ll also be unlocking a place to unwind thanks to the numerous events they have in store!
The events at Houston Botanic Garden vary, but we strongly recommend visiting them during the weekend! Houston Botanic Garden hosts events every weekend, like yoga classes or a “wellness market” (think of it as a garage sale, but for yoga things), too!
Entrance to the Houston Botanic Garden will cost $12.50 on weekdays (Monday – Thursday) which goes up to $15 on the weekends (Friday – Sunday). However, kids under 8 can enter for as little as $8!
| Pro Tips: If you plan to visit Houston Botanic Garden, we strongly suggest either bringing an umbrella or wearing sunscreen that’s 30 SPF or higher! It can get a bit hot, and there isn’t a lot of shade in the park. |
2. Cloister Garden
Address: Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church, 5005 Riverway Dr, Houston, TX 77056
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10.00 AM – 5.00 PM
A bit of an underrated garden in Houston that’s strongly reminiscent of an Ancient Roman Garden, we suggest dropping by at the Cloister Garden if you’re attending mass at the Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church!
Since the Cloister Garden is a part of the church, the garden is free for anyone to visit and check out. You can even take small kids out for a walk there too since there’s plenty of shade and dedicated rest spots that you can set them down on when they get tired.
The Cloister Garden also hosts several Catholic events as well! We recommend visiting them during the Holy Week for an Easter Mass, especially the 6 AM mass. The air will be colder, and the garden will have a nice, mellow atmosphere.
| Pro Tips: We don’t recommend dropping by The Cloister Garden or the Saint Martin’s Episcopal Church at night! They don’t turn their lights on, and it can get a bit dark (and creepy) in the area! |
3. Jenkins Garden
Address: Lockwood Dr, Houston, TX 77004
Phone Number: 713-928-9916
Hours: Open 24 Hours
If you’re waiting for a bus near Lockwood Drive, then you might have seen Jenkins Garden – and we strongly recommend a visit when you have the time! Fun fact: all of the plants in the vicinity are local Houston flora!
Believe it or not, the Jenkins Garden was brought into fruition by only 45 students and faculty from Furr High School’s Green Belt group.
Since then, it has become a part of the network of parks and gardens that support pedestrian and bike activity throughout the East End! We also love that there are plenty of butterflies and local flowers found within the park!
| Pro Tips: If you want to see more local butterflies in your own garden, then we suggest visiting The Jenkins Garden’s website! They have a full guide on butterflies, and all the information is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s research! |
4. Japanese Garden
Address: Hermann Park, 6000 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77030
Phone Number: 713-524-5876
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
The Japanese Garden is one of Hermann Park’s most popular sights – and it’s not exactly hard to see why! After all, why travel a thousand miles away when you can experience an authentic Japanese garden right in Houston?
The Japanese Gardens has lots of sights that are straight out of the real deal, like the standing waterfalls, bridges, Cherry Blossom trees, and even Japanese Maples, too! Think of it like a miniature version of the Great Gardens of Nara.
Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden was made by world-renowned architect Ken Nakajima who built the park as a sign of friendship between the US and Japan. It’s also a sign of the thriving Japanese population in Houston, too!
| Pro Tips: The nearby boba stores are quite expensive, so we suggest you bring your snacks and drinks! |
5. McGovern Centennial Gardens
Address: Hermann Park, 1500 Hermann Dr, Houston, TX 77004
Phone Number: 713-524-5876
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Yet another one of Hermann Park’s staples, McGovern Centennial Gardens was made to celebrate Hermann Park’s 100th birthday way back in 2014! Nowadays, you can enjoy a great variety of garden themes that you can find throughout the entire park!
The McGovern Centennial Gardens’ has several displays like the Arid Garden, which showcases plants with low water and maintenance needs, like cacti. However, if you want something colorful, then you should visit the Rose Garden for its roses!
But what makes McGovern Centennial Gardens different from other gardens in Houston is that you can get married there among all the beautiful flowers! Weddings can cost between $1250 to $2500 depending on the season with additional fees per hour.
| Pro Tips: There’s a group limit before you enter McGovern Centennial Gardens that isn’t directly specified anywhere! We recommend bringing just 5 people with you to make sure that everybody can enjoy the park to the fullest. |
6. Genoa Friendship Gardens
Address: 1210 Genoa-Red Bluff Rd, Houston, TX 77034
Phone Number: 713-274-0950
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday: 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday: Closed
Another garden in Houston built to commemorate a friendship between two cities, the Genoa Friendship Gardens started as an exhibit. They initially wanted a xeriscape exhibit, but they’ve developed it to be a place where you can relax and learn!
Xeriscape, to those unaware, basically means that the garden can run with little to no water, making this style of gardening ideal for Houston’s hot weather. That being said though, Genoa Friendship Gardens still has plenty of roses that you can look at!
We also suggest visiting Genoa Friendship Gardens if you’re interested in gardening! Their Master Gardeners can provide useful plant-growing tips for every Houstonian out there. But if you can’t visit them, then you can also give them a call, too!
| Pro Tips: We suggest visiting Genoa Friendship Gardens every time the seasons change! They frequently change their displays and experiment with their plants, and you can sometimes see a different display each year! |
7. The John Fairey Garden
Address: 20559 FM359, Hempstead, TX 77445
Phone Number: 979-826-3232
Hours: Sunday – Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Formerly known as the Peckerwood Garden, The John Fairey Garden is a 40-acre preservation ground for many endangered species from Mexico! Plants like Yucca linearifolia and Magnolia tamaulipana are in the garden, which you can’t find anywhere.
The John Fairey Garden is only an hour’s drive away from Houston, and the entrance to the park costs $15 for non-members. However, you can sign up for their free membership to get free entrance, along with a 10% discount on any purchases.
You can also buy some of their plants, too! Some of the rarer ones, like the Yucca linearifoliawill cost a pretty penny, but there are still some basic variants of cacti that you can buy for as little as a couple of dollars.
| Pro Tips: The John Fairey Garden can be a lot bigger than you think! We suggest wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, plus your camera too to snap some good, Insta-worthy pictures of the plants! |
8. Mercer Botanic Garden
Address: 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd, Humble, TX 77338
Phone Number: 713-274-4160
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Mercer Botanic Garden is the ideal space for peace and relaxation in the middle of the city! It’s a 60-acre peaceful oasis conveniently located in the middle of Humble, which also gives them an additional layer of charm!
Much like any other garden in Houston, Mercer Botanic Garden has lots of beautiful plants scattered throughout the garden. We recommend visiting them during the spring to see the Louisiana Iris in full bloom! The Camellias during the Winter are pretty, too!
There is no admission fee to the garden, but there are several guidelines that you should follow. Also, Mercer Botanic Garden doesn’t usually have plants for sale in their location on regular days and you’ll have to wait until March for their yearly March Sale.
| Pro Tips: The reason why we suggested visiting Mercer Botanic Garden during the spring is because you can enjoy your time. The park is very crowded during the peak season to take pictures, and you might not enjoy your experience as much. |
9. Family Garden
Address: McGovern Centennial Gardens, 1554, 1700 Hermann Dr, Houston, TX 77004
Phone Number: 713-524-5876
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Yet another garden in Houston’s Hermann Park, what makes Family Garden completely different from all the other gardens in Houston is simple – you can eat the plants! Yes, everything on display at the Family Garden is completely edible!
The Family Garden also has classes that will teach your kids lessons on cultivating fruits and veggies within their proximity! Better still, it’s not just the regular plants too – there are plant beds for everything from figs, oranges, mandarins, and even avocadoes!
Much like the rest of Hermann Park, the entrance fee to the Family Garden is completely free. But if you want to sign your kid up for the planting class, you’ll need to contact them either through email or the number on their website.
| Pro Tips: Although most of the things in the park are completely edible, we highly discourage just picking the fruits up and eating them! We also suggest bringing some hand sanitizers and tissues, especially if you plan on touching the plants. |
10. Cane River Gardens
Address: 4205 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
An underrated garden in Houston that you can relax in, Cane River Gardens at Houston’s Fifth Ward incorporates a different kind of planting technique for their plants. After all, they fully incorporate environmentally friendly buildings with their garden.
Cane River Gardens’ main aim is to provide the Fifth Ward with a sustainable way for the community to strengthen their camaraderie. They do this with several volunteer programs where the residents, both nearby and those interested in visiting, to partake in!
Thanks to this, Cane River Gardens is less of a place to relax and take a walk around in and more of a place where people go to volunteer and have fun. The lack of plant appeal might not be for some, but it keeps them happy while providing fun for everyone!
| Pro Tips: If you decide to volunteer for the Cane River Gardens, we suggest using SPF 30 or higher sunscreens! It can get a lot hotter than you’d expect, and the sunscreen is great for keeping Houston’s notoriously hot sun at bay! |
