Dallas Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum is a 66-acre showplace located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake in East Dallas. It opened in 1984. Master Gardeners led by Jeff Raska, John Hunt, and Elaine Ackley began sharing horticultural knowledge with Arboretum guests in the late 90s. Today, more than one million guests visit every year and Master Gardeners are often there to greet them.
The Arboretum’s goal is seasonal beauty, every day of the year. The horticulture team is always happy to surprise guests that the Dallas Arboretum’s gardens remain lush and alive year-round with the help of staff and volunteers who work to keep all the beds planted with the right plants for every season.
The Arboretum offers opportunities for Master Gardeners to increase their horticultural knowledge, earn credit toward their annual Master Gardener certification, and share their knowledge with others by participating in the following activities.
Two large festivals held annually:
- Autumn at the Arboretum – Autumn is in the air and it’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy 150,000 fall-blooming flowers and 80,000 pumpkins, squash, and gourds. 75,000 dianthus, pansies, and veggie plants (mustards, kale and chards) complete the display. The gardens literally burst with breathtaking color.
- Dallas Blooms – Dallas Blooms features 500,000 bulbs (tulips, daffodils and hyacinths) ordered in June for the following spring. A ‘recipe’ is formulated for each bed, containing a very specific mix of bulbs and pansies. Fruit trees (apple, cherry, peach, plum and almond) bloom in succession, accentuating the colors. The Arboretum’s collection of 3,000 azaleas wrap up the show in late March, early April. This year the Arboretum was named the Most Beautiful Springtime Destination for 2022 by Travel and Leisure magazine.
Arboretum’s Research program:
The goal is to find the toughest plants for home gardens and the horticulture industry. The Arboretum partners with approximately 150 different growers and Texas A&M to test 3,000-5,000 different plants annually. They also participate in the All-America Selections (https://all-americaselections.org/) trial programs that test new, never-before-sold varieties of flowers and vegetables for the home gardener. Past winners are frequently used in the gardens. Trial gardens (https://www.dallasplanttrials.org) are open for the public to visit year-round.
A Tasteful Place:
Classes, special events, tastings, and demonstrations are featured daily in this vegetable and herb garden. Arboretum staff and local chefs lead cooking classes. Local flower shops conduct floral demonstrations. Learn to Grow horticultural classes are held each month.
