Tyler Botanical Garden - Smith County Master Gardeners

The Tyler Botanical Garden at the Tyler Rose Garden

For many years Smith County Master Gardeners have been the caretakers for four demonstration gardens that occupy nearly four acres in the southern section of the Tyler Rose Garden. Master Gardener volunteers have maintained and improved the gardens, providing an engaging, tranquil, and educational setting for local residents and out of town visitors to the gardens.

On November 13, 2019 the Tyler City Council approved the designation of those demonstration gardens as the Tyler Botanical Garden at the Tyler Rose Garden. It’s of great significance that the City of Tyler finally has its own Botanical Garden which combined with the Tyler Rose Garden provides “beauty in every season”. Smith County Master Gardeners will continue to partner with Tyler Parks and Recreation and will promote the existence of the gardens which are always free admission to visitors.

Four gardens maintained by the Smith County Master Gardeners include: The Heritage Garden, the Shade Garden, the IDEA Garden and the Sunshine Garden.

The Heritage Garden

Heritage Garden

The Tyler Rose Garden has many varieties of roses, particularly hybrids with a varied history. The Heritage Garden is part of the Rose Garden with a concentration of old roses which have survived through the years, growing on their own roots without being hybridized and without many of the problems associated with modern roses.

The Smith County Master Gardeners have maintained this garden, located in the southwest corner of the Rose Garden, for many years. Planted in this area, to compliment the heritage roses, are a number of perennial plants, giving a display of color throughout the growing season.

The Shade Garden

Shade Garden

Nearly one thousand linear feet of paved pathway meanders through a two-acre grove of mature pine and hardwood trees that connect the IDEA and Heritage Rose Gardens.

Hundreds of azaleas, camellias, and Japanese Maple trees showcase the garden and are complimented by an abundance of woody shrubs and herbaceous perennial plants that will survive with minimal sunlight. Smith County Master Gardener volunteers rigorously maintain and add new plants in the Shade Garden assuring that any plant demonstrated there will perform well in East Texas landscapes.

A bubbling fountain, an array of benches spaced along the pathways, and a bluebird nature trail provide an enchanting, peaceful, and tranquil environment where visitors to the Shade Garden will experience beauty in every season.

IDEA Garden

The IDEA Garden

Planned by the Master Gardeners and built with the cooperation of the Tyler Parks Department, this garden is the most extensive demonstration garden in Tyler. Its development has been a major undertaking of the Smith County Master Gardeners.

The Sunshine Garden

Sunshine Garden

This garden was designed and planted by Smith County Master Gardener class 16. It is a sunny yellow and white low maintenance garden planted mostly with perennial flowers, shrubs and and foliage plants including white Pope John Paul II roses; Grandma’s Yellow roses and a yellow climbing rose. While some annuals are planted for seasonal color, the perennials include plants and bulbs that flower from early spring through late fall including daffodils and irises; Shasta daisies and rudbeckia (black-eyed susans) and Mexican mint marigold as well as many other species.

To find out what the Gardens have planned for the coming year, check out the What’s New at the Gardens page.