A Tasteful Place, a 3.5 acre edible display garden with meandering walkways and a lagoon, will soon open at Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Featuring a pavilion with event space and a teaching kitchen, an orchard, beds of ornamental display vegetables, herbs and flowers, A Tasteful Place will also provide shaded porches and walkways. The $12M garden opens to the public with a ribbon cutting October 3.
Mark Wolf, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, said, “A Dallas landmark and international destination, the Dallas Arboretum has carefully planned for many years to build A Tasteful Place to fit in with our mission of being not only a beautiful display garden, but also one involved in education and research. There are few other gardens in the country doing what we’re doing here at this level. ”
Dallas Arboretum’s popular fall festival, Autumn at the Arboretum, will also be open in October. Thousands of guests visit the popular pumpkin houses built with many of the 90,000 pumpkins on property. The new edible garden will prove an exciting addition to the Arboretum’s autumn events.
A Tasteful Place Contains Many Beautiful Features
Potager Display Gardens: Four individual quadrants comprise the ornamental kitchen garden, or “potager,” pronounced, pot·a·ger or ˈpätijə(r) as it is called by the French, which is a productive working garden that is also visually beautiful, drawing on European gardening principals and artful arrangement.
The Charlotte and Donald Test Pavilion, a 3,600-square-foot building with 180 degree views of the garden, lagoon and walkways, with event space and teaching kitchen to showcase chefs who will demonstrate preparation of garden-to-table cuisine. It’s also a site for cooking classes, educational programs and special events.
The Barbara and Bob Bigham Scenic Overlook, a perfect location for weddings, wine tastings, seated dinners and picnics, overlooking downtown Dallas and White Rock Lake.
Ruthie Pack’s Tasting Plaza, a site of daily tastings featuring seasonal produce.
Central Stairway and Promenade, a beautiful stairway that descends from the entry plaza and Gisela Rodriguez Gazebo to welcome visitors to the garden, along with panoramic views of the new additions. The Strolling Trail, a U-shaped paved ADA accessible walkway to take visitors circuitously to see the garden.
The Three Sisters Outlook, the trellis covered patio provides a shaded spot to view A Tasteful Place, the lagoon and meandering walkways and downtown Dallas; it’s also a site for intimate celebrations.
The Margaret and Jay Simmons Lagoon, a signature feature of A Tasteful Place and more than an acre, it sits just below the main garden and provides a large, natural body of water. The center will feature a beautiful, lighted fountain that changes shape and pattern. The edges of the lagoon are surrounded by large boulders and lush lawns. A bridge crosses a cascading stream that pours into the lagoon. Meandering paths allow visitors to enjoy the ambience and beauty of this new garden.
The Carol M. Kelley Orchard and Patio, a variety of fruit-bearing trees suitable to the Texas climate surround a shaded patio.
The Tory and Dick Agnich and Dodie Trescher Shaded Patio, on the southern end of the Pavilion, this adjoining patio provides seating for guests.
The Ann Stuart Veranda at the Garden Pavilion, a covered front patio of the Garden Pavilion that looks directly over the four potager gardens.
Kathy Messina and Gary Goodwin Garden Entrance provides a special entrance to A Tasteful Place for use during special events.
The Tim Wallace Garden to Table Walkway, a wide center walkway from the Pavilion to the overlook, suitable for garden-to-table dinners.
A Tasteful Place Design Team and Supporters
A Tasteful Place was designed as an ornamental garden by SWA Group, Buchanan Architecture, and the Dallas Arboretum’s Horticultural team. The Margaret and Jay Simmons Lagoon and its adjacent landscaped gardens was an addition to the original project, taking Kevin Clark/Naud Burnett Landscape Architects and the Dallas Arboretum’s Horticulture team two months to design. The entire project took six months to build, employing more than 35 local construction companies and trades.
A Tasteful Place is a collaborative effort of many alliances with individuals and groups around the city that support the Dallas Arboretum with both development and programming including P. Allen Smith, award-winning food, lifestyle and garden expert and host of two public television programs. Additional support includes Dallas County Master Gardeners and Master Wellness of Texas A&M AgriLife; El Centro College; The Department of Clinical Nutrition, UT Southwestern School of Health Professionals and The Center for Human Nutrition, UT Southwestern Medical Center; and Texas Woman’s University Nutrition & Food Sciences.
“Our climate is perfect in North Texas for having produce available every day,” said Jenny Wegley, Dallas Arboretum’s vice president of horticulture. This garden will be beautiful, educational and active, so whenever you visit, there will be something new to sample, to learn and to experience. Whether it’s discovering how to prepare vegetables that are in season or enjoying a garden-to-table dinner prepared by a chef in this newest venue of the Arboretum, there will be something that appeals to everyone.”
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218. The Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Special admission continues through August for only $1 a person, with $5 parking.
After September 1, general admission returns to $15 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for children 3-12 and free for Arboretum members and children two and under. On-site parking is $15; pre-purchased online parking is $8.
