April's showers at wildflower center to benefit May's blossoms

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Andrea DeLong-Amaya cares for flowers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlfower Center in Austin. -- Staff photo by Taylor

May 6, 2004 -- If the old adage "April showers bring May flowers" holds true, much of South Central Texas should be covered in blossoms this month.

Heavy rains in some areas have the ground "super-saturated," but the gardens at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin seem to be on their way to a spectacular spring.

Mischelle Amador, director of communications, and Andrea DeLong-Amaya, who works in the horticulture and garden design area of the Center, explained why they enjoy their positions and what the Center offers visitors.

"One of the best things is sitting outside to talk about this place. It's something I enjoy, and working with people who are passionate about what they do here ...," explained Amador.

DeLong-Amaya said working at the Center offers a "good balance between using your mind and working with plants and people."

On a big weekend, the Center can expect to play host to more than 5,000 guests, with the majority of the visitors coming in the springtime to view the wildflowers. With over 600 species of Texas native plants, they seldom go away disappointed.

In 1982, Lady Bird Johnson and the late Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center, and in 1995, the Wildflower Center moved to its present location on 43 acres in Southwest Austin. Since that time, 236 acres have been added to the Center. Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson still visits every couple of weeks, according to Amador.

The mission of the Center is to "educate people about the environmental necessity, economic value and natural beauty of native plants," and the vision is to "preserve and restore the natural beauty and biological diversity of North America, inspiring people to love the land."

Programs offered include the Brown Center for Environmental Education which provides teacher training, lectures, workshops and children's programs; a landscape restoration program; a plant conservation program; volunteer programs; and guided tours, to mention a few.

Other features include the observation tower where visitors can look out over acres of gardens and various flowers, nature trails, picnic areas, outdoor classrooms, and even a butterfly garden. One of the latest additions to the Center is an Insectary, which is being developed to "boost" the population

of good insects.

The Center operates with a full-time staff and over 400 volunteers who learn about the various plants and help with planting, care and tours.

Obviously, the Texas bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) are a big draw, every year, and depending upon the weather and rainfall, some years are banner years and others fall short.

According to Center literature, there are three, major requirements for a good season for Texas bluebonnets: seeding in September-October in a sunny, well-drained area; adequate rains throughout the fall; and removal of all other plants in the area.

Flowers that are expected to be in abundance in May include the Mexican hat, Black-eyed Susan, Standing cypress, Pink evening primrose, and Butterfly weed.

While Amador said the hardest thing about working at the Center has been the funding of the non-profit operation since 9-11, and DeLong-Amaya added that the heat in the summer can get pretty trying.

(The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is located at 4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin. Phone 512-292-4200. It is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)