MASTER GARDENER COMPLEX: A Real Treasure
June 29, 2012
BY JULIE MORITZ - VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER
EDITED BY CHARLA BORCHERS LEON
Victoria has a real treasure in the airport garden complex. Drive past the Regional Airport terminal to Bachelor Drive. Right across from the air traffic control tower, you will find it.
Victoria Educational Gardens
First and foremost are the gardens, Victoria Educational Gardens, fondly called VEG. These gardens are the culmination of 12 years of devoted Master Gardener efforts. In the middle of a prairie, an oasis of horticulture now stands. Flowers, vines, fruit, vegetables, turf grasses, trees, bushes, shrubs and wildflowers abound.
Children's Garden and Vegetable Garden - Teaching Aids
The gardens are divided into sections to aid in teaching. The first area after one enters the main gate on the west side of the gardens is the children's alphabet garden, with a plant for every letter.
There is a real sundial (I tried it), lots of bird houses - and even a life-sized little house for children to get out of the sun. Did I mention the butterfly garden? Purple passion vine attracts the butterflies to the area. Behind the "secret garden" gate is the chrysalis house. If you are lucky, you'll see a butterfly emerge.
The vegetable garden is to the right of this, where mainly raised beds hold seasonal plantings. Seeing where the corn, tomatoes, squash and radishes (this time of year) originate can be an eye opener to a 7-year-old.
Picturesque View on East Side
Follow through the children's area to a covered rest spot if you need a break. Don't stay too long, as the best is yet to come. Passing through a rose-covered arbor, the large, spectacular gardens unfold. The daylilies are glorious right now.
Actually, the entire garden is glorious, as it should be in the transition from spring to summer. Besides all the lush vegetation, there is a bridged tropical Koi pond with waterfall, a teahouse gazebo, and various other shaded seating areas. Does all this sound like a great venue for a special event? Yes, it does - and it is.
VICTORIA EDUCATIONAL GARDENS HOURS
• Dawn to dusk
• 365 days a year
• Guided tours available on request
Revised November 20, 2019
Victoria County Master Gardener Association