Wandering With Jean & Bill: 64.7/01 San Antonio Botanical Garden

San Jose Mission

From our overnight at Wal*Mart, we were only 0.6 of a mile from the old San Jose Mission Church, where we attended Sunday Mass. The extensive grounds is now part of a National Park, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. San Jose Mission was founded in 1720, and is largest and best known of the 5 Texas missions along the San Antonio River, especially notable for its Rose Window.

The day was hot and humid, thundershowers expected, but cloudy bright—adequate for photography, but not terrific. We chose the botanic garden over the River Walk for an afternoon excursion. We had trouble finding the gardens, just as we had on our prior visit in 2004.

Entrance Banner

This banner was the only sign indicating we had arrived at San Antonio Botanical Garden

Bill found a nice shady spot to park; not many other vehicles around. The heat and gray sky not being very enticing, he stayed in the air-conditioned RV and kept busy on his laptop.

Entrance formal garden

I paid the senior’s fee of $4.00 and entered the formal garden area of unlabeled plants, noting castor oil and coleus.

Turnera ulmifolia

The attractive yellow flowered perennial was very familiar, surely like a plant I had collected in Malawi, but I couldn’t remember the name, or even the family. It took me several hours searching the Internet to bring the Turneraceae family back to memory and find this name in an Oklahoma flora.

From the overlook,
the Sullivan Carriage House entrance, with city beyond

After seeing the entrance area and old fashioned garden, I went along all of the paths of the “hill country” to note down the names of native Texas plants. Although I was merely strolling, sweat kept running into my eyes. Long before I had reached the top of the hill and the overlook, my handkerchief and all the rest of me were sopping wet. I paused a while to drink my “Capri Sun” grape juice and enjoy the view.