There are around 7,000 kinds of plants at Strybing, many unfamiliar to those of us used to gardening in central Texas.
Many of the walkways are completely shaded by tall trees and flowering plants.
While the Arboretum is large, it is divided into 17 different gardens. Still, it would take more than just a short visit to really get to explore all that is there.
With every growing condition from full sun to almost full shade and arid to water garden, the variety of flowers is breathtaking.
Strybing has one of the finest collections in the U.S. of plants from New Zealand and Australia.
A few flowers are actually at least partly familiar, such as these lilies.
One of the more spectacular gardens in the Arboretum is the succulent area. It is located on a rock-landscaped hillside and contains numerous aloes, yuccas, sedums and related plants.
The colors of some of the succulent leaves are brilliant, matching the kaleidoscopic array of other plants' blossoms.
A dragonfly rests on the buds of a large aloe.
One garden contains a collection of tree ferns from Australia.
This young leaf is bigger than a person's fist. As with many of the plants in the gardens, this species is completely unfamiliar.
When the leaves mature, they tower over eight feet tall.
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