Sometimes in life you have to be opportunistic. After boating we saw a sign that stated, "Orchid…read moreshow today". Who doesn't love orchids?! So our car turned right into the Austin Botanical Garden. Cost per car was $6 ($2 discount from living in Austin...score!) The garden was peaceful and serene in the heart of downtown Austin. We spent most of our time in the Japanese gardens, one our favorites. The gardens are nicely laid out and enjoyable to navigate. The solace that pours over you makes the visit more than worth it. The tranquil Japanese garden with koi ponds and stone bridges almost puts you in a meditative state. Informational signs line the garden were clear at making it easy to learn about native Texas plants, sustainable gardening, and seasonal blooms. Now for the orchid show...we thought it was going to be a display of orchids. It was actually a competitive show. Wow...so many beautiful orchids...a fortuitous encounter.

What a great! We spent over an hour here and got some amazing views of Austin's downtown skyline…read more Overall, just a great place to hang out and enjoy the weather and see some amazing plants, animals, and views of the city. I think this is our first time here, I'm surprised I've never came here before because this is something that we both like, being outdoors and in nature. It's definitely worth the price of admission. I would definitely recommend come in during the cooler season in Texas cause they can get pretty hot here. Definitely come in the morning time but once summer is hit, there's no way you'll catch me out here. It's extremely hot in the summer in Texas. We really enjoy the botanical gardens. It will probably come back again soon. Thank y'all for maintaining an amazing property.

We loved our visit. I didn't know anything about the art before coming here but was very pleasantly…read moresurprised. I'm drawn to classically influenced, figurative sculpture, rather than highly abstract contemporary styles. Umlauf's work was precisely that -- it focused on the human form primarily and touched upon themes of religion, war, love, beauty. There were some pieces that took my breath away, particularly the refugee mother and baby pieces. The garden itself is small (you'll likely spend an hour here, at most) but very pleasant to stroll around. The trees were bare when we visited but I can see it being even lovelier in spring/summer. Very reasonable admission fee ($8 per adult). Children 0-4 are free. Super friendly staff. The woman working the front desk was very kind to us and made our family feel so welcome (we brought our two small children). Small parking area but it wasn't crowded when we came (despite it being a weekend afternoon). If you're visiting Austin and you like classical and figurative sculptural work, make sure you add this spot to your itinerary.

A friend of mine was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend and he then committed suicide. Today my…read morefriend's family had a celebration of life ceremony for her. This celebration of life ceremony was a deeply moving and beautifully planned tribute to her life well-lived. The ceremony took place in UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum. The grounds are serene and peaceful with art sculptures sprinkled throughout the garden. UMLAUF is strategically hidden behind Zilker Park in Austin, TX. The garden was a perfect place for my friend's celebration of life. She would have loved the tree canopy, small ponds, and the bronze and stone works in the garden. My friends passing caused me to think about life, death and the dash in between the two. The commentary today came from her younger brother, two friends and her aunt. Their glowing remarks intertwined with snippets of humor helped to soften the moment. One of the comments from her brother is that you need to keep in touch with family and friends, tell them you love them and do not miss those very important moments. Those thoughts resonated with me. Sometimes in this microwaveable society, we do not make time to be intentional and spend uninterrupted time with family and friends. I committed today to be more intentional from this day forward. When my mom and sister passed, I was selected by our family to do the eulogy, which is one the hardest things you can possibly do in life. How can you capture one's life in 15-20 minutes? What topics are most salient to discuss? Inevitably, my mind drifted to gratitude. I am so grateful for my family who loves me unconditionally. I am grateful to all my friends and especially those friends who have been riding with me for 25+ years. "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." Eleanor Roosevelt

One of the best plant shops in Austin…read more They have a wealth of knowledge and a great selection of various plants, cacti, soil, and pots.

This is my favorite plant store. They have a huge selection, a decent succulent sections, tons of…read morepots, and even tons of seeds. They have all shapes and sizes and all reasonably priced. They even have all the care info usually on pot itself

Aaron and the team are absolute legends. I've been working with them on my back yard for about a…read moreyear now off and on on projects big and small. He's always quick to respond, enthusiastic about the projects, and takes a real pride in his work and making sure things are done in a way that will last. We did a complete backyard overhaul and transformed it from a bare mud pit to a backyard oasis that we now love spending time in now: new sod on half the hard, paver patio and crushed granite on the other half, limestone retaining wall and mulch bed on the back wall, drainage, and irrigation through out. We had an old and non functioning irrigation system that we inherited from the previous owners and rather than just ripping it up and charging us for a new one, Aaron spent hours servicing and getting it to work, and then customized it to work with the new yard layout. We also had some freak of nature downpour of rain pretty soon after the big project was complete, which washed away some of the granite and caused the patio to settle with some dips. Aaron came back and fixed it all and added in additional drainage to keep it from happening again. Aaron is my guy forever now - extremely fair on pricing, honest, full of integrity, thorough, and just an all around nice guy. You won't be disappointed if you choose to work with him.

Aaron and his team completed beautiful work for our condo building with a mix of hardy native…read moreplants and beautiful rock hardscapes, providing a reasonable price across our many bids. The photos show how much the selected plants grew in just one season between spring and winter, while still retaining a beautiful look in the colder months without full blooms. The team also fixed our irrigation system and provided additional drainage with a French drain. The team was on schedule and super communicative. After the job completed, Aaron has always been incredibly willing to share advice for landscaping situations that we've encountered since the original installation. His knowledge is very deep and always leads to the expected outcome. I recommend Austin Yard Barber without hesitation.

Isaias Gonzalez Landscaping was great to work with from start to finish. I needed to get a home…read moreready for resale. They promptly quoted and completed the work without me in state. Work was great when I finally saw it in person. More efficient and easier to work with than any other landscapers we contacted.

Stump grinding, sod removal and new sod install. He broke 3 irrigation pipes trying to pull the…read moreoak stump out instead of grinding it down and 2 sprinkler heads weed eating the grass. No sod removal, tilling soil. Just was going to put a little soil over the weeds and then lay down the sod. Never got stump out and I have additional repairs for the next guy. Don't waste your money. Incompetent!

We started with a backyard that was essentially unusable--mostly dirt and dead grass--and ended up…read morewith a space we actually want to spend time in. They handled the full transformation: Texas native plants, fresh sod, irrigation, lighting, a new patio with poured concrete pavers, a pergola, and decking built around our above-ground pool. The result feels intentional, cohesive, and well suited to both the climate and how we use the space. We worked with their designers to develop the plan, and that process was smooth and collaborative. They listened, had good instincts, and were happy to iterate with us until the design felt right. From first contact to breaking ground took about three months, which felt reasonable given the scope. Once construction started, everything moved fast--the entire project was completed around two to three weeks. Most importantly, we're extremely happy with the outcome. The yard is beautiful and dramatically more usable than before. Jason and Nikk were a pleasure to work with throughout: friendly, proactive, communicative, with good taste and a strong sense for design. I'd happily recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade their outdoor space.

My husband James and I reached out to four different landscaping companies for a bid on a project…read moreto add gravel, place some rock along one side of our driveway, and fill a large bald spot on our lawn. While all the companies, including Southern Landscaping and Design, were nice and responsive, I feel the need to share our experience regarding their pricing. The quotes we received from the first three companies ranged between $9,000 and $11,000, which seemed reasonable for the scope of work. However, Southern Landscaping and Design came back with a quote of just over $28,000--nearly three times the amount of the other bids. I'm sure they do great work, but this level of pricing feels excessive and difficult to justify. I wanted to share this as a heads-up for anyone considering them. It's always worth getting multiple quotes to ensure you're paying a fair price.

We arrived on an early Friday evening! It was already a bit busy but we got the beers and food very…read morequick. So quick that it took as much time for food to come out, as it took us to get 2 beers from the bar!!! The server was looking for us, we didn't even get to find a table yet lol

We absolutely loved our visit to Scholz Garten. The food was outstanding. So bold, rich flavors and…read moregenerous portions across the board. Every dish we tried was clearly made with care and tradition in mind, and it truly delivered. (I spent 3 months traveling Germany and Europe, and I have missed the food! So this was great!) The servers were incredibly kind, attentive, and helpful, which made the experience even better. The atmosphere is what really ties it all together. Such beautiful scenery, a relaxed beer-garden vibe, and a sense of history that makes you want to linger. It felt authentic, comfortable, and truly made me reminisce on my time in Germany. As first-time visitors to Texas, this was a perfect stop on our vacation and one we'll remember fondly.

We discovered Frond Plant Shop while waiting for our lunch. The plant shop is unlike the big box…read moregarden centers in that it is a boutique-style plant store...quaint, charming with nicely curated plants. Frond Plant Shop is located on South Lamar, offering a wide array of plant offerings from houseplants ranging from classic favorites to more uncommon and eclectic varieties. The plants are sold with planters and plant themed accessories. The space feels calm, creative, and well-crafted. In addition, at the front of the store there is a small area with seating, where folks can seat to do computer work as a student, remote worker or someone who wants to escape the trappings of being at home or work. One of Frond's clear delineators was the health of their plants. Their plants looked healthy, vibrant and lush. In addition to plants, you can purchase candles, plant accessories, and plant food. I ended up purchasing a concentrated plant food. Susan, the store manager, was welcoming and helpful in offering recommendations. Pricing was a mixed bag - smaller accessories were affordable, whereas bigger plants tended to be on the pricier side. If I were contemplating buying a new plant, Frond would be at the top of my list.

Very friendly and helpful. Nice plants. Convenient location near a fabulous coffee shop. Will…read moredefinitely go back!

I can't recommend Austin Gardeners enough! Manuel Soto, the owner, truly has a gift. His artistic…read moreeye and deep understanding of landscaping completely transformed our yard into something beautiful and functional. They rejuvenated our side yards, completely transformed our backyard, and built a stunning outdoor kitchen for us. We've been struggling for years with tricky elevation and irrigation issues along the sides of our house, and Manuel really understood the problem and offered a great solution. His design was not only practical but also visually stunning. We had a pool put in the backyard by Cody Pools and alone it would not be the paradise that it is! The pool is beautiful, but the landscaping truly created a personal paradise! We can't forget about the outdoor kitchen. They built exactly what we wanted and precisely installed all the appliances. What a dream! His crews showed up each day ready to work hard--they put in long hours with care, efficiency, and professionalism. Every person on the team was skilled, respectful, and clearly took pride in their work. If you're looking for someone who combines creativity with technical expertise, Austin Gardeners is the team to call. We're beyond happy with the results!

Chavez at Austin Gardeners was fantastic to work with! Both with the estimation process, plan…read moredesign and during construction. I can't wait for the plants to bloom!

Excellent repair experience, with friendly expertise! I was…read moreable to schedule on short notice, and get my system working.

Santiago inspected my sprinkler system and said I didn't need a new system. Santiago repaired my…read moresystem and saved me time and money! Highly recommended Santiago for your sprinkler needs!