A new attraction has sprouted up at Texas A&M University: a 7-acre public teaching garden.
The Leach Teaching Garden, tucked away in west campus, will open tomorrow, Friday, June 15 at 9:30 a.m. and was created to give A&M students and visitors an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while offering the university a place to showcase its internationally recognized plant breeding programs.
The $12 million teaching garden has 21 themed gardens, an outdoor classroom, an event lawn, demonstration area and a pavilion. There are also areas set aside for university research.
“The 21 themed garden rooms and 250-plus species and varieties of plants, flowers, trees and shrubs really make this garden the premier spot for teaching, research and outreach,” said Joseph Johnson, gardens manager.”
Once inside the new space, visitors will find displays like the Mexican Heritage and German Heritage gardens, the wine grape vineyard, a fruit orchard, a citrus grove, an herb garden and even a maroon and white garden filled with maroon plant varieties developed right at Texas A&M.
The Gardens feature more than 300 trees including eight pecan, eight citrus, 19 fruit trees and more than 143 ornamentals.
The newly unveiled space is the first phase of a planned 27-acre garden and teaching area, which has been in the works since 2011.
Future phases of the garden will include outdoor venues for performing arts, films, celebrations and social events, a learning center, a rose garden and a children’s garden.
The Leach Teaching Garden is named for donors Tim and Amy Leach.
The public garden is open daily from dawn to dusk and admission is free.
The Leach Teaching Garden is located at 600 John Kimbrough Blvd., College Station.