Here are a few more scenes from my mid-October visit to the Dallas Arboretum, which I still have not seen in full despite two visits over the years. Both visits were brief—no more than an hour and a half—so I’ve only discovered bits and pieces of the place. (If you didn’t catch it, do click for my post about the Arboretum’s famous Pumpkin Village.) I generally think of the Arboretum as a public garden with enormous, and enormously popular, annual displays, which don’t entice me all that much. But I’m realizing that it also contains some lovely perennial and shrub gardens, as well as interesting and beautiful sculpture, like this piece.

I saw no identifying plaque, so I don’t know the title or artist. But I like it.

A sweep of ‘Fireworks’ gomphrena in full bloom follows a main walkway, backed effectively with an evergreen hedge and orangey red cannas.

A closer look reveals a beautiful color echo, with the purple-maroon leaves of clipped lorepetalum edging the front of the gomphrena bed.

The Arboretum’s toad fountain is popular with families, inviting the brave (or overheated) to get soaked.

Four bronze toads spew fountains of water into a small plaza, where children run gleefully through the spray. It’s nice to see an interactive water feature like this in a public garden.

A cool, shady allee of crape myrtles leads to the toad fountain, adding its own brand of magic and fun.

For a previous visit to the Dallas Arboretum in early spring, click here.

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