Last chance to play at Fortlandia at Wildflower Center

Once a year, designers taxable originative fort designs to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The winning forts go portion of the garden’s yearly Fortlandia event. For a fewer months, kids get to play connected them — climbing, leaping, crawling, lounging, and chasing done them. I ever spell sojourn to spot the amusive designs the makers travel up with.

By the way, Fortlandia ends this Thursday, February 4th, truthful if you privation to spot the forts — and possibly play connected them yourself — spell soon.

Texas Wild Cards

My favourite fort this twelvemonth was Texas Wild Cards by Jen Robichaux. Who hasn’t had amusive gathering a location of cards arsenic a kid? Now you tin play wrong one!

Jen’s sturdy cards diagnostic the autochthonal flora and fauna of Texas.

Bluebonnets are the star, of course.

What a charming fort, and kids seemed to bask it too.

According to Jen’s website, she’s making existent playing cards with these designs too.

Bloom Boxes

Bloom Boxes by Coxist Studio represents pixelated colorful wildflowers that carpet the countryside successful spring. These rainbow-hued boxes person tons of crawling and hiding places for kids to explore.

Bluebonnet Bend

Bluebonnet Bend by Point B Design Group has winding crawl-and-climb spaces and is painted that distinctive bluebonnet blue.

House of Birds and Words

House of Birds and Words was built by Bluebird Speech‘s Beata Longo, a speech-language pathologist.

On the exterior walls, it shows the names of birds successful motion connection and braille.

Inside, vertebrate voices are written connected the walls.

It’s cute, though I wonderment if immoderate kids really bash the reading, oregon if that’s chiefly to entertain parents.

Chutes and Ladders

Chutes and Ladders by Designtrait Architects has colorful, abstract florals and ramps to get inside. Slides connection speedy “chutes” backmost down to earth.

Monkey Bar Fort

The colorful Monkey Bar Fort was created by Ria Bravo for old-fashioned climbing fun.

Wormholes

Wormholes by sculptor Brent Baggett of Oculi Studio has a trippy signifier and peekaboo windows. It “invites visitors to squirm and wiggle their mode done spiraling passageways arsenic they ideate themselves successful a subterranean world.” I similar it!

I someway missed seeing Creature Feature by Rialto Studio and Wisteria by Shelley McDavid. But I’m definite they are arsenic amusive and person been played connected nonstop during different play of Fortlandia.

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Digging Deeper

Attend the 3rd yearly Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival connected March 16th astatine the John Fairey Garden successful Hempstead. Rare and distinctive plants from the garden’s nursery and from prime works vendors volition beryllium for sale. Additional offerings see art, ceramics, jewelry, food, music, and presentations. Admission: $5 for members, $10 for non-members, children nether 12 free. Hours: 10 americium to 4 pm; members get aboriginal admittance astatine 9 americium (memberships disposable connected time of event).

Come retired to Austin’s Mayfield Park connected April 6th for the Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium & Fundraiser, 8:30 to 11 am. This yearly payment for the parkland includes a raffle, works sale, and plot speakers.

Come larn astir gardening and plan astatine Garden Spark! I signifier in-person talks by inspiring designers, scenery architects, authors, and gardeners a fewer times a twelvemonth successful Austin. These are limited-attendance events that merchantability retired quickly, truthful articulation the Garden Spark email database to beryllium notified successful advance; simply click this nexus and inquire to beryllium added. Season 8 kicks disconnected successful autumn 2024. Stay tuned for much info!

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The station Last accidental to play astatine Fortlandia astatine Wildflower Center appeared archetypal connected Digging.