The new National Wildflower Research Center facility is the result of an effective collaboration among landscape architects, architects, client and the land. Founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson, the new nine million dollar headquarters promotes the preservation of the regional native flora and the re-establishment of native wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs and trees in planned landscapes. In 1992, the Center began the plans for its new home located on a forty-two acre former ranch site southwest of Austin, Texas and adjacent to the Texas Hill Country. The Center's goal was to sensitively develop a complex of ten buildings; five major garden zones and visitor parking lots that would preserve a landscape laced with limestone fissures and regulate filtered runoff into the Edwards Aquifer.

The landscape architects were brought in to serve a primary role from site programming through construction. Initially, the best building sites were identified, which passed the numerous stringent environmental codes of the City of Austin.

A primary construction goal was to adhere to "total resource conservation." For instance, two thousand cubic yards of native topsoil were stripped and stockpiled then re-spread to save the seedbank. During that time, large quantities of site-collected boulders were set to form stone terraces, which enhanced the natural flora and provided a transition from the naturalistic landscape to the buildings. In addition, the largest rooftop rainwater collection system in North America was incorporated into most buildings and within most gardens. By using this rainwater in a drip and low application irrigation system, the system will become a laboratory of sustainability for the testing of native plant tolerances and growth needs. To further the goal of resource conservation, a tree and native area conservation program was administered at the site. Trees were tagged with a dollar value up to $25,000.00 to indicate the tree's worth if damaged during construction. As a result, only one 6" tree out of more than 800 native oaks, cedar elms, persimmons and ash junipers was lost due to building construction activities. Special care by construction crews included maneuvering large trenching equipment several times to avoid destruction of key stone formations and understory in the important entry walk sequence.

The construction of five stormwater ponds were overseen by the landscape architects, with the goal of preserving trees and using site collected stonework and native plants to stabilize the side slopes. These five ponds collect and vegetatively filter the runoff from the parking areas before it is released into the Critical Water Quality Zone that courses through the center of the site. This zone provides water recharge directly to the Edwards Aquifer below.

There are five major landscape zones: The visitor entrance, parking lot, and entry walk; the central courtyard; sun, shade and meditation gardens; the Demonstration

Garden Complex; and the wildflower meadow and nature trails.

Local state and national publicity and endorsement of the Center, its goals and the power behind its ideas has been generous. The Center has attracted over 60,000 visitors since its opening in April 1995. The Wildflower Center has already received two national, two state and five City awards for architecture, construction, environmental sensitivity and community enhancement.

The landscape architects prepared the landscape character plans for the entire 42 acres and defined land use zones in collaboration with the architectural team. In addition, the landscape architects planned and designed the major drives and parking. Major hardscape elements included flagstone and gravel paths, five low-flow water features reminiscent of natural springs, buildings reflecting Texas mission architectural styles, garden walls for spatial definition between landscape zones, and hand-crafted arbors using local mountain cedar. The planting plans addressed restoration zones, slope stabilization, tree preservation, informal design settings based upon native plant communities, and formal gardens with color themes.

Of particular interest to researchers and visitors is the Homeowner Comparison Gardens where three plots, uniform in size, represent potential for residential front yards. The first garden features a design using all non-native plants. The second garden has the same layout as the first, but in this plot, native plants having the same general characteristics have been substituted for the non-native species. The third garden represents a naturalistic alternative design to the mown lawn and formal beds seen in the first two gardens. All three will be monitored for water needs and maintenance time and materials to quantify native vs. non-native plant usage in formal designs.

Another role of the landscape architects was to analyze pertinent environmental regulations and interpret this information for consultant team members (engineers, architects and contractors) in ways that best communicated the client's wishes. The result was a design philosophy that integrated the client's tight budget, yet allowed contractors the flexibility to solve challenging site preservation problems.

Because the budget did not permit the hiring of a project manager, the landscape architects assumed the duties of site construction management. They provided daily on-site supervision to adhere to a very tight time schedule. This included managing the transplanting of plants from the old site, as well as coordinating the volunteer help comprised of prisoners, girl scouts, senior citizens, and other organizations.