Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center (252 acres) are private
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
s and a nature preserve located in the center of
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Hous ...
.
H. J. Lutcher Stark began work on Shangri La in 1942. His
azalea gardens first opened to the public in 1946, but in the mid-1950s they were destroyed by very cold weather. The area was subsequently closed to the public and maintained on a very limited scale. It was then bequeathed by Nelda C. Stark to the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation (established 1961), which has been working to restore the botanical gardens and create a nature center.
Shangri La contains a mixed deciduous forest, cypress tupelo swamp, wetlands, and a large lake. Many of its trees were heavily damaged or destroyed by
Hurricane Rita in September 2005. The formal Botanical Gardens contain more than 300 plant species in five formal "rooms" as well as four sculpture "rooms." Adjacent to the Botanical Gardens is a bird blind which allows visitors to observe nesting birds in Shangri La’s heronry.
It opened in Spring 2008 to close again for nearly six months due to the damage sustained from Hurricane Ike (Sept. 2008) and was reopened to the public on March 7, 2009.
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is the first project in Texas and the 50th project in the world to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum certification for LEED-NC; the design and construction of Shangri La reached the highest green building and performance measures.
See also
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List of botanical gardens in the United States
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Beaumont Botanical Gardens
The Beaumont Botanical Gardens (23.5 acres), also known as the Tyrrell Park Botanical Gardens, includes botanical gardens and the 10,000 sq ft ''Warren Loose'' '' conservatory''. The gardens are located in 500 acre Tyrrell Park at 6088 Babe Zaha ...
External links
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature CenterStark Foundation programsWH Stark HouseLutcher TheaterStark Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shangri La Botanical Gardens And Nature Center
Botanical gardens in Texas
Nature centers in Texas
Protected areas of Orange County, Texas
Education in Orange County, Texas