Nestled in the bustling city of Houston are three unique gardens providing serene escapes and stunning photo opportunities. Each location offers a unique blend of natural beauty, thoughtful design and cultural significance, perfect for not-so-average holiday snapshots.
Take a different approach this holiday season by visiting Houston’s Japanese Garden, Waterwall Park or Mercer Botanic Gardens for a refreshing change from the city’s generic holiday photo spots.
Houston’s Japanese Garden
Houston’s Japanese Garden’s is a 5.5-acre garden located in Hermann Park.
The garden was designed by the Tokyo landscape designer Takeshi “Ken” Nakajima in 1992.
Ken Nakajima was an influential landscape architect and designer of Japanese gardens. Born in Japan in 1914, Nakajima graduated from the Tokyo University of Agriculture in 1937. In 1957, he started his own company called Consolidated Garden Research, based in Tokyo.
Representing the friendship between Japan and the United States, these Japanese gardens integrate Japanese structures, sculptured plantings, stone lanterns, a waterfall and gravel paths to create a fresh breath of air in a tranquil space perfect for extremely unique holiday pictures.
Whether for family portraits or solo pictures, the natural lights in these gardens are often softened by the surrounding trees, creating stunning, naturally lit shots.
Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park is a beautiful waterfall suited for all types of unique photoshoots. This place is a big waterfall placed in the middle of a field right in front of a big skyscraper.
In 1982, architects John Burgee and Philip Johnson along with Gerald D. Hines began working on the Transco Tower. In 1985, the waterfall opened to the public.
There are vast channeled sheets from the narrower top to the wider base below creating a visually striking urban waterfall viewable from various buildings around the region.
The main building material of the fountain is St. Joe brick. The Romanesque arches are made of Indiana Buss limestone while the wall’s base is black granite. The entire fountain’s water supply, consisting of 78,500 gallons, is recycled by an internal mechanism every three hours and two minutes.
All these components come together to create one of the most fascinating places for a nature-themed holiday shoot.
Mercer Botanic Gardens
Lastly, Mercer Botanic Gardens, is a public botanical garden with landscaped garden beds and natural areas.
In 1974, Charles and Thelma Mercer sold their land to Harris County upon retirement. The Mercers had spent 25 years cultivating a garden in the 14.5 acres of land.
The gardens feature several themed areas, Endangered Species and Native Plant Garden, Herb Garden, Prehistoric Garden, William D. Lee Iris Collection, Tropical Garden and Vegetable Gardens are among the few.
Furthermore, in the Japanese Teahouse at Storey Lake, various species of bamboo coexist creating an incredibly eccentric photoshoot location–a great change from the usual Christmas trees.
These Houston gardens offer the perfect opportunity for non-basic holiday photos. Each garden uniquely balances nature and design, inviting visitors to pause, enjoy and capture the moments within their peaceful landscapes.
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