The center features more than 900 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings and is home to a breadth of educational programs and events.

Miles of walking trails, educational exhibits, a gift store, cafe and biannual sales of native plants round out the offerings.

In 2013, the syndicated television series, Texas Country Reporter, hosted by Bob Phillips, declared the center the No.

The current campus opened in 1995 on a 42-acre site in Southwest Austin on La Crosse Avenue.

Five acres of native plant gardens and landscapes, designed by J. Robert Anderson, FASLA (principal), Eleanor McKinney (EMLA) and Darrel Morrison (FASLA), were installed throughout a complex of award-winning buildings designed by Overland Partners to reflect the land and regional architecture of the Texas Hill Country.

The inscription on the Presidential Medal of Freedom award presented to Lady Bird Johnson in 1977 by President Gerald Ford[6] concludes with the words "Her leadership transformed the American landscape and preserved its natural beauty as a national treasure.