The Austin Ikebana Group was founded by Isamu Taniguchi (circa 1902-1992), who started building the Taniguchi Japanese Garden when he was 70 years old. Ikebana is more than simply arranging flowers-its Japanese characters mean “giving life to flowers.” This art form has spiritual and philosophical roots, where the relationship between every flower, stem, branch, leaf, and even container expresses a balanced and harmonious nature. The feelings of the arranger play a key role as well. Members rotate leading demonstrations and workshops. Because members have trained in various schools of Ikebana, including Ohara, Sogetsu, Ikenobo, and Ichiyo, they bring a rich atmosphere of learning and growth to the meetings. This becomes a contemplative practice of expressing gentleness and elegance through the art of flower arrangement. Meetings are monthly on the first Friday at 10am.
Since 1983, the Austin Herb Society has been educating members and the community about herbs, including propagation, landscaping, history, folklore, and culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses of herbs. While our members are united by an interest in herbs, they are also a diverse group of individuals: from gardeners and herbalists to cooks and business owners. AHS members design and maintain the Zilker Herb Garden-a dazzling landscape of color and fragrance that has become a centerpiece of Zilker Botanical Garden. Here, visitors can touch, taste, and smell they way through nearly 200 varieties of herbs, depending on the season. Bees and butterflies dot the beds of basil, lavender, and calendula. There are classic culinary herbs like rosemary, mint, and thyme alongside herbs revered for their health attributes, including aloe and echinacea. In addition to hands-on learning in the Zilker Herb Garden, members enjoy: Monthly meetings with expert speakers on diverse topics (currently via zoom) Educational workshops and seminars throughout the year Study groups focused on culinary herbs and herbal products Field trips to unique gardens and herb-loving businesses Delicious herbal refreshments at our in-person meetings Fellowship with interesting and informed herb lovers Please join us in exploring the wonderful world of herbs! You can also find us on Facebook