HCR37 - Designating Nacogdoches as the official Garden Capital of Texas for a 10-year period ending in 2035.

      By: Shofner H.C.R. No. 37       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is renowned for the beauty and   diversity of its many public gardens and parks and for the   dedication its residents have demonstrated to preserving and   sustaining these oases of greenery; and          WHEREAS, While outstanding gardens can be found in many   communities throughout the state, the city of Nacogdoches has   distinguished itself for the number and variety of its green and   flowering public spaces; and          WHEREAS, Nacogdoches is located on a site once occupied by   members of the Nacogdoche tribe, a group of the Caddo people whose   culture was based on farming; a Spanish mission was established   there in 1716, and the town has been a civil settlement since 1779;   as early as 1853, the city's gardens were noted in the diary of a   famous visitor, Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who   later designed New York's Central Park and numerous other iconic   public spaces around the nation; and          WHEREAS, Today, Nacogdoches helps to preserve the state's   horticultural heritage through re-creations of traditional gardens   at the Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, the Sterne-Hoya   House Museum and Library, Millard's Crossing Historic Village, and   the Old Nacogdoches University Building; and          WHEREAS, The city's splendid green spaces also include   Eugenia Sterne Park, Margil Park, Zion Hill Baptist Church   Cemetery, Oak Grove Cemetery, and the Pocket Park and the Plaza   Principal in the historic downtown; moreover, Liberty Memorial   Garden commemorates with dignity and grace the lives lost during   the tragic events of 9/11; and          WHEREAS, Nacogdoches is home to Stephen F. Austin State   University, which is landscaped with overstory and ornamental trees   to maintain the Pineywoods ecosystem and the natural beauty of the   campus; the university's 138 acres of gardens include the SFA Mast   Arboretum, the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, the Gayla Mize   Garden, the Jim and Beth Kingham Children's Garden, the Plantery,   and Jimmy Hinds Park; in addition, the Baldcypress Collection and   the Crape Myrtle Collection are renowned for their impressive   display of those species; each year, SFA Gardens hosts programs   that provide information on sustainable gardening and the   preservation of native plants, while the Nacogdoches Independent   School District supports initiatives that encourage students to   maintain and study gardens on the grounds of their schools; and          WHEREAS, Home of the annual Nacogdoches Azalea Trail each   March, the community was the first to be recognized as part of the   Azalea Society of America's Azalea City Program in 2004 and was   recertified in 2012; the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden on the SFA   campus is the largest such garden in the state, with more than 7,000   evergreen and native azaleas on display; another of the city's   notable sites is the Nacogdoches County Master Gardeners   Demonstration Garden on the former site of Aqua Vitae Park, which   was developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in   cooperation with the city and Nacogdoches County; and          WHEREAS, The thoughtful cultivation of the splendor of nature   is one of the most sublime expressions of the human spirit, and the   skill and devotion with which the city of Nacogdoches has showcased   its lovely trees and flowering plants is indeed deserving of   special recognition; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby designate Nacogdoches as the official Garden Capital of   Texas; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of   Section 391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in   effect until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is   finally passed by the legislature.