The Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City were not what I expected.  It is actually a park for families with flower beds in a lower area.  It covers four city blocks that form a square, but doesn’t seem that big.  Maybe we missed something.

What looks like a blurry picture is actually the result of water mist coming from the Thunder Fountain.  It functions like a sprinkler for children to run through, but of course, has a much more powerful spray coming from above.  Several kids were laughing and playing under it.

The playground is on an upper area with seating.  Stairs lead down to a lower level with a walking loop around a pond.  This is where most of the flowers are.  In the above photo is some kind of Salvia.

This was labeled Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta ‘Tiger Eye Gold’), a native to North America.

The gardens had several symmetrical designs, which made it seem rather formal.

There were lots of Oakleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) under the trees and in other shady areas.  In the background is the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory that looks like a huge glass tube.

Because we chose to visit the gardens in the late afternoon for a cooler walk, the conservatory was closed.  Also, I had hoped to avoid the harsh sunlight in photos.  Ha.  That didn’t happen.

More Oakleaf Hydrangeas line the stairway.

Not sure what these are, but they might be pentas.  I was disappointed that there were no signs for many things.

These look like Hostas to me.  There were lots of new plantings of perennials.  Being further north, maybe the freezes killed what was planted in these beds.

That low sun swept across everything that wasn’t in the shade.

Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya) blooms at the top of the tall stalk with pinkish purple clusters.  Also known by the name Gay Feather, it is a striking sight on prairies and in fields.

These Coneflowers (Echinacea pallida ‘Hula Dancer’) made me smile.  They definitely sway like dancing girls in straw skirts.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a great garden plant because it has such a unique look.  Mine got taken over by the agressive Gregg’s Bluemist.  But butterflies swarm to the Bluemist, so I can live with losing the Yarrow in that spot.  Maybe I’ll try it somewhere else.

This looks like a Zinna hybrid.

This tree root system sculpture was displayed with a warning about touching it.  Guess they didn’t want climbers.  Interesting play of light and shadows.

The sun made the pink of these Petunias almost psychedelic.

This small waterfall empties into a stream that flows into the pond.

Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’) is a North American native.  Now I know where the inspiration for the plastic clusters of white berries came from.  These are sold in the artificial flowers section of several craft stores.

More Salvia.

Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) is also from North America.  I really like the look, and how it is used in a narrow bed along a wall.

This pot contained a variety of plants including an Oleander, Coleus, Plumbago, purple Potato Vine and Verbena.

I enjoy strolling through almost any garden, but this one was not on my favorites list.  To be fair, we did not see inside the conservatory.

“Note to self:  just because it pops into my head does not mean it should come out of my mouth.” t-shirt humor or wisdom?