Residents of Johnson City and surrounding areas enjoyed a celebration of native wildflowers in the Heart of the Texas Hill Country on April 5th - 6th at the Old Lumber Yard in downtown Johnson City. The event was a great success.
The weather was cool and breezy but not rainy, and many came out to enjoy all that downtown Johnson City has to offer including an eclectic blend of novel shops and eateries.
Coordinator Melissa Broughton said, “This was the first Wildflower Festival in Johnson City and we are hoping it will continue to be held the first weekend of April annually as we celebrate the native wildflowers that grow well here.”
“We want to bring more folks into JC to recognize what a wonderful small town it is, and to recognize the beauty of the native plants of Texas as we celebrate that piece of Texas. So many just drive through JC on their way to Fredericksburg. The ones who do stop and visit are so glad that they did.”
“I have carefully curated a Vendor Market which was open during the Festival and which emphasizes wildflowers and wellness. The Market included about 20 products such as Texas organic coffee, cold pressed juices, and pressed flower jewelry.”
Live music was provided by well-known local musicians Water & Sticks. Farmhouse Winery hosted a Sip Wine & Paint Workshop on both days of the Festival, and kids’ activities were also provided which helped to create a family friendly event.
The Johnson City Alliance is a group of business owners who are passionate about the community collaboration and are helping to court mostly retail as they strive to help businesses and business owners. Broughton thanked them for their help.
“The group has a great exchange of help and energy. We are excited about the opportunity to come together and work together.”
Broughton also thanked the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, Explore JCTX, and Farmhouse Vineyards for providing wine for the Q&A at the Science Mill on April 4.
The Science Mill graciously hosted the Q&A session to recognize and celebrate the local historic connection with Lady Bird Johnson.
Dennis Fagan, Lady Bird’s photographer of 20 years during the time of her work with Texas Wildflowers is a great story teller and was on hand to share some wonderful stories about Lady Bird’s passion for wildflowers.
“It’s been fun for me to see the excitement of the local community, and this has been a huge collaborative effort as we support our community and local businesses. In the future tourists will help our local restaurants and retailers.
We believe in planting seeds,” Broughton said.
The June Bloom Lavendar store is owned by Broughton and is located in the Old Lumber Yard. Broughton became a lavender farmer in Santa Barbara County, California about 15 years ago. Since then, she has nurtured her crop there and each summer she brings the lavender to Texas in a moving truck.
“It’s really easy to grow lavender in California because it’s resilient and drought tolerant. Lavendar only needs to be harvested once a year. Some of my plants are 20 years old and as a solo farmer if I had to constantly replant plants I would be unable to operate my business.”
Broughton has researched lavender production in Texas and has great respect for those who are willing to try to grow lavender here in spite of the challenges.
“I love living in the Texas Hill Country and am in awe of the wildflowers. Although it doesn’t have the best lavender growing conditions there are some success stories of lavender grown in Texas. I have the best of both worlds, living in Johnson City, Texas although my plants are happy in California. I love the community support for my business here.”
Broughton’s first career was in mental health and she said that horticulture therapy is a very real and beneficial aspect of self-care. “Physiological benefits are increased serotonin which makes us happy as we work with living things. Looking at the beautiful wildflowers also makes us feel good.”
