Join the Austin Herb Society on Tuesday, July 7 for a visual presentation, “Oh, the Place We Go!,” featuring member journeys to gardens near and far as well as a garden-inspired “show and tell” of our members’ favorite tools, tips and tricks.

The meeting “travelog” will begin with a visual visit to breath-taking Lotusland in Montecito, Calif., where a group of AHS members traveled last July led by AHS Field Trip Chair Andra Millian. The hillside property spans more than 37 acres featuring rare and exotic specimens, architectural wonders and more than 20 unique themed gardens. Among them, visitors can explore an exquisite Japanese garden, orchard, palmetum and olive allee as well as botanical spaces devoted to bromeliads, ferns, dracaena, cactus, tropical plants, topiary and a stunning water garden dedicated to its namesake lotuses.

Also on the “itinerary” will be images from botanical gardens in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and Wellington, New Zealand, captured by Past-President Molly Ogorzaly, who says these incredible gardens serve as centerpieces for their bustling cities. Horticulture VP Bonnie Orr will provide some stunning images from her recent trip to Croatia, where she says herbs grow wild throughout the landscape.

Communication Co-VP Norise Jastillana will share photos from the stunning, 140-acre Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, where visitors can view 50,000 desert plants, including cactus, succulents and desert wildflowers, amid the vivid red rocks of Papago Park.

AHS members are invited to share their own botanical adventures and are also encourged to bring and/or describe a beloved or tried-and-true garden tool, technique and plant as part of the program.

For more information on the program or the Austin Herb Society, email: theaustinherbsociety@gmail.com.