88th River Oaks Garden Club Azalea Trail

Visit Seven Gardens for $35
March 6, 7, & 8, 2026 
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Parking details are provided in the event confirmation email.

88th Azalea Trail Gardens

Four Private Gardens

Throughout the history of the Azalea Trail, select homeowners have generously offered an intimate look at their beautifully curated private home gardens. In 2026, Azalea Trail goers will be able to tour four private home gardens featuring unique, breathtaking designs. Each home garden offers an abundance of inspiration, including enticing planting combinations, creative concepts, emerging trends, and stunning floral displays. Exact location addresses will be shared on purchased ticket details and order confirmation emails.

Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens at 6003 Memorial Drive

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, a branch of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is an oasis of nature and beauty located just five minutes from downtown Houston, and was one of the first homes built in the new River Oaks subdivision. Ima Hogg and her brothers, Will and Mike Hogg, chose this 14-acre site for their home in 1926. The stately John F. Staub mansion is filled with Miss Hogg’s extensive collection of American antiques and art. Bayou Bend is surrounded by natural woodlands and historical formal gardens, which have been supervised and maintained by ROGC since 1961. The gardens feature multiple varieties of azaleas and camellias, as well as dogwoods and redbuds. A highlight of the trail is the large bed at the southern entrance. This year, the bed will feature 6000 tulip bulbs (Diamond White, Olliocules, and White Proud) and 1500 daffodils (Thalia) planted by members of the ROGC. The Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center, which opened in 2010, is a LEED silver-certified building surrounded by an urban garden with native plants. Also, experience the beauty of Ima Hogg's residence in full bloom for the Azalea Trail. Explore the historic rooms, where stunning floral arrangements are on display.

Rienzi, MFAH house museum for European Decorative Arts and Gardens at 1406 Kirby Drive

Situated on four acres in the heart of River Oaks, Rienzi, the former home of philanthropists Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III, has long been known for its fine collection of European decorative arts, including paintings, furnishings, porcelain, and extensive holdings of miniatures, and its lush gardens and woodland setting. John F. Staub designed the original house in 1952, which he called “Palladian with contemporary.” In 1971, the Mastersons commissioned Hugo Neuhaus to design the opulent ballroom addition. Rienzi was used and enjoyed by the Masterson family until 1997, when the property and its contents were given to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Ralph Ellis Gunn was entrusted with designing the landscape, which features a combination of formal gardens and native plants. Visitors will see numerous young trees planted throughout the estate, thanks to gifts from The Garden Club of Houston, ROGC, and the Sterling-Turner Foundation. Since 1998, Rienzi’s gardens have been maintained by The Garden Club of Houston. Tour the stunning estate and house, adorned with floral installations that mirror the beauty of the home’s permanent collection.

The Forum of Civics Building and Garden, ROGC's Own Garden at 2503 Westheimer Road

Built in 1910 and owned by the River Oaks Garden Club since 1942, the Forum of Civics building is recognized as historically significant and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its gardens provide valuable green space in the heart of the city and are open to the public free of charge.
Initially built as a county school, the building was remodeled in 1927 by John F. Staub as headquarters for the Forum of Civics, founded by Will Hogg. One of the Forum’s projects was the citywide planting of crepe myrtles, roses, and shade trees, all donated by Will Hogg. The Hogg estate bequeathed the building to the University of Texas in 1939 with the stipulation that it continue to be used for educational purposes. When the River Oaks Garden Club purchased the Forum of Civics building, the UT Board of Regents stipulated that the Club “carry on the educational work directed primarily to stimulating knowledge and love of gardening, aiding in the protection of native plants and birds, and encouraging civic planting and planning.”

Trail Details

• Limited wheelchair access; strollers are not recommended
• Children under 14 are free
• No pets and smoking are prohibited at all locations
• Admission is free at The Forum of Civics
• Restrooms are available at Bayou Bend and Rienzi
• The $35 ticket grants you access to all seven gardens and can be used over multiple days, functioning like a punch card.
• No discounts for large groups

* Wheelchair Accessibility: The Forum (located at 2503 Westheimer) is fully wheelchair accessible. There is no charge to visit the Forum, and the gardens there should be in bloom and lovely. There is a handicap restroom and designated handicap parking at The Forum. The Kilroy Visitor Center at Bayou Bend, the first floor of the Bayou Bend house, and the house galleries at Rienzi are wheelchair accessible and have wheelchair accessible entrances. Unfortunately, the gardens at both Bayou Bend and Rienzi, as well as those at the four private homes, are not wheelchair accessible due to steep, difficult terrain, stairs, and other uneven surfaces.

Parking

Put on your walking shoes and get ready to get your steps in while viewing some of Houston’s most beautiful gardens! Parking is available on surrounding streets at all Azalea Trail locations, except for the locations listed below. There will be no shuttle service between the private gardens.

Bayou Bend & Rienzi Shuttle Service

A shuttle will operate between these two locations only:

• Bayou Bend Home and Gardens – 6003 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007
  2940 Lazy Lane Blvd., Houston, TX 77019
• Rienzi – 1406 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX 77019
• Shuttle service is provided only between these locations.

Azalea Trail Proceeds

Azalea Trail proceeds support local landscape and beautification projects, horticulture awareness, conservation, and education projects related to horticulture or conservation, which include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintenance of the Forum of Civics Building and Gardens
• Historical Preservation and Maintenance of Bayou Bend Gardens
• Bayou Bend Garden Endowment, a Charitable Trust for the Care of Bayou Bend Gardens
• The Annual Sadie Gwin Blackburn Environmental Seminar
• Publication of “A Garden Book for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast”