Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, passes over the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, July 9, 2024
Who Swarmed Langley Air Force Base With Drones?
about 21 hours ago
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
2 days ago
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
3 days ago
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Texas Galveston Betty Head Oleander Garden Park

Betty Head Oleander Garden Park

The deadly but beautiful ornamental oleander was planted all over the island of Galveston after the hurricane of 1900.

Galveston, Texas

Added By
Melissa Marshall
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Oleander   Alvesgaspar/Wikimedia
Oleander   Alvesgaspar/Wikimedia
  Paula Jean
  Paula Jean
  Paula Jean
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

The island city of Galveston, Texas has dubbed itself "The Oleander City" after the deadly but beautiful ornamental plant that was planted all over the island after the Hurricane of 1900 devastated the island's landscape.

Oleander and the climate and soil of Galveston are a great match, and the plants thrive in private and public spaces across the island. Galveston's International Oleander Society maintains this small, but lovely park in which many colorful varieties of the eponymous plant grow and bloom. A walkway, fountain and benches invite visitors to enjoy the garden, and the society holds events there, especially when the flowers bloom in summer through the fall.

Related Tags

Horticulture Gardens Poison Parks Plants

Community Contributors

Added By

Melissa Marshall

Edited By

revolg1, Allison

  • revolg1
  • Allison

Published

June 11, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Betty Head Oleander Garden Park
2624 Sealy Ave‎
Galveston, Texas
United States
29.30008, -94.796148
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa

Galveston, Texas

miles away

Bryan Museum

Galveston, Texas

miles away

The Grand 1894 Opera House

Galveston, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Galveston

Galveston

Texas

Places 10

Nearby Places

Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa

Galveston, Texas

miles away

Bryan Museum

Galveston, Texas

miles away

The Grand 1894 Opera House

Galveston, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Galveston

Galveston

Texas

Places 10

Related Stories and Lists

Where the Deadly Things Grow

poison

By Melissa Marshall

Related Places

  • The rhododendron garden in May.

    Portland, Oregon

    Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

    Nestled between a college and a golf course, the garden is home to more than 2,500 rhododendrons.

  • Tunnel into the garden.

    Alnwick, England

    Alnwick Poison Garden

    The sign at the garden gate reads: "These Plants Can Kill."

  • Kodaira, Japan

    Tokyo Metropolitan Medicinal Botanical Garden

    Home to a garden of poisonous plants and the only legal cannabis and opium farms in Tokyo.

  • A rare Franciscan manzanita, similar to the one that led to Rowntree’s nighttime raid to save one of the endangered plants. She admitted that she’d “garnered it ghoulishly in a gunnysack.”

    Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

    Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden

    Named for a self-taught botanist who cataloged hundreds of native plants, this garden continues her work of preserving California plant life.

  • The French Greenhouse

    Rome, Italy

    Orto Botanico di Roma

    An oasis of beauty, tranquility and botanical research in the middle of Rome.

  • Some two dozen white tubes sit in front of a triangle lattice wall

    Ibiza, Spain

    Bibo Park Ibiza Botánico Biotecnológico

    This Ibiza botanical garden showcases some wild machines that run on plants, literally.

  • Reader Rock Garden

    Calgary, Alberta

    Reader Rock Garden

    A Victorian garden in a harsh climate at the border of the prairies and foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

  • Pergola - The Garden of Sweet Remembrance

    Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

    Garden of Sweet Remembrance

    All that remains of the Whittall mansion are the ruins of the formal garden and its pergola, dedicated to the late Matthew J. Whittall by his widow.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.