Overland Park, Kansas
Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Overland Park, Kansas
The 300-acre Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens was recently named one of the Top 10 Glorious Gardens to Explore by Yahoo! Travel.
For homeowners looking for ideas, xeriscape (zer-i-scape) gardens that demonstrate water-wise plantings and design are located next to the visitor’s center. Other attractions include:
Erickson Water Garden with unusual aquatic and bog plants, as well as more than 40 varieties of daffodils and other spring bulbs.
The Legacy Garden and Ailie’s Glade features plants native to Kansas.
A Children’s Discovery Garden with lots to do, including a frog pond, grass maze, incredible shrinking tunnel, and fossil dig.
The Marder Woodland Garden is lovely, with Paw-paw, ferns, dogwood, hickory, jack in the pulpit, mayapples, and there are rhododendrons and azaleas as well.
Hiking Trails wind through the arboretum for all fitness levels. There’s a half-mile asphalt “country road” path with benches. Or, if you’re up to more — nearly five miles of paved and wood chip trails that cross two 75-foot bridges that span Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Blue River that bisects the Arboretum. There are also more challenging trails along limestone bluffs that take you to the prairie and through a cedar forest, redbud and hickory groves.
What’s Special
There’s a one-acre Monet Garden attempts to replicate the blending of colors, light, and shapes found in Monet’s own garden in France. There’s a replica of the famous bridge, weeping willow and lotus pond
Visiting
Open seven days a week, except closed Christmas Day
Admission to the Arboretum is free on Tuesdays
8909 W. 179 St.
Overland Park, KS 66085
913-685-3604[ info ]