Garden Center Association of Greater Kansas City

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Calendar


July 18th, 2009 - 9:00 am

Cooking with Herbs Workshop

Loose Park Garden Center
5200 Pennsylvania
Kansas City, Missouri 64112

October 24, 2009 - 9:30 am

Peter Loewer: The Evening Garden.

Anita B Gorman Discovery Center
4750 Troost
Kansas City, Missouri 64112

Garden Links

Enjoy our list of Greater Kansas City gardening related sites for reference and gardening know how. Everything from botanic gardens to state extension services and master gardeners are listed for your easy use.

Don't forget to check out our Partners and Affiliate Clubs they offer a wide range of services and education as well.

Botanic Gardens and Arboretums

Powell Gardens
 

Powell Gardens is a private, not-for-profit organization located just east of Kansas City, Missouri, with the mission of inspiring people to appreciate, beautify and conserve our natural environment. The Gardens’ peaceful setting on 915 acres provides opportunities for learning and reflection through a year-round education program, research and special events.

Powell Gardens is known for its spectacular garden displays incorporating native plantings and its contemporary architecture.

The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden

The garden showcases three designs. In the Green Garden, water jumps in a playful octagonal pool, while the secluded Secret Garden features its own distinctive watery accents. The Parterre Garden is home to a majestic long pool where bronze figures by local artist Tom Corbin dance in the water.

Along the brick pathways, pavilions provide a place to relax, pergolas blossom with vines and arbors offer shelter. The conservatory offers a sheltered gathering place for visitors and a site for fragrant seasonal plants encircled by six large palm trees.

All together, the garden features 7,000 plants, with more than 300 varieties that include vintage and modern perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs and trees.

Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

The Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens was founded to keep the city at the forefront of environmental and ecological issues. A  leader of environmentally sound community development, the Arboretum is an educational, recreational and cultural resource for the Kansas City region.

About 85 percent of the property is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. The remaining portion includes traditional botanical gardens, the Environmental Education Visitors Center.
 

Parks and Nature Sanctuaries

Kansas City Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation currently oversees more than 213 parks, 132 miles boulevards and parkways, 49 ornamental fountains, 152 ball diamonds, 10 community centers, 105 tennis courts, five golf courses, five museums and attractions, 30 pools, 47 shelters, dozens of outdoor events, and more than 400 recreational and educational programs.

Loose Park Garden Center

The Loose Park Garden Center was built in 1957 for meetings and horticultural exhibitions of various kinds. The garden center, located in Loose Park, has two large meeting rooms with small kitchens attached to each meeting room. The garden center has a wonderful horticultural library open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Loose Park

Loose Park is one of Kansas City's most beautiful parks. The park is home to the Garden Center Building, a lake, a shelter house, Civil War markers, tennis courts, a wading pool, picnic areas and the famous Rose Garden. The Rose Garden is popular for all types of outdoor special events including theatrical performances and wedding ceremonies.

Kansas City Zoo

The Kansas City Zoo sits on 202 acres of rolling hills in the middle of Swope Park, the second largest urban park in the United States. It is the home to almost 900 animals from six continents. It is operated in conjunction with the Kansas City, Missouri Department of Parks, Recreation and Boulevards.

Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary

This is a private nonprofit nature sanctuary with 100 acres of land. This means we are not supported by city, state, or federal government tax dollars. The Missouri Department of Conservation leases us the Rush Creek Conservation area, but they do not pay for operating costs. 

University Extension and Education

University of Missouri

Iowa State University

Kansas State University

University of Nebraska

Farmer's Markets

Farmer's Community Market of Brookside

The Farmers' Community Market at Brookside is Dedicated to Creating a Unique Partnership between the Community and Farmers that provides High Quality, Local and Organic Products in an atmosphere that is mutually beneficial, wholesome and fun. The Market also helps to support the Border Star PTA.

Garden Resources

Heartland Tree Alliance

The mission of Heartland Tree 
Alliance is to engage people of the greater Kansas City region to take
action and advocate for a healthy community forest. 
Heartland Tree Alliance is the
culmination of the efforts of many organizations, individuals and businesses that have been working on urban forestry issues in the Greater Kansas City region
for many years, primarily from the
Right Tree Right Place coalition, a group formed in response to the devastating ice storm
of early 2002.

Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City 

The Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City includes a large and diverse urban, suburban, and rural area that encompasses the four Missouri counties of Jackson, Cass, Clay, and Platte.
The Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City provide the metropolitan Kansas City area with information, suggested solutions to current or anticipated problems, demonstrations and programs designed to educate the general public about gardening topics. With a special interest in encouraging environmentally sound, responsible and reliable information to the public based on research and approved practices.

Master Gardeners of Johnson County

The Extension Master Gardeners of Johnson County are prepared to answer all your home gardening, lawn care, and horticultural questions. This group of community volunteers receive up-to-date training straight from K-State staff and specialists. Their rapid response Hotline operates five days a week to meet your needs.

Master Gardeners of Wyandotte County

Master Gardeners are members of the local community who work with Cooperative Extension professionals in different aspects of plant science. Persons who become graduate Master Gardeners are given the opportunity to participate as volunteers working through their local Cooperative Extension office to extend information to others in their community. Volunteers are supervised and guided by local Cooperative Extension horticulture advisors.

MU Turf and Ornamental Field Day

Listen up, all you avid gardeners. Do you need help with your lawn and garden? Missouri University is planning this year’s Turfgrass & Ornamental Field Day to be held on July 14, 2009 at the Turf Research Center of South Farms, located at 3600 East New Haven Road, one-quarter mile east of the AC/Grindstone exit off Highway 63 in southeast Columbia. The Field Day will feature a full day of educational opportunities with morning tour groups, extended afternoon workshops and exhibitor demonstrations. For directions to South Farms, visit http://aes.missouri.edu/sfarms.

If you are interested in attending, you can register online at www.MoTOC.org or request a registration form and return it with your payment. The fee is $35 Full Day for MoTOC members and $50 Full Day for non-members.

Open Gardens Online

The moment you have all been waiting for is here. Register your Open Garden or find out who is already having an Open garden. Just log in to the GCA member's only section of Open Gardens.

Not a GCA member? Open Gardens is just another reason you should join today.

For more information about Open Gardens.

Welcome Our Newest Partner Instant Shade

Instant Shade Tree and Plant Center is pleased to be a GCA Business Partner, offering GCA members a 10% discount on trees and shrubs.

Family-owned and operated since 1980, Instant Shade Inc. opened the garden center in 2007. The Instant Shade Tree and Plant Center is at K-7 Highway and Prairie Star Parkway (formerly 95th Street) in western Lenexa.

With 26 acres total and 18 acres devoted to trees alone, Instant Shade Tree and Plant Center is one of the largest garden centers in the Kansas City area. Instant Shade takes pride in having the highest quality stock from the best local and national growers.

All sizes of plants are available from flats of annuals to 4-inch caliper trees. Looking for something bigger? Instant Shade is one of the few companies with 90-inch tree spades capable of transplanting trees around 35 feet tall.

River rock, edging, topsoil, mulch, compost, pottery, statuary, fountains and many other items are on hand to complete your outdoor living space. Tree planting and delivery services also are available.

For more information, go to www.instantshadetree.com or call at 913-397-0999.

See a list of all of our Partners

Speaker Handouts Now Online.

Get the latest speaker handouts online with the GCA. Members can get full access to all the speaker handouts in the members only section. If you are a member and need login information simply email your name and address to info@gardencenterassociation.org and we will send you complete login information.

For non-members that didn't get a copy or Rita Arnold's Plant List from the January 17, 2009 lecture, you can download it here. For members that want Rita's Plant List with all the notes or the complete slide show with the full color photos from the lecture just visit the members only section.

Time to Take a Tree Walk in Loose Park.

leafThe GCA announces a new series of Tree Walks you can take and learn a bit about the trees of Loose Park while enjoying the beauty of one of Kansas City's best loved parks. You can download the walk guides and other materials or pick them up at the Garden Center Building in Loose Park. 

Welcome Our Newest Partner The Sharper Edge.

Stop by the GCA's newest partner The Sharper Edge located at 610 East 135th Street in Kansas City, Missouri 64145. Give them a call at 816-941-3343 and check out their selection of pottery, sculpture and fine gardening accessories. Show them your GCA membership card and save 10% on select purchases.

See a list of all of our Partners

Your Family could be a Tree Explorer in Loose Park.

Spend the day with your kids at the Stanley R. McLane Arboretum at Loose Park and explore the trees. Tree Explorer Field Guides and Backpacks with all the tools needed to explore are available for $15 at the Garden Center Building in Loose Park.

Tree Explorer 

For more information click here