If you haven't visited Powell Gardens, go. I went this weekend and it's a great place to get back to nature, smell the roses (literally) and take some pictures, or do some bird watching.
This Memorial Day children age 12 and under get in free and the fountain is open for splashing! And the flowers on Iris Hill are in peak bloom right now.
Jill Draper, marketing and public relations for the Gardens sent me the below information about Powell Gardens.
Set on 915 acres of lush, rolling hills and windswept meadows, Powell Gardens -- Kansas City's botanical garden -- offers breathtaking display gardens, interesting architecture, a nature trail and a year-round calendar of special events and classes for the entire family.
Garden features include an Island Garden, Perennial Garden, a Rock and Waterfall Garden, a Fountain Garden, a Wildflower Meadow, an indoor conservatory, ever-changing Terrace Gardens and native plantings.
Besides being a gardening enthusiast's dream, Powell Gardens offers unique contemporary architecture. The Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, designed by architect Fay Jones, offers a quiet place for reflection and inspiration. Jones, a native of Arkansas and student of the master Frank Lloyd Wright, is famous for his Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs. In addition to the Chapel, he designed the Visitor Education Center and the Meadow Pavilion. All structures blend with the serene and natural surroundings of the Gardens.
The 18,000-square-foot Visitor Education Center houses Perennial Gifts gift shop, a café and classroom space, plus a glass-topped conservatory.
Events at the Gardens range from major summer exhibits to musical and dance performances, puppet shows and more.
Here's a list of upcoming events:
June 14—Grand opening of the Heartland Harvest Garden
June 21—Father’s Day performance by Dino O’Dell (a longtime children’s entertainer)
July 3—Booms & Blooms annual fireworks display with concert beforehand by the Lee’s Summit Symphony
Aug. 7-9 and 14-16—annual Festival of Butterflies
Oct. 3-4—Harvest Festival and Antique Tractor & Machinery Show
Powell Gardens is open to the public daily year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. November through March and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April through October.
The $9.2 million Heartland Harvest Garden displays more than 2,000 varieties of plants that show where our food comes from, how it’s grown and what works best in our Midwestern climate. The new garden, a 12-acre expansion of Powell Gardens, accomplishes this in a way that is practical, artistic and fun with Tuscan vineyards, French kitchen gardens, Missouri heritage quilts. The formal grounds at Villandry all served as inspiration for the Heartland Harvest Garden.
There’s also a children’s garden called the Fun Foods Farm, a new café called Fresh, sampling stations, food festivals and chefs’ demonstrations on various weekends.
For more on Powell Gardens, click here.
