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Places to See Natives
“Biological diversity is the key to the maintenance of the world as we know it.”
~ E.O. Wilson, Biodiversity
Looking for a great public garden that uses native plants, an inspirational walk in a woodland filled with spring blooming wildflowers or a vista of an untouched prairie? Use this area of our site as your roadmap!
The Dyck Arboretum, a prairie garden, exists to educate people about the benefits of appreciating, preserving and utilizing native and adaptable plants. The public garden is on the campus of Hesston College, 177 West Hickory Street, Hesston, KS 67062 Phone: (620) 327-8127.
Featuring 79 acres of horticultural displays, including an extensive use of native plants, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a sight to behold. MBG is a leader in botanical research, with research projects in every corner of the world. When you visit the garden, be sure to see the Kemper Center for Home Gardening’s Native Plant Display Garden. The garden is at 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: (314) 577-5125.
The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Web site offers a host of resources for gardeners: horticultural information and links, recommended plants for the Great Plains region, an interactive guide to wildflowers, a listing of public gardens, community landscaping grants, information on how to start an arboretum and more.
Powell Gardens is a not-for-profit, 915-acre, botanical garden just east of Kansas City. Its purpose is to inspire people to appreciate, beautify and conserve our natural environment by providing a peaceful setting with opportunities for learning and reflection. Powell Gardens uses a wide variety of native plants in its many gardens. It is at 1609 NW U.S. Highway 50, Kingsville, MO 64061. Phone: (816) 697-2600.
The 180-acre Prairie Garden Trust provides a relaxed setting in central Missouri where people can learn about the natural environment by visiting a variety of native landscape settings. Fourteen distinct areas showcase prairies, savannahs, wetlands and woodlands. Self-guided tours may be scheduled by writing to Prairie Garden Trust, 8945 County Road 431, New Bloomfield, MO 65063.
Shaw Nature Reserve, an extension of the Missouri Botanical Garden, includes 2,500 acres of natural Ozark landscape and managed plant collections. Located 35 miles southwest of St. Louis in Gray Summit, Missouri, it provides environmental education, ecological research and public enjoyment of the natural world. Write to them at PO Box 38, Gray Summit, MO 63039. Phone: (636) 451-3512.
Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House and Education Center in Chesterfield, Missouri, has a variety of butterfly-attracting landscape examples, including the outdoor Native Plant Habitat, which is a “backyard” demonstration garden. Plants were selected to provide habitat for the specific animals found in Faust Park and serve as host plants for caterpillars and nectar sources for native butterflies.
