On Monday afternoons and every other Thursday evening, I (wo)man the admission desk at Botanica Gardens in Wichita for 4 hours with another volunteer. I'm one of about overall 900 volunteers. Steve often does his Thursday daily walking at Botanica while I work.
Their big winter event is Illuminations. Here's a link for info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNmqxXUlYAk. It will also give some idea of the garden view at Botanica.
Botanica, The Wichita Gardens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Botanica, The Wichita Gardens | |
|---|---|
Azaleas at Botanica in 2007
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| Type | Botanical gardens |
| Location | 701 North Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203 USA |
| Coordinates | 37°41′46″N 97°21′50″WCoordinates: 37°41′46″N 97°21′50″W |
| Area | 17.6 acres (71,000 m2) |
| Created | 1987 |
Botanica, The Wichita Gardens was opened in 1987 as a collaboration between the Wichita Area Garden Council and the City of Wichita. Originally it had four gardens and now encompasses 17.6 acres (7.12 hectares) of botanical gardens located at 701 North Amidon, Wichita, Kansas, USA. They are city-owned as part of the Wichita Park System and are operated by Botanica, Inc. a non-profit 501(c)3.
The gardens include: an aquatic collection; butterfly garden and 2,880 square foot (270 m²) butterfly house featuring pansy exhibits during the winter; greenhouse for tropical plants; juniper collection with more than 30 types of junipers;peony collection of 104 cultivars; pinetum; rock garden with sedum and sempervivum; rose garden with more than 350 rose plants; sensory garden; Shakespearean garden; woodlands with azaleas, dogwoods, elm, hackberry, honey locust,mulberry, osage orange, and redbuds; and Xeriscape demonstration garden.
Botanica opened the Downing Children's Garden in July 2011 and features several themed areas including the monster woods, salamander stream, granddaddy's musical maze, a rainbow and sunflower fountain and plaza.
A new events center opened in 2014 which will hold 299 people in chairs or 240 at tables. The inspiration for it came from the wood-and-glass Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. “It’s not a church but it can give that feeling, particularly when you have something spiritual like a wedding. It has that ambiance.” Botanica hosts more than 200 weddings a year, bringing in about 27 percent of its revenue, but it wasn’t built with such rentals in mind.
In May 2014, it was announced the 1949 Carousel from the former Joyland Amusement Park was donated to the Botanica and would be placed in the Downing Children's Garden.
In June 2015, the Chinese Garden of Friendship opened. Here are some pictures I took from there:
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| Dragon Guardian |
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| Leak Window |
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| Foo Dog |
Of course, there are lots of koi fish ponds! The center picture shows the backbone of the dragon and his back legs. Two Foo Dogs guard the entrance to the Chinese garden. This garden borders the Lotus Room where many activities occur.
This year they opened a coffee shop, visitor library, and children's library with storytime. There's a big patronage of homeschooled children and.boy and girl scouts. Many educational opportunities are offered for children and families of all ages.
There are always activities and events happening at Botanica. Check out their website at http://botanica.org/
Until next time....
Stop and smell the flowers!
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