Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

The Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is a 300-acre botanical garden and preserve on the southwestern edge of Overland Park, Kansas, operated by the City of Overland Park. Opened in 1991, it includes nearly six miles of trails, two bridges across Wolf Creek, and a series of themed gardens — most famously the Monet Garden, a one-acre recreation of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series that opened in 2003. About 85% of the site preserves natural ecosystems across eight habitat types.¹

Overview

Location	8909 W 179th St, Overland Park, KS — a mile west of US 691
Size	300 acres (120 ha)1
Opened	19911
Operator	City of Overland Park1
Trails	~6 miles, with two bridges across Wolf Creek (a Blue River tributary)1
Natural preserve	~85% of site1
Ecosystems	Eight identified habitat types (dry-mesic prairie to riparian woodland)1
Signature garden	Monet Garden (2003) — 1-acre recreation of Monet’s Water Lilies1

History

The arboretum opened in 1991 on a 300-acre tract about a mile west of US Highway 69 on 179th Street, near the southwestern edge of Overland Park. It is operated by the City of Overland Park.¹

Roughly 85% of the site preserves natural ecosystems, with eight identified habitat types ranging from dry-mesic prairie to riparian woodland. The grounds include mature trees and limestone bluffs, with nearly six miles of trails and two bridges across Wolf Creek (a tributary of the Blue River), supporting native species including big bluestem grasses, oaks, and hickories.¹

Themed gardens

• Welcome Garden — 1991¹
• Erickson Water Garden — 1996 (aquatic plants and wildflowers)¹
• Cohen Iris Garden — 2001¹
• Monet Garden — 2003 — “a one-acre recreation of the famous Water Lilies series by Claude Monet”¹
• Train Garden — 2012–2019, multi-phase railroad display¹
• Stous Promenade — 2015, wedding venue¹

Additional facilities include the Children’s Discovery Garden and event/reception spaces for weddings and educational programs.¹

Sources

See also

• overland-park
• johnson-county-ks
• deanna-rose-childrens-farmstead
• powell-gardens
• Wiki

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia — “Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.” — asserts: 300-acre (120 ha) size; location a mile west of US 69 on 179th Street in Overland Park, Kansas; opening 1991; operation by the City of Overland Park; ~6 miles of trails with two bridges across Wolf Creek (a Blue River tributary); ~85% of site as natural preserve; eight identified ecosystem types; themed gardens with opening dates (Welcome 1991, Erickson Water 1996, Cohen Iris 2001, Monet 2003, Train Garden 2012–2019, Stous Promenade 2015); Children’s Discovery Garden. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸