See The Gardens Glow at Illuminations!

Come see the Gardens glow! Join us for Illuminations, a family-friendly event that showcases Botanica's 9 1/2 acres in a completely different light. More than 4,000 luminaries and tens of thousands of lights combine with nature to create a stunning atmosphere and a "HO, HO, HO" lot of holiday fun! Get into the holiday spirit with a visit from Santa Claus, live music, warm drinks and homemade goodies.

The event runs on December 5-7 and 10-14 from 5:30-8:30pm each night.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Botanica. Tickets are $7 for adults ($6 for Botanica members) and $3 for children 2-12.

Call 264-0448 or log on to www.botanica.org for more information.

Robin Macy in Concert- Thursday, Oct 9

We invite you to celebrate the garden with us for our final Concert in the Gardens in 2008, as Robin Macy and friends entertain you with their "Songs From The Garden."
This will also be the Wichita public debut of Macy's new group, The Cherokee Maidens, featuring Jennifer Pettersen and Monica Taylor singing western swing in three-part harmony.

The concert begins at 7pm. A catered meal is available for purchase or you are welcome to bring in a picnic.

Tickets are $12 ($10 for Botanica members) and are available for purchase in advance by calling 316-264-0448.

Gallery In The Gardens is September 21

Celebrating its sixth year, we invite you to experience Gallery in the Gardens, a unique art show and sale set against the beautiful backdrop of Botanica’s 25 themed gardens. Art combines with nature as more than twenty-five artists from across Kansas provide a wide variety of quality artwork, including: paintings, jewelry, photography, pottery, fibers, glass, sculpture and more. The event runs from 10:00am-5:00pm on September 21 and is $6 per person at the door.

Early Opening for Members this Saturday

Don't forget, the Garden gates open at 7am for members this Saturday, September 6. Enjoy complimentary donuts and coffee and see the Gardens as they wake up! Take a relaxing morning stroll, capture a few photographs or get inspiration for your yard. It's a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Hosta Lecture on September 3

Members of the Hosta Society of Wichita recently transformed part of the Beverly Blue Garden, dedicating an area to all of the Hostas of the Year. Join Karl Miller, gardening enthusiast and past-president of the Hosta Society of Wichita, for a Lunchtime Lecture on the design and construction of the garden and learn about the highly acclaimed hostas that are planted in it.
Lecture is Wednesday, September 3 from 12:15-1:00pm and is included with membership or garden admission.

Gardens open on Labor Day

Don't forget to enjoy the Gardens on your day off! For your viewing pleasure, Botanica will be open from 9am-5pm on Labor Day. Enjoy the beautiful color and design of our summer annuals, combined with wildflowers, waterlilies and more than 80 creative containers.

Live Butterfly Release TUESDAY at 10:30

Join us on Tuesday, August 26 at 10:30am for the opportunity to release a live butterfly into the Butterfly House.
Included with garden admission or membership.

FREE Admission Saturday, August 23!!!

Enjoy free admission to the Gardens this Saturday, August 23, from 9am-5pm thanks to the Wichita Daylily Club. While you are here enjoying the Gardens, make sure to stop by the Club's annual daylily sale from 10am-3pm and pick up a few new varieties to add to your landscape.

Victoria Water Platters: Now in bloom!

These summer stunners are now in bloom on the Boeing Pond. The Victoria amazonica, or Victoria Water Platter, is native to the quiet shallow waters in tropical South America, but each summer they make an appearance at Botanica. They are noted for the huge size of their leaves (4-6 feet in diameter) and their night-blooming, pineapple-scented flowers that bloom in the summer (opening at dusk and closing by noon). Each flower only lasts 2-3 days, opening white, but turning pink to rose-purple as it ages. Catch them now on the pond!

Enjoy an Italian feast at Alfresco Gala

There’s no better way to enjoy the summer weather than relaxing with friends and family at
Botanica’s 8th annual Alfresco Gala, June 29th at 6:30pm, feasting on some of the finest food and drink in Wichita. Soak up the summer breeze while sipping on tasty cocktails and savoring gourmet dishes as Botanica’s themed gardens become the ethereal backdrop for this culinary experience.What makes this event even better is that it is a fundraiser for Botanica, a premier community attraction that generatesenthusiasm for horticulture and enlightens people through educational, artistic and cultural experiences. This event will be a night to remember, but your contribution will have a lasting benefit for the Gardens. Please join us for great food, fun and flowers.

Tickets are $75 per person. Reservations required by June 25. Call Jamee Ross at 316-264-0448 to make your reservation.

Woodland Bird Garden OPENS June 15!

Come celebrate the grand opening of Botanica's 25th themed garden as the Woodland Bird Garden opens June 15 at 1:00. The Woodland Bird Garden is an enhanced natural habitat that features more than 300 newly planted trees and shrubs with a variety of perennials that will be a source of food and shelter for a variety of birds year-round and some splashy annuals for color. See the plants that will attract and support bird populations, view some of the more than 93 species of birds that call Botanica home throughout the year and learn how you can enhance your habitat to attract our feathered friends.
For your viewing pleasure the Woodland Bird Garden will be open starting June 15 from Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm.

The BIG bulb sale continues on May 16

The big tulip bulb sale continues! The last of our tulips will be sold for $0.15 a piece at 8am on Friday, May 16.
Start digging for nickels and dimes, grab your garden gloves and bring a plastic bag or two to take your bulbs home.

Rare Plant Auction this Sunday!

Join the Wichita Garden Council for their Rare Plant Auction, Sunday April 27 at 7pm. Bid on rare, hard to find, and extremely new trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and tropicals.
Here are just a few of the more than 50 plants that will be up for bid:
African Mask
Bird of Paradise Bush
Black Tulip Magnolia Tree
Clerodendron 'Blue Butterfly'
Desert Willow
Dwarf Bald Cypress
Dwarf Blue Atlas Cedar
Golden Chain Tree
Hosta 'Fragrant Dreams'
Japanese Maple 'Beni Shichihenge'
Japanese Variegated Falopia
New Dawn Viburnum
Pee Gee Hydrangea on a standard
Pink Princess Philodendron
Seven Son Flower Tree
Snail Vine
Spring Cactus
Threadleaf Arborvitae on a standard
White Fringe Tree
Yellow Bird Magnolia

Admission is $2, FREE for members and light snacks and beverages will be served. Auctioned items will benefit your landscape and proceeds from the auction benefit Botanica.

The BIG Bulb Sale!

The big tulip bulb sale that is! That's right, after their bloom season, we sell our tulip bulbs for $0.15 a piece! With more than 90 varieties to choose from, there are plenty of colors and types to make a colorful impact on your yard next spring.
We dig them up as they finish up, so each week we'll have new varieties for sale.
Mark your calendars for the following dates and times:
April 17: beginning at 8am,
April 24: at 8am and
May 1: beginning at 8am
Start digging for nickels and dimes, grab your garden gloves and bring a plastic bag or two to take your bulbs home.

And if you haven't been to Botanica to see the tulips this spring- don't wait, visit The Gardens today!

Rose Pruning Workshop APRIL 6!

Mystified as to how to prune your roses? Don’t know how much to prune, when to prune or if you even need to prune them? Join members of the Wichita Rose Society from 1-3pm on SUNDAY, APRIL 6 for a workshop on Spring Care for Roses. Participate in hands-on demonstrations for pruning different types of roses, and get information on the tools you need and how to care for them. Gain tips on how to rejuvenate old roses, what to look for when you buy new roses, and what to do when fertilizing for spring. Bring your questions and your pruners, as we will head out to the Brosius Rose Garden after the presentation for some hands-on training in pruning. Fee is $5. No registration is required.

Get your gardening questions ANSWERED!

Think about it…we’re all guilty of the same thing. When we have a question about our gardens at home, we attempt to hunt down the one person that has the answer- our Landscape Supervisor, Pat McKernan.
We are excited to announce the start of a 17-week promotion with 104.5 The Fox that will give you the opportunity to get your gardening questions answered.

Log on to www.1045thefox.com and click on Gardening Tips with Steve Campbell or simply e-mail your question to Steve at scampbell@1045thefox.com.

Each week, Steve will select a question to have Pat answer during his show on Friday afternoon. The person who submits the “winning” question will get their question answered and will receive two complimentary passes to Botanica, all without having to track Pat down!

Take advantage of this great opportunity and e-mail Steve your question today!

Shop 'Til You Drop at Arnold's Greenhouse!

Join us Tuesday, April 29th for a shopping excursion to Arnold's Greenhouse in LeRoy, KS. The bus will leave Botanica at 8am and be back at Botanica by 6pm, providing you ample time to shop for the newest additions to your landscape.
At Arnold's Greenhouse, you'll find 3,500 Varieties of Plants with over 450 NEW varieties for 2008! Plus, thanks to the Arnold's, you will receive a 10% discount on all purchases and transportation on a trailer for purchases that will not fit on the bus.

Trip fee is $45.00, $40.00 for Botanica members. The fee includes: bus transportation, bottled water & snacks on the bus, plus a class on "Plant Combinations for Continuous Color" presented by owner Rita Arnold.

To reserve your space or for more information, call Diana at 316.264.0448 or e-mail her at djones@botanica.org.
To find out more about Arnold's Greenhouse, visit www.arnoldsgreenhouse.com.

See us at the Wichita Garden Show: March 5-9

Need ideas to spruce up your yard this spring? Want to learn about all of the educational opportunities available to you in horticulture or just shop the latest in plants and products on the market? Look no further than the Wichita Garden Show, March 5-9 at Century II. Make sure to stop by Botanica's booth in Exhibition Hall while you're there.

For more information, visit www.wichitagardenshow.com

An Entire Garden For Your Valentine

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away! If you're stumped on what to get your sweetheart, look no further than a membership to Botanica. Your loved one can enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Botanica's themed gardens throughout the four seasons and take advantage of the Gardens' wide range of programming and events.

Annual memberships start at $45 and allow you free admission to the Gardens for one year, a subscription to Cultivate, our member newsletter, reduced rates to select educational programs and special events, a 10% discount on all purchases in The Gift Garden, and much more. A gift that is beautiful, practical, and easy to purchase- how sweet is that?

To view a complete listing of membership levels and benefits, visit www.botanica.org. For more information on Botanica, or to order your gift membership, call Kathy Scott at 316-264-0448.

Share your vision for Botanica's Children's Garden

The Children’s Garden at Botanica will be a place where families can experience nature together and will provide an opportunity for children to understand how plants function and people function with plants. The Garden will feature multiple opportunities for learning and discovery and will plant the seeds to develop children’s personal connections to the environment.

We invite you to join award-winning garden designer, Herb Schaal, in our Terrace Room on Monday, February 18 at 7:00pm, for an informal community meeting to hear about our proposed Children's Garden and share your ideas for what Wichita's Children’s Garden should be.

FREE Family Fun Fair- February 2

Break cabin fever by joining us for our annual FREE Family Fun Fair, February 2 from 10am-1pm. Learn about the winter garden and its creatures and participate in more than ten activities. Admission to the Gardens and all craft activities are FREE! The first 100 families will also receive a free birdhouse. Sponsored for the community by: Target Corporation

New Executive Director named to lead Botanica

We are excited to announce that Marty Miller has been named as the third Executive Director for Botanica, The Wichita Gardens.
Miller comes to Botanica from the City of Wichita, where he has served as the Assistant Director of Housing and Community Service. He brings years of public service experience and a background in project fundraising to the Gardens, along with an excitement for expansion and new life for Botanica.
Miller will start his new post on January 14, replacing Diane Post who has served as the interim director since July of 2007.

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/story/267229.html