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

Happy Holidays from the Gardens!

It's time to celebrate the season, so the garden gates will be closed December 24 and 25 and January 1. Only the warmest of holiday wishes to you and yours. We thank you for your support of Botanica in 2007 and look forward to sharing the Gardens with you in 2008.

Don't miss the last weekend of Illuminations!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday are your last chances to 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, crafts, live music, warm drinks and homemade goodies.

The event runs December 7-9 from 6-9pm each night.
Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door at Botanica. Tickets are $8 for adults ($7 for Botanica members) and $3 for children 2-12.

May your holidays be merry and bright!

Illuminations Starts Friday!

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, crafts, live music, warm drinks and homemade goodies.

The event runs on November 23-25, 30 and December 1-2, 7-9 from 6-9pm each night.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Botanica. Tickets are $8 for adults ($7 for Botanica members) and $3 for children 2-12.

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

Photo Competition Winners Announced

Last night was the awards reception for Botanica's annual photography competition, A Portrait of Botanica. This competition captures the beauty of Botanica through the art of photography and provides a forum to display and sell the work of amateur photographers. The competition is sponsored for the community by DPI.

Twenty-five awards totaling more than $1,250 were given out by a panel of judges. Linda Mae Richardson took home top honors in the adult division for her photo, entitled "Amberwing" and Emily Ritter took home top honors in the youth division for her photo, "Taking Flight."

Adult Division
1st PLACE: Linda Mae Richardson: "Amberwing"
2nd PLACE: Gary Martin: "Reflections of a Water Lily"
3rd PLACE: Beverly Strouse: "Chard Tree"

Youth Division
1st PLACE: Emily Ritter: "Taking Flight"
2nd PLACE: Kelsey Prather: "Beauty Sleep"
3rd PLACE: Evan Riepe: "Unfolding Magnolia"

Congratulations also go to the following photographers for their award-winning photos:
Tammy Bach, Ben Foster, Kelly Gottschalk, Jennifer Keller, Carmen Latimer, Sara Penner, Marsha Phelps, Gary Taylor, Sigrid Trombley and Charlotte Wilson.