Please click below to learn more about the gardens you’ll encounter on your visit at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Gardens change seasonally, so be sure to visit during all four seasons to enjoy different plants and flowers in bloom. In addition to this online map, there are printed maps in the visitor center.
As you enter the grounds of the Arboretum you pass through one of the premier garden experiences in the Kansas City area - The Monet Garden. It is unique among all of the gardens in the Arboretum because it is operated as a cooperative effort between the Arboretum and Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners (EMGs).It all started in 2003, when the Arboretum provided the space and materials and the Extension Office agreed to design and maintain the Monet Garden in the style of Monet's garden in Giverny, France. EMG Nancy Branum developed the original design and has worked on numerous enhancements over the years. Each Wednesday morning 35-40 EMGs work together to keep the garden in tip-top condition. Another group meets on Saturday mornings. Last year EMGs in the Monet Garden planted over 8,400 annuals, 3,600 bulbs and 244 perennials; and contributed over 4,400 volunteer hours.
The centerpiece of the Garden is the gracefully arched bridge painted the signature Monet green, the color used for all of the garden structures in the Garden. Six garden sections make up the Monet Garden, each demonstrating various features of Monet's garden in France. They are the Allee, Keyhole, South Walk, Sunset, Woodland Edge and Water gardens. If you would like to learn more about the makeup of each garden section, feel free to come to the Monet Garden on a Wednesday or Saturday morning and the EMGs will be very happy to show you the details.
This year-round Train Garden includes a life-size caboose and a full-size railroad crossing gate. G-Scale (1/22nd of the actual size) model trains wind through bluffs, over lake and streams, and through model villages. It is a favorite of visitors of all ages.
The first railroad layout, The Leaky Roof Line, was completed in 2012. Soon the Leatherwood Depot – a sheltered area with picnic tables was constructed in 2013. The Arboretum's version of Old Downtown Overland Park and the Strang Line Trolley was opened in 2014.
Plantings are native prairie types of improved varieties such as Little Bluestem and Big Bluestem, Black-eyed Susans and more. The trains are operated by volunteers and will run from 10 a.m. to close, except during wet, extreme cold, high heat and windy conditions.
The final phase of the Train Garden - a third layout with 7 more tracks is scheduled for construction in 2017.
Please call 913-685-3604 if you would like to volunteer to operate the trains or confirm if they are running. 
The Erickson Water Garden was one of the first gardens established at the Arboretum in the 1990's. It is home to bird and butterfly plants (including a Buddleia collection), wildflowers and ornamental grasses. Color peaks here in mid-summer. Enjoy the sound of the falls and meandering brooks throughout the garden.
The Cohen Iris Garden is a veritable showcase of many iris varieties and a colorful garden throughout the year. We are indebted to the Greater Kansas City Iris Society for their guidance in making the Iris Garden a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of iris from early bloomers in April to late bloomers in June.
The Legacy Garden and Ailie’s Glade are highlights of our shady and natural woodland gardens. The grape arbor offers a quiet spot to enjoy the dogwoods, redbuds and a developing grove of bald cypress. A waterfall and babbling brook provide action and serenity in one.
Marder Garden is a shady walk – after leaving the Legacy Garden to the south. It has a burbling brook, and several tree and many native plant species, including Paw-paw, ferns, Dogwood, Hickory, Jack–in-the-pulpit, Mayapple and much more. Several areas can be reserved here, and one can enjoy the Master Pergola – a tree covered arbor with views into the garden to the north and south; the Koi Pond and small waterfall, adorned by fern beds.
Byrd’s Grove offers a quiet place from which to view Margaret’s Pond and the Amphitheater from the west side. Large, lavishly filled planters will give you ideas for your own containers at home.
This garden is a whimsical and educational experience for young visitors. Children can climb to the top of the Sky Watch, walk through the vine-covered Shrinking Tunnel, explore the switchgrass maze and check out the Frog Pond inhabitants.
The Herb Garden is a feast for the senses. The Garden contains a wide variety of commonly used culinary herbs, as well as herbs used for medical and aromatherapy purposes.
This garden is at the entrance of the Arboretum on 179th Street. It beckons visitors with a colorful array of shrubs, ornamental grasses and flowers gracing our beautiful hackett and limestone walls.
Xeriscape (zer-i-scape) gardens are based on key principals demonstrating that water-efficient gardens are not only practical and functional, but also visually pleasing. Plants are selected for and grouped by their water needs. This garden is located next to our Visitors Center.
The Stous Promenade is home to an extensive collection of trees. All are labeled and provide an introduction to the trees of our area within a very short walk. Watch for announcement of "tree tours" led by knowledgeable staff and volunteers. You are sure to learn something and understand how fortunate that our facility is both a botanical garden and an arboretum.
The Lakeside Amphitheater – in the Stous Promenade and overlooking Margaret's Pond – is a beautiful location for a wedding or celebration. It is available to reserve.
The Overland Park Arboretum and the adjacent 320 acres known as Kemper Farm are the ideal location for a unique sculpture garden for the Midwest. The concept began in 2011 when The Arts & Recreation Foundation entered into a partnership with the International Sculpture Foundation and noted sculptor Kwan Wu and accepted gifts of 24 sculptures as part of a cultural exchange with China. These sculptures are currently on a 1/2 mile path that begins just outside the visitor center and east of the Monet Garden. Plans are for the sculptures to move to their permanent home in 2020 and become the centerpiece of the Sculpture Garden envisioned for 250 acres of Kemper Farms.
The sculpture garden master plan and concept emphasizes the relationship between art and nature. Read more about plans for this exciting development.