Community Projects
Blue Springs Community Garden
Blue Springs Heritage Garden
Burr Oakes Nature Center
Cass County Medical Center/Hospital
Gamber Center
Garden Angels
Harvesters Demonstration Garden
Ivanhoe Demonstration Garden
John Wornall House Museum and Alexander Majors House
Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary
Platte County Community Gardens
Project Living Proof
Swope Park Community Center Demonstration Garden
Truman Home
Urban Green Dreams
Urban Rain Gardens
Watkins Woolen Mill Kitchen Garden
Blue Springs Community Garden
EAST-The Blue Springs Community Garden (located in the heart of Blue Springs at the corner of 10th and Walnut) will be breaking ground March 2012. The garden is a partnership between Blue Springs Parks & Recreation, Stand Up Blue Springs and the University of Missouri Extension. The Master Gardeners will have a demonstration garden on site to showcase familiar and unfamiliar vegetables, herbs and flowers. It will be an educational garden where community gardeners can see and learn how to care for a garden, observe unique plants and learn some unique horticulture facts. The Master Gardeners will provide educational workshops and support to the community gardeners throughout the growing season.
Blue Springs Heritage Garden
EAST-Master Gardeners are building period appropriate 1910 gardens surrounding the Dillingham Lewis Museum. The 4 part semi formal sungarden has been completed and the shade garden is in progress.
Burr Oak Woods Nature Center
EAST-Several years ago Master Gardeners built a native plant garden at the entrance to the Visitors Center. The garden became overgrown with the cutback in staff and Master Gardeners were asked to return to the project and maintain the garden on an ongoing basis. Some plants are being removed, the path widened and new plants are being installed and maintained.
Cass County Medical Center/Hospital
SOUTH-This new medical center in Harrisonville looks more like a resort than a hospital with beautiful views from the floor to ceiling windows. An important component is the healing garden. Another view looks out to the pond. Master Gardeners along with their volunteers will help plant these areas as well as several other spaces around the facility.
Gamber Center
EAST-Master Gardeners are planning, planting and will maintain the gardens around the new Lees Summit Parks and Recreation facility, The Gamber Center. The variety of potential spaces will provide opportunities for sun and shade gardens. The circular bed at the entrance will be the focal point providing multi season interest.
Garden Angels
NORTH-Master gardeners assist senior citizens living at home with garden chores. Seniors request assistance through the Sheppard Center of the Northland. A few hours of help makes a world of difference in their lives.
Harvesters Demonstration Garden
CENTRAL - A unique garden at the Harvesters Food Bank that used everyday materials to build a low cost fruit and vegetable garden. Clients and visitors tour the garden to learn about inexpensive methods to grow their own food. All produce is then taken inside to Harvesters for use in the food bank. Master gardeners built the garden and now assist in every stage during each growing season.
Ivanhoe Demonstration Garden
CENTRAL-Also new this spring, Master Gardeners built a large demonstration fruit and vegetable garden in the Ivanhoe neighborhood at 3700 Woodland in an empty lot next to the Ivanhoe Center. The garden has a wide range of fruits and vegetable plots that demonstrate to residents how to grow healthy food with minimal expense. The Ivanhoe neighborhood donated the land, the fence and a water system. The neighborhood is encouraged to participate from the planting to the harvest. All produce will be donated to the neighborhood. Master Gardeners provide classes and participate in educational opportunities at neighborhood events.
John Wornall House and Alexander Majors House
CENTRAL-The Wornall House, an antebellum home serves as a museum and center for living history programs with 5,000 visitors per year. The 1800’s kitchen herb garden is the center for several garden related activities and events. Master gardeners are working with the staff to restore the grounds by removing unwanted plant material and replacing it with natives and period appropriate plants. The Wornall House now partners with the Majors House adding additional volunteer opportunities.
Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary
NORTH- Master gardeners are developing and maintaining a Bird Island with Missouri Native plants that attract birds. The goal is to provide information on Native plants while promoting biodiversity of plants and animals.
Platte County Community Gardens
NORTH-Newly constructed this spring is a community garden with 30 public plots built on The National Golf Course along HWY45. This community garden is a partnership between Master Gardeners, The YMCA and The National Golf Course. The plots are open to the general public with the YMCA administering the program. The National donated the land, the fence and the water system. Master Gardeners have 4 demonstration plots and all produce is donated to charity. Additionally Master Gardeners offer classes and workshops for the plot holders.
Project Living Proof
CENTRAL-The goal of Project Living Proof (PLP) is to restore a modest home at 917 Emanuel Cleaver Blvd in Kansas City, Missouri, to exhibit how to make a century-old home more energy efficient. The site's landscaping is a pilot project of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a voluntary set of guidelines and benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction, and maintenance practices. We are exploring this site as a new project for the spring of 2012. Master Gardeners would help maintain the gardens already in existence plus assist in the planning of the undeveloped areas following the sustainable guidelines.
Swope Park Community Demonstration Garden
CENTRAL- A 6000 sq ft Demonstration Garden in front of the new Southeast Community Center in Swope Park. This state of the art center is a Leeds certified building A winding path meanders through hundreds of flowers and shrubs. We have used Plants of Merit and All American Selections to showcase plants that thrive in the Kansas City area. Master gardeners planted 1,500 plants using annuals and perennials. Each year the annuals will be replaced and the garden maintained two days per week throughout the growing season.
Truman Home
EAST- Operated by the National Park Service, the Truman Home is a National Historic Site. Master gardeners prune shrubs and trees using hand tools in keeping with the landscape plan set out by President Truman. Budget cuts have reduced the maintenance staff resulting in overgrown shrubs needing attention.
Urban Green Dreams
CENTRAL-A couple of Master Gardeners, neighborhood volunteers and KCP&L volunteers built an urban garden in the Palestine area. Encouraged by that success they are building additional community garden plots in empty lots.
Urban Rain Gardens
CENTRAL-Master Gardeners help maintain the rain garden in Theis Park (across from the Nelson Art Gallery) built by The Kansas City Art Institute. This beautiful meandering rain garden winds down the slope to Brush creek.
Watkins Woolen Mill Kitchen Garden
NORTH-Located inside the state park, the established 1870 kitchen garden includes herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Master gardeners plan, plant and maintain the garden alongside state park staff. Master Gardeners also participate in two fun and educational events for the public, Spring on the Farm and Fall on the Farm.
