The following is not an inclusive list as there is not one source for all the demonstration gardens in the state. If you know of additional gardens not mentioned here, please let us know at editor@kansascountryliving.com.
Here are other K-State Research and Extension demonstration gardens in Kansas. To get details about options in your area, check with your local horticulture agent; there’s a list of county and district offices at ksre.k-state.edu. The best way to keep informed on events and news is by following the Facebook pages of these extension offices and their affiliated master gardener groups.
Central Kansas District
This district’s demonstration garden is in Salina and has 12 garden areas.
Douglas County
Six demonstration gardens: Douglas County Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden, Douglas County Fairgrounds Arboretum, Monarch Watch Pollinator Demonstration Garden and University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden in Lawrence; Baldwin City Demonstration Garden at Tom Swan Park; and Eudora Demonstration Garden.
Johnson County
Eight demonstration gardens: Backyard Garden and Garden Gallery in Olathe; Deanna Rose Children Farmstead, Monet Garden at Overland Park Arboretum and Wilderness Science Center in Overland Park; Shawnee Town Gardens in Shawnee; Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway; and Wassmer Park in Prairie Village.
Lyon County
One garden focused on water-wise plantings is in Emporia.
Post Rock District
Several demonstration gardens in north-central Kansas, including a herb garden in Beloit, a perennial demonstration garden in Smith Center and vegetable research trials in Lincoln.
Shawnee County
Eight demonstration gardens are in Topeka with one more in the developmental stage: Woodland Garden, Native Plant Garden at Cedar Crest, Perennial Garden at Cedar Crest, Prairie Pollinator Garden, Vegetable Demonstration Garden, and Xeriscape Demonstration Garden.
Wyandotte County
Four demonstration gardens at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs and a pollinator demonstration garden at Turner Community Garden in Kansas City.
Arboretums
An arboretum is a great option if you’re interested in learning about what trees to plant. The Kansas Forest Service maintains the five-acre Kansas Forest Service Demonstration Arboretum and Honor Grove west of the K-State campus in Manhattan. You’ll find more than 100 species across the evergreen and deciduous tree collections, a shrub collection and several rare and unusual specimens not typically found in Great Plains communities or homesteads.
For a list of Kansas arboretums with marked trees, visit kansasforests.org and click on the tab for community forestry.