Powell Gardens Acquires Colonial Gardens

BLUE SPRINGS, MO / KINGSVILLE, MO – Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, is excited to announce the acquisition of Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs, MO. This marks a transformative expansion of Powell Gardens’ mission in education, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

Colonial Gardens has been a favorite Kansas City destination for apple picking, seasonal festivals, plant shopping, school field trips, and family memories. The beloved agri-tourism destination will become a second site of Powell Gardens, operating as Powell Gardens Colonial Farms. This name preserves the site’s traditions while expanding hands-on learning opportunities for families, students, gardeners, and agricultural professionals in the Kansas City area.

“This is about honoring what people already love while building something even greater for the future,” said Cody Jolliff, CEO of Powell Gardens. “Colonial Gardens has deep roots in this community. By bringing it into the Powell Gardens family as Powell Gardens Colonial Farms, we’re preserving a local legacy and expanding access to education, nature, and meaningful outdoor experiences for generations to come.”

Powell Gardens Colonial Farms will become a key extension of Powell Gardens’ Midwest Center for Regenerative Agriculture, serving as a dynamic hub for hands-on learning and environmental stewardship. Programming will include field trips for schools across the region, workshops focused on native plants, orcharding, and sustainable farming, as well as community classes for home gardeners and hobby farmers.

“This isn’t just an expansion of property,” Jolliff added. “It’s an expansion of impact for kids, families, farmers, educators, and the entire region.”

Powell Gardens is committed to maintaining the beloved features that have made Colonial Gardens a community treasure for decades. Signature experiences such as u-pick berries, flower cutting, the garden center and shopping experience, family-friendly festivals, school field trips, and Whistle Stop Coffee will remain at the heart of Powell Gardens Colonial Farms.

These traditions will not only continue, but expand in scope and educational impact, blending the familiar charm of Colonial Gardens with Powell Gardens’ mission-driven focus on learning, conservation, and community engagement.

This extraordinary opportunity is possible because of the generosity and vision of our philanthropic community. We are especially grateful to the Powell Family Foundation for their lead legacy gift. The Powell Family Foundation has supported Powell Gardens since our founding in 1988, and their recent investment helps shape this next era of impact in profound ways.

“We’re honored to support this major step in furthering Powell Gardens’ mission to inspire appreciation for the importance of the land and plants in our lives and to serve the Kansas City community for generations to come,” said the Powell Family Foundation.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the Matthew Zell Family Foundation of Chicago for their generous partnership and belief in our mission.

“Through the Midwest Center for Regenerative Agriculture, and now Powell Gardens Colonial Farms, Powell Gardens builds on its longstanding dedication to education and environmental stewardship while broadening the ways it can engage and support the Kansas City community,” said Aaron Zell, a Director at the Matthew Zell Family Foundation. “We are grateful to the Powell Gardens team for their vision and focused efforts and look forward to this next chapter in Powell Gardens’ story.”

Powell Gardens will host a Grand Opening Celebration March 20-21, 2026, welcoming the community to explore Powell Gardens Colonial Farms. This event will mark the official launch and the beginning of a new era as a center for agriculture, education, and community connection.

With this acquisition, Powell Gardens now operates two complementary sites. One in Kingsville focused on botanical beauty, large-scale exhibitions, and immersive garden experiences and a second site in Blue Springs dedicated to agriculture, education, and retail shopping. Together, the sites will serve hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, support regional conservation efforts, expand botanical education, and strengthen Kansas City’s connection to the land and the natural world.

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Media Contact
Laina Burdette, Marketing Manager
marketing@powellgardens.org or lburdette@powellgardens.org
816.683.4828 (text or call)

About Powell Gardens
Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden, provides 175 acres of recreation, adventure, and exploration. Visitors enjoy themed display gardens with rotating botanical displays, notable plant collections, seasonal programming and events, educational classes, art, architecture, breathtaking views, and more. Turn your next adventure into a lasting memory at Powell Gardens, your botanical garden. We’re worth the drive.