The Heartland Harvest Garden
Welcome to America’s premier edible landscape—where every tree, shrub, flower and groundcover is part of the story of where our food comes from. In the heartland of America, this signature garden captures the spirit of Kansas City. Here, our rich soils and prime farmland make agriculture a shining star.
Seasonal display beds inspire home gardeners and chefs to discover new color, creativity, and plants with each visit. Four season food productions is on display in the Seed to Plate Greenhouse and Potager Menu Garden.
There are several unique displays within the Heartland Harvest Garden. Make sure to visit the Apple Cider Court, Vineyard, Native Edge, Quilt Garden, All-American Selection Garden, and Children’s Garden.
The Journey of Food from Seed to Plate
From seed to plate, the Heartland Harvest Garden is an adventure in learning in a garden designed to satisfy all the senses. As you explore the fruits and vegetables, grains and nuts and so much more you may often find yourself saying, “Oh that’s the plant where that (food) comes from!”
You will see a wide range of edible varieties from heirloom and modern to even some plants on trial for the future. The Heartland Harvest Garden focuses on the sense of taste. Taste tests are often made available through pop-up visitor tasting stations and special events. The produce, herbs, and other edibles from this garden are used for our special events, eaten by staff and volunteers, or donated to the community. In 2021, check out the Perennial Lounge or reFresh for opportunities to purchase fresh organically grown produce during your visit.
A visit to the Missouri Barn’s silo observation deck is a must, where you can overlook the whole garden and see its quilt patterns.
Heartland Harvest Garden Highlights
The Missouri Barn and Silo, designed by Maurice Jennings Architects, is built of cedar wood with room for 200 under its eaves.
Visitors may grab a snack or beverage here as they take in views of the Quilt and Children’s Gardens. The silo, modeled after traditional Missouri barn silos, is 45 feet tall. Visitors may climb to the top for some of the best views in the Garden.
The most traveled path into the Heartland Harvest Garden passes through two greenhouses. The right and left houses feature plants from our tropical and arid collections.
Larger specimens will stay in place throughout the year. New additions will be added to the greenhouses during seasonal festivals! A living wall of succulents will be added to the arid hours in 2021.
A central walk bisects rows of grapes, ending at a wine cask fountain set under a beautiful rose and grape-clad arbor. The vineyard provides space for small garden gatherings. We suggest a stopping for a picnic lunch, or enjoying a glass of wine from the Perennial Lounge or reFresh. The firepits in this area during Festival of Lights make it a popular place to warm up on chilly nights.
Chateau Villandry, located outside Paris, France, inspired this formal garden within the Heartland Harvest Garden.
The Villandry is a massive kitchen garden in the formal French style that combines beauty with the utility of fruits and vegetables. The renewal of plants each season makes not only for dynamic visual interest but provides the ecological benefit of crop rotation which helps to reduce disease and pest pressure. The Villandry is made up of four different quadrants, each with its own theme each year.
