Winter Wonders & Events

Visit Powell Gardens during the most wonderful time of the year! The Garden is open for exploring and creating memories all year long. Join us for a family-favorite festival, fresh air, and the quiet beauty of winter in the Midwest.

Festival of Lights 2020

November 13, 2020 – January 3, 2021

Festival of Lights is open Thursday-Sunday (and select dates to accommodate seasonal holidays) from 4-10 p.m. Start a new family tradition and come experience the tranquil light display.

Explore The Gardens

PHOTO STREAM – #POWELLGARDENS

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Have you heard of ikebana? The traditional art of Japanese flower arranging explores the relationship between blooms, branches, and balance. Kansas City Ikebana will display student works inspired by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art during opening weekend of Bloom Fest: Play Outside.

Advanced tickets are required and on sale now. Click the link in bio to purchase. (Make sure to purchase tickets for April 15-18 to see the Ikebana display.) #powellgardens #bloomfestkc #playoutsidekc #ikebana #ikebanakansascity #floralarrangments #springfestival #artfestival

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@strawberryswingkc is coming to Powell Gardens! We’re celebrating art all season long and couldn’t be more excited to host these local artisans, makers and vendors. (Plus a few food trucks!) Visit Bloom Fest: Play outside April 23-25 to visit the indie craft fair.

Advanced tickets are required; tickets available at the link in bio. Becasue of social distancing limitations, masks are required when perusing the fair. #powellgardens #strawberryswingkc #bloomfestkc #playoutsidekc #explorekc #makerfair #craftfair #thingstodoinkansascity #kansascity #supportlocalkc #supportlocal

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🌵🌱🌞The Seed to Plate Greenhouse got an (arid) plant makeover for Bloom Fest: Play Outside. (Check out living walls planted with succulents on display during the festival!)

Tickets and more information linked in bio. #powellgardens #bloomfestkc #playoutsidekc #succuelents #succulentwall #livingwall #floraldesign #succulentsofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #explorekc #kansascity #botanicalgarden

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Happy Saturday, garden friends. Tulips are here! 🌷

We can't wait to have you out for Bloom Fest: Play Outside. Our spring festival (April 15 - May 9) celebrates art and bloom in the Gardens. Reserve your tickets now with the link in bio. 🌿

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Bloom Fest: Play Outside is a happy collision of art and blooms. We can’t wait to show it to you! On the Millstone Fountain, six regional designers will showcase planted containers inspired by the @nelsonatkins collection.

Advanced reservations are required for the festival. Tickets and safety information linked in bio. #powellgardens #bloomfestkc #playoutsidekc #flowersofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #explorekc #kansascitylocal #whattodoinkc #floraldesign #floralarrangement

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How to Visit a Botanical Garden, Part 5. | Pick a day to visit! After following along this week, you’re a botanical garden pro.🌸

Now that you know what to expect and how to explore our collections, we hope to see you at Bloom Fest: Play Outside (April 15 – May 9). The festival is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Advancded tickets are required for the festival and available now through the link in bio.

📸: Magnolia denudata. #powellgardens #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #botanicalgarden #garden #springishere #springinkansascity #magnolia #magnoliablossom

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☀️🌿How to Visit a Botanical Garden, Part 4.

There’s more! While a botanical garden isn’t a park, we encourage visitors to use our Gardens to enjoy being outdoors. Some of our favorite suggestions are:

🌱Draw, paint, or photograph what’s blooming.
🌱Meet a friend for a walk on the trail or Garden paths.
🌱Bring a picnic to enjoy on the grounds
🌱Read a book by the water.
🌱Throw a frisbee on the East Lawn or other large green spaces.

Have more ideas on how to enjoy time in a botanical garden? Share them in the comments!

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #springishere #springinkansascity #botanicalgardensofinstagram

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How to Visit a Botanical Garden, Part 3.

Now that you know how to explore our live collection, check out a few extras. Powell Gardens is home to classes, special events, workshops and more. We suggest:

🌱Visiting during Bloom Fest or another seasonal festival (link in bio).
🌱Taking a class (link in bio).

#powellgardens #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #botanicalgarden #garden #botanicalgardensofinstagram #plantsofinstagram

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☀️How to Visit a Botanical Garden, Part 2.☀️

You made it! Once you park and check-in at the Visitor Center, Powell Gardens is yours to explore. Our staff is onsite to help with whatever you need, but these botanical resources are great for first time and longtime visitors alike.

🌿Plant tags. You will notice small stakes near plants throughout the gardens. These simple tags provide the botanical name for the plant in front of you. If you have a smartphone with you, we recommend snapping a photo with the plant tag so you remember what a favorite plant is called when you get home!

🌿PlantSnap. If you love something in the Gardens but don’t see a plant tag nearby, try PlantSnap. Download the free app (link in bio), take a photo and let PlantSnap identify it for you.

🌿Garden Explorer. Utilize our online plant database (link in bio) to find specific plants and their location in the Gardens. If there’s a plant you don’t want to miss, use Garden Explorer ahead of time to map out your day!

🌿Garden map and pages. You can find descriptions for each Garden (as well as seasonal highlights) at https://powellgardens.org/visit/gardens/ (link in bio). This page has a digital map as well!

#howtovisitabotanicalgarden #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #gardensofinstagram #visitabotanicalgarden

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🌱How to Visit a Botanical Garden, Part 1. Your best visit starts before you leave home!

✅Make sure you review safety information and purchase tickets (linked in bio) ahead of time if needed.

✅Check the weather and dress accordingly. (You may want boots if you plan to take a hike, and a hat to shade your face if it’s a sunny 80 degrees!)

✅Bring water with you.

Have more tips? Share them in the comments!

📸: Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly called rosemary. #powellgardens #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #botanicalgarden #garden #gardensofinstagram #rosemary #herbsofinstagram #growmoreplants #plantmore #greenhousegrown

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Not sure what makes a botanical garden different than a regular garden? We get this question all the time! 🌱🍊

A botanical garden is a living museum. It’s a cultural institution dedicated to collecting, cultivating, and preserving a large collection of live plants for study and exhibition. At Powell Gardens, we care for several unique collections (conifers, lotus, magnolias, etc.) as well as native plants that support our Midwestern ecosystem.

This week, we’ll be sharing tips for making your botanical garden visit the best it can be. Stay tuned!

📸: Citrus sinensis . #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #lemon #citruslimon #lemontree #lemonsofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #treesofinstagram #growfruit #fruittree #greenhousegrown

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We promise you’re not the only one who isn’t quite sure what a botanical garden is. 😆🌱

As we celebrate our opening week, we’ll share what a botanical garden is, why you should prioritize a visit in 2021, and tips for making that visit the best it can be. Stay tuned!

#powellgardens #howtovisitabotanicalgarden #botanicalgarden #garden #botanicalgardenofinstagram #springishere #thegardensareopen #gardenmembership

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☀ GOOD NEWS ALERT ☀
Powell Gardens is open for the season! Visit us 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Purchase general admission online by clicking the link in bio.

📸: Iris histrioides flower. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #spring #springinkansascity #springblooms #plantsofinstagram #gardensofinstagram

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🌼Opening day is TOMORROW! Starting April 1, Powell Gardens is open for visitors 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Click the link in bio to reserve tickets and review up-to-date safety information.

📸: Jonquil. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #jonquil #jonquilsofinstagram #springblooms #ourgardensyourhome #grownative #midwestblooms #springishere

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The Heartland Harvest Garden will have a new addtion this year. Any guesses? 👀🐝🦋

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #comingsoon #sneakpeek

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🌱GARDEN Q&A.🌱

What questions do you have about your houseplants, porch pots, backyard vegetable patch, or Powell Gardens? Drop your questions in the comments. Our horticulture team will select a few to answer soon. ☀

📸: Iris reticulata. #powellgardens #askapowellgardensgardener #botanicalgarden #garden #gardenqanda #askagardener #diygarden #ourgardensyourhome #homegardener #gardenmore #plantmoreplants #iris #irisofinstagram

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Blooms ahead! If you enjoyed learning about spring blooms on our feed this week, you’ll love an in-person visit to Powell Gardens. The Gardens reopen on April 1, 2021. Visit 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Click the link in bio for online tickets. #powellgardens

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We can't wait to see you soon! Powell Gardens will reopen for the 2021 season on April 1, 2021. Visit our Gardens 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Purchase tickets online and see safety information by clicking the link in bio.

📸: Japanese cornelian cherry dogwood. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #dogwood #dogwoodsofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #springfloweringtree #getoutsidekc #openingsoon #springishere

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This time of year, our Gardens errupt with thousands of yellow jonquils. We look forward to this spectacular moment each spring! 🌼

Low-maintenance and perfect for home gardeners, these plants are an easy way to add color to your home. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #jonquils #jonquilsofinstagram

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This spring, look for wisteria in the Perennial Garden. (Check out the arbors by the water!) This confident vine can take several years to produce flowers but will live quite happily with no pruning at all. In fact, some call it invasive because of its tendency to twist around and climb up everything in its path. 🌿

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #kansascitygarden #wisteria #wisteriaofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #plants #plantmoreplants #explorekc #kansascity

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With over 150 species and 3,000 varieties, tulips come in almost every color. See Powell Gardens’ tulips by looking out from the East Lawn or the Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden.

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #tulips #tulipsofinstagram #tulips #springblooms #blooms #springishere #gooutsidekc #playoutsidekc #kansascity #kansascitygarden

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Dogwoods and magnolias are favorite spring flowering trees (and we have plenty!) but crabapple trees deserve a mention. 🌸 These trees provide aromatic pink and red blooms in the spring and striking fall color when the weather turns cool.

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #crabappletree #springfloweringtree #springishere #gooutsidekc #explorekc #kansascitygardencommunity #plantmoretrees

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When hellebores appear, bees and other pollinators rejoice!🌿🐝 These late-winter and early-spring flowers are some of the first sources of nectar and pollen for hard-working pollinators. Do you see these popping up in your neighborhood?

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #hellebore #helleboresofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #springblooms #bloomingnow

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Blooming at Powell Gardens this spring:

🌸Hellebores
🌳Crabapple trees
🌷Tulips
🌿Wisteria
🌼Jonquils

Watch our feed this week to see what’s blooming at Powell Gardens! The Gardens will reopen to the public on April 1, 2021. Visit 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Click the link in bio for tickets and more information. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #bloomwatch #springblooms #plantsofinstagram #hellebores #crabappletree #tulips #wisteria #jonquils

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These jonquils match our mood. ☀️

We are so looking forward to opening day, April 1, 2021! The Gardens will be open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday - Sunday. Purchase tickets online and see safety information by clicking the link in bio.

📸: Jonquils in the Perennial Garden.

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🌱🐝☀ Spring has sprung! To celebrate the first day of spring (and help you get outside to enjoy it), we're sharing #ScreenFreeSaturday ideas in our stories. Check it out and comment with how you're spending some screen free time this weekend.

📸: Iris reticulata. #powellgardens #botanicalgarden #garden #iris #irisplant #irisofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #kansascityplants #plantcommunity #ourgardensyourhome

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Calling all smartphone photographers! Click the link in bio to learn more about our iPhone Photography Workshop. Admission to Powell Gardens is included on select days.

#powellgardens #smartphonephotography #botanicalgarden #garden #gardenphotography #digitalclass #learntoshootdigital

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Have you noticed something different along the highway? Our new front entrance is ready to greet you April 1, 2021! This project was completed by the generosity of many, and we express our gratitude to each one who made it possible. Check out our story to the see the full video.

#powellgardens #botanicalgarden #frontentrance #garden #gardenentrance #cantmissusfromthehighwaynow #newlooksamegardens

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Look at these early spring bloomers working their way upright! Spring is officially three days away and we couldn't be more excited.

📸: Galanthus, or snowdrop. #powellgardens #signsofspring #botanicalgarden #snowdrops #galanthusofinstagram #plantsofinstagram #springiscoming