Events

Look at what is happening around Kansas City 

If you’d like to list plants sales, gardening related meetings, classes and workshops, send details with contact information to elizabeth@kcgmag.com. Deadline for publishing in the July issue is June 10. This is a FREE listing.

 

Idalia Butterfly Society
Sat, Jun 13, 5p; at Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty St, Overland Park, KS 66204. Program: “The Micro-World Living in Your Garden: Why Insects Are the Most Interesting Neighbors You Have.” Insects quietly shape our gardens in ways we rarely notice. This presentation invites you to slow down and explore this hidden realm and the vital roles insects play. Learn why even small green spaces matter! We’ll look beyond pollinators to better understand the full range of insect roles that support healthy ecosystems. Along the way, you’ll discover how native plants strengthen these relationships and support a greater diversity of life. Doors open at 5p for light refreshments and social time. Program begins PROMPTLY at 5:45p following a brief announcements. FREE and open to all. Bring a friend! Questions? Please call/text 816-283-6258, or email us at idaliasociety@yahoo.com. Facebook: Idalia Society of Mid-American Lepidopterists.

Leavenworth County Master Gardeners
Wed, Jun 10, 11a; at Riverfront Community Center, 123 Esplanade St, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Colleen Winter with Wild Birds Unlimited, will be our speaker. She will share ideas on creating the perfect environment to provide food and shelter for backyard birds. FREE. Visitors are welcome. For more information contact the Leavenworth County K-State extension office at 913-364-5700.

Leawood Garden Club
Tues, Jun 23, 10:30a; at Colonial Church, 7039 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS 66208. Program: “Gardening With Flying Flower” by Lenora Larson, starts at Noon. Thirty species of large, tropical-looking native butterflies call our area “home”. Unfortunately, many gardeners only see the occasional Cabbage White, a non-native. This presentation reviews butterfly biology and the basics of butterfly gardening. Spectacular photographs introduce many of the amazing butterflies (and their equally charismatic caterpillars) that gardeners can attract to their yards. But flowers are not the critical element. You must learn to love and plant for the caterpillars, thereby choosing which species of butterflies embellish your garden. 

Olathe Garden & Civic Club 
Tues, Jun 16, 10a; at the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, 4800 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City, MO 64110.**Free & Open to the Public** Join us for a special meeting featuring a field trip to the garden! Optional meetup afterwards for lunch on the Plaza.

TOURS | SHOWS | SALES AND MORE

Kansas City Cactus and Succulent Society
Jun 5, 6, 7; at Elks Lodge, 515 East 99 St, KCMO. Fri 5-8p, Sat 9a-4p, Sun 10a-2p. It’s our 50th anniversary and our annual Show and Sale! Select from hundreds of cactus and succulent plants and beautiful pottery made specifically for succulents. Both professional vendors and club members are selling. View club members’ winning entries in numerous cactus and succulent categories in the judged show. A potting table and demonstrations will be available to help you find success with your plants. Open to the public all three days! 

Sedgwick County Garden Tour
Fri, Jun 5, 9a-5p; Sat, Jun 6, 9a-5p; Sun, Jun 7, 12-4p. Six gardens throughout Sedgwick County will be available for the public to view. Tickets are $10 and are available at the gardens, at Sedgwick County Extension office, 7001 W 21st St, Wichita, KS 67205 or online sedgwick.k-state.edu; 316-660-0100

Habitat Garden Tours 
Jun 6, Jul 11, Oct 3. Highlighting Kansas City residents who understand why what you plant matters. These events are an opportunity for Deep Roots to recognize the native gardeners in different neighborhoods of Kansas City and showcase their beautiful gardens. The goals are to inspire locals to plant native, share knowledge on gardening maintenance and design strategies, and strengthen the native gardening community by bringing them together for a morning of plant talk, sunshine and laughter. See more at: www.deeproots.org/habitatgardens

Heartland Hosta & Shade Plant Society Annual Spring Plant Sale
Sat, Jun 6, 9a-2p; at Woods Chapel Community of Christ Church, 500 NE Woods Chapel Rd, Lee’s Summit, MO 64064. The sale features over 1000 plants including 50 varieties of Hosta and plenty of shade/part shade perennials! Prices start at $10 and we have all sizes of Hosta from mini to giant to suit all size gardens. This sale is open to the public. Sale list with pictures and descriptions will be available on the club website prior to the sale. For more information please visit www.HeartlandHosta.club or the Facebook page www.Facebook.com/HeartlandHostaandShadePlantSociety.

Railroading in the Gardens
Sat, Jun 6, and Sun, Jun 7, 10a-4p. Visit the 2026 Garden Railroad Tour consisting of ten train gardens at homes in the Kansas City area. See how gardening and model trains blend together in a creative and colorful way. Each garden railroad is different and unique with the trains running among a variety of plants and landscaping in a miniature world of trees, bridges, tunnels, houses and water features. Hosted by MO-KAN Garden Railroaders, the admission cost for this self-guided tour is $15 a car to see all the gardens for both days. This event is always fun for both adults and kids, with partial proceeds going to Harvesters. For details, tickets and tour guide, go to www.mokangardenrailroaders.org.

Beekeeper’s FunDay
Sat, Jun 6, 8a-5p; at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St, Lawrence, KS 66046. The Northeast Kansas Beekeepers Association announces its Beekeeping FunDay! Cost is $50 includes lunch, beverages, and honey ice cream. Vendors available for purchasing beekeeping related equipment. A silent auction will also be included to raise youth and veteran scholarships. For more information or to register visit http://www.nekba.org/bee-funday.html

Hermann, MO 31st Annual Garden Tour
Jun 6 and 7. The Garden Tour includes both a walking tour of gardens in downtown Historic Hermann and a driving tour to gardens in the hills around Hermann. The $20 ticket price includes visits to at least five private gardens. The Hermann Garden Club’s website www.hermanngardentours.com provides up-to-date events, ticket prices, links to the online ticket sale site, contact numbers, and photographs of past tour gardens. 

Union Hill Neighborhood Garden Tour
Sun, Jun 7, 10a-3p. Discover the gardens of historic Union Hill. Join us for flowers, food, music and family fun. unionhillkc.com/garden-tour

Public Garden Tour
Fri, Jun 12 and Sat, Jun 13. Ticket prices are $35. Day of tour ticket prices are $40 each. Learn more and purchase tickets online at: https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/programs/lawn-garden/special-events/public-garden-tour/
Gardeners get a chance to explore six beautiful private gardens filled with inspiration, creative design ideas, and unique plantings. Questions? Contact us at 913-715-7050 or garden.help@jocogov.org.

Ellie’s Garden Party & Homes Tour
Sat, Jun 13, 9am-4pm (rain or shine). See spectacular gardens and historic Weston homes while enjoying delicious foods at each site. Tickets: $50 individual ticket or (2) tickets for $80. In the heart of historic Weston, gardens are preparing to bloom with purpose. The community will gather for Ellie’s Garden Party & Homes Tour,—a day filled with beauty, hospitality, and hope for a remarkable young woman named Ellie Bargmann who just graduated from high school as Valedictorian and now faces a new challenge of needing a kidney transplant! Guests will enjoy exclusive access to stunning private homes and gardens throughout Weston, along with tea party treats and charming touches at every stop. More than a garden tour, the event is a celebration of resilience, community, and the power of people coming together to help change a life. Every ticket purchased helps COTA (Children’s Organ Transplant Association) for Ellie’s transplant journey while reminding her family that they are not walking this path alone. In a town known for its warmth and beauty, June 13 promises to be a day where compassion blooms right alongside the flowers. To purchase tickets: https://cota.org/cotaforelliesjourney/events/ellies-garden-party-homes-tour/. Ticket pickup location: Eventful at Locust Grove, 25180 NW County Road JJ, Weston, MO 64098. 

Wonders of Discovery 
Thurs, Jun 18, 9a-2p; at Pollinator Prairie, Olathe. This is a free event for all ages hosted annually by the Johnson County Extension Master Naturalists. There will be exhibits on Kansas native plants, gardening for wildlife, pollinators, such as native bees and bats, and other nature related displays. Games and activities are planned for children, so this will be a fun and educational event for the whole family.

Daylily Open House 
Sat, Jul 4 and Sun, Jul 5 from 9a-1p. Additional days by appointment. Gardens have 600 varieties. Hart’s Daylilies, 7460 W 255th, Louisburg, KS. For information call 816-769-4600.

Water Garden Society Tour
See our ad on page 11 in this issue.

 

CLASSES | WORKSHOPS 

Permaculture; Food Forests and sustainable design for home gardens
Tues, Jun 2, 2p; VIRTUAL Session. K-State Extension Johnson County. This session will introduce gardeners to the core principles of Permaculture, emphasizing sustainable garden design strategies that work in harmony with natural systems. These principles are being applied to the Food Forest on the campus of Johnson County Community College (JCCC), providing a firsthand look at how these principles have been applied locally. Practical methods for integrating these concepts into home gardens will also be explored. Register at johnson.k-state.edu, the click on News and Events.

K-State Garden Hour Webinar: Maximizing Garden Success with Extension Resources
Wed, Jun 3, at noon-1p. Discover how to leverage Extension resources effectively to plan, manage, and troubleshoot problems in your landscape and garden. Join Cassie Thiessen and Matthew McKernan, K-State Extension Horticulturalists, as they explore practical tools and resources available through Extension that can help improve the success of your garden. Learn how to access research-based resources and utilize them to make informed decisions for your garden. Register at johnson.k-state.edu, the click on News and Events.

Growing Sweet Potatoes
Thurs, Jun 11, 6:30p; at Basehor Community Library 1400, 158th St, Basehor, KS 66007. Bennett Gamel, a Leavenworth County Master Gardener, will be speaking on “ Growing Sweet Potatoes in Northeastern Kansas.” The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Leavenworth County K-State extension office at 913-364-5700.

Fruiting Trees and Vines
Thurs, Jun 18, 7p; at Leavenworth Public Library, 417 Spruce St, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Dylan Parsley, the Horticulture Agent at Wyandotte County K-State Extension office, will be presenting “Enhancing Landscapes with Fruiting Trees and Vines.” The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Leavenworth County K-State extension office at 913-364-5700.