Omaha may be famous for steaks and insurance but they also have a beautiful botanical garden. In late September, Botanica Board of Director’s member Barbara Rutledge, visited The Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s Botanical Center. These are her words and pictures from her adventures there:
The Lauritzen Gardens sit on 100 acres atop the Missouri River Valley. There are 20 gardens, a visitor and education center which includes a gift shop, horticulture library, classrooms, 5,000 sq. ft. floral display hall and rental facilities. A tram ride through the gardens brought delights at every turn. There were various vignettes made possible through memorial donations. There were also stunning bird sanctuaries, sunset gardens, ponds and benches throughout the gardens with memory plaques commemorating loves ones. The Model Railroad Garden features model trains running through a miniature world of structural elements created from natural materials. The gardens were still in bloom and well tended even though it’s later in the growing season. I would like to come back in the spring to see ephemerals in bloom!