2026 HABITAT GARDEN TOUR SEASON!
Highlighting Kansas City residents who understand why what you plant matters!
Habitat Garden Tours are a recurring event held at various times throughout the growing season. 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.
All Habitat Garden Tour events are from 9AM to 2PM. Each event will have multiple gardens to visit; the order you visit the gardens and the time you spend at each one is up to you!
Register for Season Register for June Event Register for July Event VolunteerJune Habitat Garden Tour Details
The Art Farmer’s Sanctuary
Abundant • Healthy • Inspiring
This Southmoreland property features a large, paved parking lot in place of a driveway and all the non-native English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) you could ever need… well, it did. That was before our garden host moved in around 2020 and transformed this dead zone into a sanctuary for pollinators. The goals were to create a space for food production (for humans and wildlife) and to experiment with the relationship between gardening and art making. She began planting natives a bit at a time four years ago and has included familiar species such as Gray Headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) and Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi). There was a lot here to restore, particularly under the surface where the soil has been compacted and treated with toxins in the past. However, our gardener is not one to turn away from a challenge and is now reaping so many benefits from the metamorphosis her yard has undergone. Come see how this architect, artist, and food grower has used native gardening to feed her other interests and restore the health of her yard.
Treats for The Eyes
Surprising • Alluring • Enlightening
It’s a beautiful thing when our native gardens inspire neighbors to plant habitats of their own. This gardener is a result of that impact. Our garden host’s curiosity and admiration for his neighbors’ native gardens led him to attend Deep Roots’ 2024 Plan It Native conference. He left feeling empowered and inspired to be a part of the movement. After some lawn smothering and plug planting, he now has a thriving home habitat of his own. He hopes to attract and nourish pollinators of all kinds: butterflies with his newly planted Milkweed varieties (Asclepias spp.), and bees and flies with plants like Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) and Laceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata). He also hopes to curate “treats for the eyes.” That includes beautiful blooms, quirky insects, and countless marvels that nature provides when you give it the opportunity to flourish. Come experience these treats for yourself!
Nature’s Pharmacy
Wild • Healing • Free
This gardener has lived in their charming Midtown home since 2020, right around the start of COVID. With a bare lawn to work with and extra time at home, he decided to get planting. As a manual therapist already interested in herbalism, there was no doubt this would be a priority in his yard. But this gardener wanted more than your standard herb garden. He discovered how he could take his interest in medicinal plants to the next level after picking up the book Native Plants in the Midwest by Alan Branhagan. Many native plants highlighted in this book, including Bee Balm (Monarda spp.) and Coneflower (Echinacea spp.) species, had medicinal properties and were likely to grow successfully in this climate. Unlike the chamomile and mint plants which still have their place in his garden, the native additions work to heal more than human ailments. These plants help heal our environment and the species that rely on them. Come explore a beautiful garden packed full of edible natives that are sure to leave you and our pollinators feeling good!
2026 HABITAT GARDEN TOUR DATES
May 9th – Prairie Village & Waldo
June 6th – Midtown
July 11th – Waldo
October 3rd – Location TBD
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Pollinator Sign UpPhotos by Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross
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What is a Habitat Garden?
A garden with native plants that provides sustenance and shelter for birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife.
Habitat Garden Tours
Experience a diverse range of native plant gardens grown by Kansas City area residents. Meet other native gardeners and wildlife supporters and find inspiration and information to grow your own habitat garden.
Native Plant Sales
Inspired by the gardens you visited? Find the same plants at our native plant sales and grow your own habitat garden. Do try this at home!