Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens

at the Springfield Botanical Gardens

*Aerial Photograph by Rockafellow Photography

Located at 2400 Scenic Ave, just north of The Botanical Center building
open from dawn to dusk for public strolling

Master Gardeners of Greene County developed the original demonstration garden in 1994 on land provided by the Springfield|Greene County Park Board. In 2001, the garden was completely reworked and expanded to include:

a semi-formal turf plot showcasing eight varieties of turf grass
a 2,300 square foot vegetable garden in the theme of a European Potager. Produce is harvested and donated to the Ozark Food Harvest and other food pantries. An average of 900 pounds of produce are donated annually
an expanded native Missouri wildflower section
an upgraded mixed border area of trees, perennials and shrubs
an improved herb garden divided into culinary, scented, medicinal, and dyeing herbs

Our Gardens are located north of the Botanical Center building and parking lot, within the 114 acres of Nathanael Greene|Close Memorial Park. Descriptions of the individual garden plots are listed below. For more information about our gardens, email:

Ornamental Grass Garden
Nothing is as gorgeous and effective as ornamental grasses backlit by the sun. Grasses offer more than longevity and low maintenance; they bring movement, fall and winter pizzazz, lush volume, texture and line, even sound, to your landscape. When you garden with ornamental grasses, color ceases to be the main goal, while form, texture, scale, year-round interest and translucency become more important functions. Grasses extend your garden’s beauty from the spring and summer months right through to the snows of deep winter.

Missouri Native Garden
This includes a rich array of native plants you can use to create beautiful landscapes on your property. Natives reduce maintenance and offer four season interest. They provide a natural habitat for butterflies, birds and beneficial insects. Natives require less water, little to no fertilizer or chemical pesticides, and tend to be tolerant of our extreme weather variations.

Fruit Garden
Espalier Apples
Grapes
Brambles
Throughout our gardens you’ll find fruit. A plum tree, sour cherry tree, brambles and new apple trees.

Kitchen Garden
European potager themed vegetable garden, naturally grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides or fungicides of any kind. Includes heirloom vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs on a 2,300 sq ft plot. No synthetic fertilizers are used, compost added annually for over 14 years. Includes raised bed Square Foot Garden, wildlife habitat, vertical structures, grafted tomatoes, low tunnel cloche, cold frames & companion planting. Produce is donated to Ozarks Food Harvest.

Herb Garden
Discover a wide variety of herbs in several themed beds which include culinary, dyeing, medicinal, mints, scented, & thyme.

Mixed Border Landscape
Combines trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, bulbs & grasses. Creation began in fall of 1996 to exhibit new and unusual plants, and to show how to plant them together for color, texture. and seasonal interest. As the garden matures. plants which don’t perform or die are removed and new plants are added. This mixed border is consider a four season garden. Visit the gardens from from week to week as the landscape changes throughout the year.

Turf Demonstration Plots
Six cool season plots and two warm season plots offer you the opportunity to compare different turf mixes throughout the seasons. To remain actively growing, cool season grasses require an inch a week of moisture. They will endure cooler temperatures during the winter and remain green. This is unlike warm season grasses which go dormant soon after the days grow short and temperatures drop in the fall.