Our Mission
The purpose of the Cooper-Foreman Heirloom and Native Gardens is to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of the historic gardening culture of metro-wide Kansas City prior to 1924, while teaching children and adults how gardens looked, were tended, what plants the gardens contained, and how the plants were used.
Plants from the
1600s to 1924
The Cooper-Foreman Heirloom and Native Gardens is a collection of ethno-botanical gardens located on the campus of Kansas City Kansas Community College. The gardens are privately funded and maintained by the community volunteers. KCKCC generously hosts these gardens for their educational value.
They serve as visual representations of the history of the Wyandotte County from early European pioneer occupation to the twentieth century. Each plant has been carefully chosen for the story it shares about its origins, the people who loved and nurtured it, and, in some cases, its contribution to the foods and medicines of our local people. All plants lure the casual observer to appreciate their beauty, while encouraging contemplative reverie.
Plants from the
1600s to 1924
The Cooper-Foreman Heirloom and Native Gardens is a collection of ethno-botanical gardens located on the campus of Kansas City Kansas Community College. The gardens are privately funded and maintained by the community volunteers. KCKCC generously hosts these gardens for their educational value.
They serve as visual representations of the history of the Wyandotte County from early European pioneer occupation to the twentieth century. Each plant has been carefully chosen for the story it shares about its origins, the people who loved and nurtured it, and, in some cases, its contribution to the foods and medicines of our local people. All plants lure the casual observer to appreciate their beauty, while encouraging contemplative reverie.
Our History
See a complete timeline of the CF Heirloom Garden and Native Gardens beginning in 1998.
Garden Tours
Garden Tours are conducted March through August by arrangement.
Contact Pam Louis-Walden, docent and curator. Call or email at: plouis01@yahoo.com.