Tour home gardens in KC

Discover garden inspiration at the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City Garden tour. On June 5-6, tour six gardens with a variety of native plants in historic neighborhoods. Each garden will provide a list of its “Top 10 Plants” that thrive in these shade and sun gardens.

This year’s gardens will be open from a 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine. They include:

Nature Sanctuary in the City

Native trees, shrubs and wildflowers create a natural biodiversity in this garden that was planted to attract the birds and the bees. A forest floor of wildflowers provides color and a low-maintenance alternative to traditional lawns. This garden includes Kentucky coffee and dogwood trees, wild hydrangea, native Missouri wildflowers, milkweed, wild ginger groundcover, blueberries, tea plants and a shared raised-bed garden for seasonal vegetables and other edibles. 525 E. 54th St., Kansas City MO

Historic Seclusion

A 110-year-old historic home is the backdrop for this perennial shade garden. It features 30-year-old hostas and ferns planted among Virginia bluebells, oak leaf hydrangeas, herbs, ground covers and Siberian spruce. A patio was built with stone salvaged from the demolition of the old St. Mary’s Hospital. 3701 Valentine Rd., Kansas City, MO

Woodland Park

The secret garden in this park-like yard surrounds an historic colonial home in the Rockhill Neighborhood. The garden contains evergreens, viburnums, Japanese tree peonies, Japanese maples, hydrangeas and magnolias. It features a no-dig garden where the homeowner used thick layers of newspapers to kill parts of the lawn to create a new garden bed. 4501 Holmes St., Kansas City, MO

Formal in White

Six years ago, the new homeowners in this Brookside home decided to give the garden a complete renovation. With a nod to French gardens, they designed it with clipped boxwood hedges that create outdoor rooms. The plantings are predominantly white bloomers with accents in pink, blue and purple. Favorites include New Dawn climbing rose, Annabelle hydrangeas and white Rose of Sharon. 6130 Morningside Dr., Kansas City, MO

Styled to Perfection

Built on the former Armour Fields Golf Club, this site dates back to the 1850s when the area became known as Armour Fields. Most of the homes in the neighborhood were developed by J.C. Nichols in the 1920s. For these homeowners, the garden began with amending the soil before planting 123 trees and shrubs. The garden also has bee balm to attract the bees, Angel Wing begonias, Persian Shield, Mandevilla vines and elephant ears that are planted in floral, shaded and woodland, formal and meditation gardens. 1220 W. 64th Terr., Kansas City, MO

Japanese Serenity

Creating a sense of peace and balance with nature, these Ward Parkway homeowners turned to Japanese gardens for inspiration. A tiger swallowtails butterfly garden under magnolia trees attracts a wide variety of butterflies. Special attention was given to planting a four-season garden with plantings that include cherry trees, sumac, spruce, yellow groove bamboo and magnolias. 6616 Ward Parkway, Kansas City MO

Tickets are $15. Children under the age of 12 are free. Tickets may be purchased at www.mggkc.org, at various locations throughout the metro, or at the gardens during the tour. Click here for a list of ticket outlets.