Open to the Public
These 15 gardening projects located in a variety of setting across Douglas & Sarpy Counties are proudly maintained by teams of Extension Master Gardener Volunteers. The gardens are platforms for demonstrating sustainable horticulture best management practices and are open to the public.
24th St Business Improvement District
South 24th St from L to Q Streets, 68107
This project teaches business owners to manage 65 raised planters extending through the commercial core of South Omaha's Latin American community.
All-America Selections Edible Trial Ground
8015 W Center Road, 68124
Before release into the home garden market, introductions are grown and evaluated against comparisons on characteristics such as flavor, yield, habit, and disease resistance.
Bee Garden at the Bohemian Cemetery
5201 Center Street, 68106
This pollinator habitat primarily demonstrates regional native plants and supports native and honeybees within Omaha Bee Club's teaching apiary.
Central Extension Office
8015 West Center Road, 68124
This garden has ideas for gardening in tough, dry environments. Maintenance of the courtyard space is funded by a generous memorial from a former Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area at Wehrspann Lake
8901 South 154th Street, 68138
This public space features an educational rain garden adjacent to the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District headquarters and planters outside employee office windows.
Eastern Nebraska Veterans' Home
12505 South 40th Street, Bellevue 68123
Resident veterans and their guests enjoy a Purple Heart Garden at the entry and green infrastructure in the form of bioswales to manage stormwater runoff from the federal facility’s 3 acres of roofing.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: Butterfly & Insect Pavilion
3701 South 10th Street, 68107
The garden outside the Butterfly & Insect Pavilion highlights plants beneficial to butterflies and other pollinators. Volunteers participate in the zoo’s citizen science monarch tagging events.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo: Grow Your Own Zoo
3701 South 10th Street, 68107
This garden located in the Children’s Adventure Trails captures visitors’ imaginations with the theme “Grow Your Own Zoo.” Plants, like rattlesnake master, are animal themed.
St. Leo's Pollinator Habitat
1920 North 102nd Street, 68114
An underused church community garden was transformed to welcome biodiversity. The public is invited to enjoy this peaceful and handicap-accessible sanctuary.
Sarpy County Fairgrounds
100 Main Street, Springfield 68059
Multiple gardens, including an All-America Selections Perennial Trial Ground, provide a beautiful backdrop for thousands of fairgoers and rodeo attendees.
Schramm Education Center
21502 NE-31, Gretna 68028
This pollinator habitat complements the aquatic and terrestrial educational exhibits inside the facility and provides a welcome to visitors of the state park.
Sump Memorial--Papillion Public Library
222 North Jefferson Street, Papillion 68046
Visitors to the library learn about pollinators and enjoy this pleasant site’s features year-round, including a rain garden and elaborate native bee hotel.
Village Pointe
170th & Davenport Streets, 68118
Sponsored by MUD, this garden behind Old Navy focuses on wise-water use, and plant selections have changed as the trees have grown and the landscape has matured.
Walnut Creek Lake & Recreation Area
11601 South 96th Street, Papillion 68046
This public site features tough plants that attract pollinators while requiring minimal water. The space is often utilized as a natural backdrop for wedding photographs.
W. Clarke Swanson Branch--Omaha Public Library
9101 West Dodge Road, 68114
A former eyesore, this garden has become a point of pride for the library, demonstrates landscape sustainability for visiting adults, and appeals to the imagination of children.
Closed to the Public
These 4 gardening projects are also maintained by teams of Extension Master Gardener Volunteers. They are closed to the public because they serve vulnerable populations.
Douglas County Health Center
(est 2004)
These gardens provide recuperative tranquility for residents and visitors alike, with a bountiful greenspace useful for conjuring memories, watching wildlife, and socializing.
Growing Together: The Hope Center for Kids
Gardens at this site are utilized by an after-school program of K-2nd graders who learn about how to grow food and nutrition, while developing a greater appreciation for the natural world.
HOPE (Helping Omaha People Eat) Garden
This pantry garden at a church site supplies thousands of pounds of nutritious fresh food each year to Heartland Hope Mission in support of food insecure families.
Hospice House - The Josie Harper Residence
With a variety of gardens throughout the campus, this space offers a beautiful view for residents and a serene setting for families, visitors, and caretakers to find respite.
