OMAHA, Neb. (KOLN) – An Omaha botanical garden offers visitors a 100-acre urban oasis just south of downtown, and it features a recently rejuvenated conservatory with plants from several global ecoregions.
The botanical garden grows 80% of its plants from seeds and cuttings, setting it apart from other gardens that purchase from wholesale retailers, said CEO Ennis Anderson. “We grow everything here ourselves, so it allows us to pretty much grow a little bit of everything,” Anderson said.
The Marjorie K. Daugherty Conservatory features what Anderson calls world-class architecture paired with a world-class plant collection. The temperate house contains plants from around the world, including spiny palms from Madagascar and baobab trees featured in the Lion King. A wall of geraniums, mostly from South Africa, serves as a stunning entrance to the conservatory. Inside, you’ll also find a plant library containing rare species. Some of the library’s plants number fewer than 2,000 in the wild, while others have fewer than 5,000 remaining…