Name: 2026 Kansas City Garden Symposium – Big Ideas, Smaller Spaces
Start: 2026-03-21T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-03-21T15:30:00-05:00
Location: Rockhurst University College of Arts and Sciences

$2026 Kansas City Garden Symposium \u2013 Big Ideas, Smaller Spaces$

Three horticulture experts from impressive public gardens are bringing inspiration and practical experience to the 2026 Kansas City Garden Symposium.
The speakers will suggest how to take public garden ideas and apply them to home gardens. The theme this year is “Big Ideas, Smaller Spaces.”
Like last spring, it will be presented in a large science lecture hall at Rockhurst University set up for note taking and interacting with the presenter.
The price for this event remains the same, $99, if you sign up by Feb. 28. After that, the ticket price bumps up to $125.
The ticket price includes lunch, offering a wide variety of entrees, salads, soups and desserts at the university cafeteria. There also will be coffee and snacks at breaks.
This year’s speakers:
David Mattern from Chanticleer, a renowned public garden near Philadelphia, sharing presentations about “Containers That Create Spaces” and “Noteworthy Plants at Chanticleer.”
Anne Wildeboor, horticulture supervisor at Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Garden, speaking about “What Makes a Garden Pop Each Season?”
Leslie Hunter, a horticulture manager at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, speaking about “What’s That Doing in a Rose Garden?”