The University of Kansas Medical Center Botanic Gardens Map
The overarching theme of the KUMC Botanic Gardens is the connection gardens have to medicine and our health.
- Pollinator Garden (1) - This theme was chosen to highlight the importance of pollination to our health and well-being. Without pollinators, there would be a drastic decrease in access to many different foods that the population relies upon. Consumers would have limited access to essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Learn more about the Seven beehives installed on KU Medical Center campus.
- Chromatic Garden (15) - This garden will have an emphasis on our vision. The garden will be divided into 4 quadrants. Each quadrant will be planted with different plants with the same color palette for a visually impactful display. This garden will also recognize the hard work of the medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- OT Sensory Garden (9) - This Garden is a thoughtfully designed healing space created to support well-being, inclusion, and self-regulation through nature. Developed through a collaboration between the Botanic Gardens, KC Farm School, A.R. Dykes Library, and the Department of Occupational Therapy Education, the garden uses evidence-based design to engage the senses, reduce stress, and promote emotional balance—particularly for neurodiverse individuals. With interactive sensory elements, educational signage, and complementary sensory support kits available on campus, the garden provides a welcoming environment where students, staff, patients, and visitors can reconnect with nature, restore focus, and support mind-body wellness.
- Green Roof Garden (7) - The green roof at HEB provides many benefits including air purification. The plants in a green roof system filter particulate matter from the air and convert CO2 into oxygen.
- Kitchen Gardens (3) - We exhibit alternative vegetable growing methods with the hope that people on campus get the idea that they can grow their own healthy, fresh produce at their homes regardless of space limitations.
- Cancer Research Garden - This garden features plants that researchers are studying at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Some of the featured plants are oregano, thyme, and banana plants.
- Auxiliary Garden(6) - Originally built by the University of Kansas Medical Center Auxiliary, this garden is a wonderful shade garden with a soothing fountain and picnic tables for outdoor dining or a quick time out. The shade creates a refreshingly cool area with protection from the sun.
- Dr. Storm Water Garden (2) - A memorial garden that offers a shady spot to de-stress and unwind while looking at the beautiful water lilies and watching the fish. The sound of moving water is one of the most relaxing and beneficial for the mind. It has the ability to calm, inspire and heal.
- THRIVE Student Food Pantry Garden (11) - The THRIVE Garden has been a wonderful collaboration between the KUMC Botanic Gardens and the Office of Student Life. The produce grown in the garden is a free resource available to all students to supplement their current food circumstances and to help them meet their basic dietary needs.
- North Garden & South Garden (12 & 13) - The North Garden and South Garden serve as vibrant outdoor spaces that connect plants, health, and community. These gardens are used for growing fresh produce for Food is Medicine and Culinary Medicine initiatives, supporting hands-on learning for students, and providing space for educational programming, volunteer engagement, and seasonal community events. They also serve as living classrooms, demonstrating sustainable gardening practices, pollinator support, and the powerful connection between nature, nutrition, and well-being.
- Beehives (9) - The beehives at University of Kansas Medical Center support pollinator health, strengthen campus biodiversity, and serve as a living example of the important connection between bees, plants, and our food system. They also provide opportunities for education, honey harvesting, and community engagement around the role pollinators play in environmental and human health.
- 4 Seasons of Color Gardens (15) - The 4 Seasons of Color Gardens at The University of Kansas Health System bring year-round beauty and seasonal interest to campus through thoughtfully designed plantings of trees, shrubs, flowers, and bulbs. Created to welcome, inspire, and restore, these gardens offer patients, visitors, staff, and the community a meaningful connection to nature in every season. Beyond their visual impact, the gardens demonstrate how thoughtfully designed green spaces can support wellness, uplift the campus environment, and celebrate the healing power of plants in every season.
