Bartlett Arboretum

Tulips at the Arb — Courtesy of the Bartlett Arboretum.

The Bartlett Arboretum is home to massive cypress, oaks, Japanese maples, and State Champion Trees. For over 100 years it has drawn visitors from across the United States and around the world to be inspired by this unique and unlikely sanctuary on the plains. The historic property is home to hundreds of varieties of trees and plants—both native and exotic. The Bartlet Arboretum is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and hosts several events throughout the year including the Tree House Concert Series.

A 20-acre garden of wooded and flowering beauty is a 30-minute drive south of Wichita, Kansas, on the west edge of the community of Belle Plaine. It is a cherished cultural resource and the only arboretum of maturity between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River.

Among the Tulips — Courtesy of the Bartlett Arboretum

In 1910, Dr. Walter E Bartlett, a physician, purchased the land on which the Arboretum is situated to provide space for the athletic teams of the area. Because of his love of nature, Dr. Bartlett immediately began plantings in what was then known as Bartlett's Park, pointing it toward its ultimate destiny. The name was changed to the Bartlett Arboretum in 1926.

The Bartlett Arboretum differs from many others in that it features herbaceous flowering plants, along with its trees and shrubs. Since its inception, the Arboretum has been a scientific laboratory to test the adaptability of plants from throughout the world to the conditions of the regional climate. Over 90 varieties of tulips, plus many varieties of daffodils and hyacinths, are planted each year to bloom in April and May. These flowers lure thousands of visitors to see the lavish displays which begin in early April and continue to mid-November.

Carrying on a Legacy — Courtesy of the Bartlett Arboretum.

Because of the complexities of creating this kind of garden, the process has been necessarily gradual. The Arboretum has been in a state of continuous development and evolution since its inception in the 1920s. Dr. Bartlett died in 1937 at which time his son, Glen C Bartlett, and Glen's wife, Margaret, carried on the tradition. Glen and Margaret where noted landscape designers in the south-central Kansas area and practiced until Glenn's death in 1976. Due to ill health Margaret Bartlett turned over the continuous upkeep and development of the grounds to her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Robert Gourlay, and daughter, Glenna Bartlett. The family continued operating the Arboretum until 1995. Finally, in 1997, they decided to sell it.

Robin Macy saw a for-sale sign on the ornate gates, she saw an old hand-hewn stone table among wreckage of vines under amazingly tall trees, and within 45 minutes she was on the phone to a real estate agent to buy the mature tree museum. "Fortunately," says Mary Gourlay, "this cute little blonde elf, Robin Macy, came knocking at the door. We didn't lose an arboretum, we gained another daughter."