Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the great places that I've learned about in
the year plus that I've been here in Omaha is
Lords and Gardens. And we are currently joined by the
director of Marketing for Lords and Gardens, and her name
is Mia Jenkins. Mia, welcome to the show today. Thank
you so much for having me. Okay, so for those
who may be a little unfamiliar about Lords and Gardens,
let's just go ahead and start from the top. What
(00:21):
is Lords and Gardens and what do you guys do?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Sure, We're a one hundred acre public garden, which means
we really exist for the enjoyment and education of the community.
I sometimes jokingly say we display plants and grow them
so you don't have to. But we have more than
twenty different themed garden areas and a four season conservatory
that's in between stages of renovation right now. And we
(00:46):
have a lot of different garden areas that showcase either
cultivated spaces or more wild spaces, often with a focus
on native plants of Nebraska. In a nuts shall I say,
you can really see what grows and thrives in Nebraska,
especially if you recently moved here. Depending on where you're
coming from, it could be a completely different plant palette
(01:07):
that you can grow here compared to what you're used to,
and so we're really a source of inspiration, of beauty
and a resource for gardeners of what will grow and
thrive in our climate.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
My wife is really into the plant thing, you know,
I'm more of a bird feeder type of guy. She
really has kind of learned about planting and everything like that.
These are the kind of things that I've come to
appreciate though, as you know, I got into my thirties,
was trying to learn about how plants and us have
a relationship. It's not just hey, I want to put
a plant here because I like the look. Now you can,
(01:42):
but there is a lot more that kind of goes
into that, what it takes for the plant to be alive,
and how that plant interacts or its relationship with the
environment around it. I'm sure that's something you guys are
constantly thinking about as well.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, it's really at the heart of what our horticulture
team puts out every day is creating garden spaces that
are beautiful to look at, but that also help protect
and preserve and support the biodiversity at the garden. And
so we do studies of monitoring butterfly activity, moth activity,
(02:18):
be activity. To see the species that do use the garden.
It's amazing just in our one hundred acres. And so
when you think of all of Omaha or the broader
metropolitan area, how many different species of things you find
it is important to be able to produce environments that
help them grow and thrive. Their populations are in decline,
(02:40):
and so it's really just implement it's your plant choice,
like you were saying, and then also just implementing practices,
even something so simple as don't rake up all of
your leaves fall give them some habitat to thrive in overwinter.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, that's a great point too, is what you guys
are kind of I don't want to say it's like
a zoo for plants or anything like that, but.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It's you know, living museum, right.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
You kind of go to a zoo and you learn
about like different animals and different you know, reasons why
there you know, populations may be in decline, and then
you can go to a place like Lords and Garden
and kind of have the same vibe there. So you
guys are also constantly thinking about things that are happening
throughout the year in ways to get people to come
(03:29):
and visit, and even in the winter time where you're
probably not thinking about plants specifically, what is kind of
a you know, the calendar look like here as we
get into late November and early December.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Sure, so we do in addition to growing plants, we
conserve them. We have a seed bank, so we're working
at We work year round on saving plants of the
Great Plains. We have educational programs and then special events,
so you know, we start in the spring with a
big daffodil bloom. It's like kind of a burst of
(04:01):
nearly a million daffodils, and it's a really great way
to start the spring season since we feel every season
here it's you know, coming out of winter. To be
able to see a field of yellow daffodils is just incredible.
We do seasonal traveling exhibits and this coming spring will
have Wonders of the World, which is a fun exhibit
(04:22):
that mixes model garden trains with buildings that represent architectural
wonders from the Eiffel Tower to the taj Mahal, and
it's kind of a trip around the world, but will
tie Botany and horticulture into it a little bit as well,
like we do right now. Of course, we have our
Holiday Exhibit, which just opened this last weekend and runs
(04:43):
through December thirty. First, I guess I should have mentioned
that one, and that's really our horticultural representation of the
holiday season. We use points etias, we use cycloman evergreens
to really kind of give people a way to connect
to nature even when it is cold out and you
might not be thinking let's all load up in the
car and go to the botanical garden. Then we light
(05:05):
our indoor gardens in the conservatory in the Floral Display
Hall for the season as well through our Bright Nights events.
But we really try to have a from our educational
programming to the special events Japanese Festival and the Lords
and Gardens Antique Show, which is our biggest fundraising event
of the year, just something different that ties people, connects
(05:27):
them to nature in some way, or connects them to
something broader within the community as well.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
We're talking to Mia Jenkins who's with Lords and Garden here.
Lords and Gardens has a great website. People can go
look at a lot of this stuff and learn about
this at their own pace as well at Lordsgardens dot
org or you can just google Lords and Gardens. That's
the first thing that pops up. What do you want
people to notice the most about what you guys do,
(05:54):
because it does take so much effort to, like you
talked about just the research before we even get to
see what kind of gets implemented over there, And you
guys are so careful, and you know you really are
trying to manifest that educational aspect while also giving people
this place where they can just kind of enjoy what
(06:16):
nature can give them. How like, what are some of
the big missions that you're hopeful that people are taking
away from what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, First of all, I think it's protecting and respecting
the natural world and creating your own relationship with it.
I think you protect what you love, So if you
get out and you find something that you love within nature,
you're more drawn to protect it. And whether that's a
(06:44):
really fun experience within nature that you have, or if
that is your place for like RESTful retreat or peaceful
like for me, it's just an escape from my busy day.
I can just go walk outside in the garden and
it calms me, or the conservatory and the winter with
the humidity levels and the sounds of the water moving.
(07:06):
It's kind of my happy place, and you want other
people to find what connects them to the natural world
as well. During the holiday season. I feel like we're
trying to use horticulture in a different way to showcase
the plants that kind of symbolize the season. But it
(07:28):
also I think this show is kind of living proof
of the magic and the wonder of the season with
our twenty foot tall points SETI a tree that's made
up of seven hundred and some point set. You don't
see that anywhere else. The evergreens that are brought in
and flocked or in the case of the Tropical House,
turned into pineapples this year for the tropical vibe. Just
(07:52):
that creative use of plant material to create the holiday spirit.
But be true to what we do, which is we're
plant people, and we hope that you know, some guests
will walk through and it's just this fun holiday experience
and others see every subtle detail from you know, the
(08:13):
Holiday Express train station we've created in the you know,
vintage boxes and the train car seats or everything we do.
I think, just going back to your original question, there's
a real level of detail at what we do that
is off. That's the biggest compliment is when people notice
what really goes into it for the community. And I
(08:36):
think this garden was established by the community, and it's
been fostered by the community and supported financially through volunt you,
through donors, and through tended by volunteers, and so it
really I said, it still exists for the community. It's
just been a grassroots effort and we always want more
(08:58):
people to be able to spend more time and nature
and experience all that all the joys that it has
to offer you a.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Round and that is one of the great things right now,
Mary and Bright with the holiday Express and Bright Nights
that are going on started just this past week and
going through December the thirty first. You can learn more
at Lordsogardens dot org. There and also you'll have opportunities
to give as well, which is always important for you know,
nonprofit organizations like Lords and Gardens which do so much
for our community. Mia Jenkins, thanks so much for coming
(09:26):
in and talking to us about this. What an inspirational
place and certainly a place that we're excited to my
wife and I to go and check out this holiday season.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
All right, we'll be back with more after this on
news radio eleven ten kfab
One of the great places that I've learned about in
the year plus that I've been here in Omaha is
Lords and Gardens. And we are currently joined by the
director of Marketing for Lords and Gardens, and her name
is Mia Jenkins. Mia, welcome to the show today. Thank
you so much for having me. Okay, so for those
who may be a little unfamiliar about Lords and Gardens,
let's just go ahead and start from the top. What
(00:21):
is Lords and Gardens and what do you guys do?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Sure, We're a one hundred acre public garden, which means
we really exist for the enjoyment and education of the community.
I sometimes jokingly say we display plants and grow them
so you don't have to. But we have more than
twenty different themed garden areas and a four season conservatory
that's in between stages of renovation right now. And we
(00:46):
have a lot of different garden areas that showcase either
cultivated spaces or more wild spaces, often with a focus
on native plants of Nebraska. In a nuts shall I say,
you can really see what grows and thrives in Nebraska,
especially if you recently moved here. Depending on where you're
coming from, it could be a completely different plant palette
(01:07):
that you can grow here compared to what you're used to,
and so we're really a source of inspiration, of beauty
and a resource for gardeners of what will grow and
thrive in our climate.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
My wife is really into the plant thing, you know,
I'm more of a bird feeder type of guy. She
really has kind of learned about planting and everything like that.
These are the kind of things that I've come to
appreciate though, as you know, I got into my thirties,
was trying to learn about how plants and us have
a relationship. It's not just hey, I want to put
a plant here because I like the look. Now you can,
(01:42):
but there is a lot more that kind of goes
into that, what it takes for the plant to be alive,
and how that plant interacts or its relationship with the
environment around it. I'm sure that's something you guys are
constantly thinking about as well.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, it's really at the heart of what our horticulture
team puts out every day is creating garden spaces that
are beautiful to look at, but that also help protect
and preserve and support the biodiversity at the garden. And
so we do studies of monitoring butterfly activity, moth activity,
(02:18):
be activity. To see the species that do use the garden.
It's amazing just in our one hundred acres. And so
when you think of all of Omaha or the broader
metropolitan area, how many different species of things you find
it is important to be able to produce environments that
help them grow and thrive. Their populations are in decline,
(02:40):
and so it's really just implement it's your plant choice,
like you were saying, and then also just implementing practices,
even something so simple as don't rake up all of
your leaves fall give them some habitat to thrive in overwinter.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Yeah, that's a great point too, is what you guys
are kind of I don't want to say it's like
a zoo for plants or anything like that, but.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
It's you know, living museum, right.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
You kind of go to a zoo and you learn
about like different animals and different you know, reasons why
there you know, populations may be in decline, and then
you can go to a place like Lords and Garden
and kind of have the same vibe there. So you
guys are also constantly thinking about things that are happening
throughout the year in ways to get people to come
(03:29):
and visit, and even in the winter time where you're
probably not thinking about plants specifically, what is kind of
a you know, the calendar look like here as we
get into late November and early December.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Sure, so we do in addition to growing plants, we
conserve them. We have a seed bank, so we're working
at We work year round on saving plants of the
Great Plains. We have educational programs and then special events,
so you know, we start in the spring with a
big daffodil bloom. It's like kind of a burst of
(04:01):
nearly a million daffodils, and it's a really great way
to start the spring season since we feel every season
here it's you know, coming out of winter. To be
able to see a field of yellow daffodils is just incredible.
We do seasonal traveling exhibits and this coming spring will
have Wonders of the World, which is a fun exhibit
(04:22):
that mixes model garden trains with buildings that represent architectural
wonders from the Eiffel Tower to the taj Mahal, and
it's kind of a trip around the world, but will
tie Botany and horticulture into it a little bit as well,
like we do right now. Of course, we have our
Holiday Exhibit, which just opened this last weekend and runs
(04:43):
through December thirty. First, I guess I should have mentioned
that one, and that's really our horticultural representation of the
holiday season. We use points etias, we use cycloman evergreens
to really kind of give people a way to connect
to nature even when it is cold out and you
might not be thinking let's all load up in the
car and go to the botanical garden. Then we light
(05:05):
our indoor gardens in the conservatory in the Floral Display
Hall for the season as well through our Bright Nights events.
But we really try to have a from our educational
programming to the special events Japanese Festival and the Lords
and Gardens Antique Show, which is our biggest fundraising event
of the year, just something different that ties people, connects
(05:27):
them to nature in some way, or connects them to
something broader within the community as well.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
We're talking to Mia Jenkins who's with Lords and Garden here.
Lords and Gardens has a great website. People can go
look at a lot of this stuff and learn about
this at their own pace as well at Lordsgardens dot
org or you can just google Lords and Gardens. That's
the first thing that pops up. What do you want
people to notice the most about what you guys do,
(05:54):
because it does take so much effort to, like you
talked about just the research before we even get to
see what kind of gets implemented over there, And you
guys are so careful, and you know you really are
trying to manifest that educational aspect while also giving people
this place where they can just kind of enjoy what
(06:16):
nature can give them. How like, what are some of
the big missions that you're hopeful that people are taking
away from what you guys do.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Well, First of all, I think it's protecting and respecting
the natural world and creating your own relationship with it.
I think you protect what you love, So if you
get out and you find something that you love within nature,
you're more drawn to protect it. And whether that's a
(06:44):
really fun experience within nature that you have, or if
that is your place for like RESTful retreat or peaceful
like for me, it's just an escape from my busy day.
I can just go walk outside in the garden and
it calms me, or the conservatory and the winter with
the humidity levels and the sounds of the water moving.
(07:06):
It's kind of my happy place, and you want other
people to find what connects them to the natural world
as well. During the holiday season. I feel like we're
trying to use horticulture in a different way to showcase
the plants that kind of symbolize the season. But it
(07:28):
also I think this show is kind of living proof
of the magic and the wonder of the season with
our twenty foot tall points SETI a tree that's made
up of seven hundred and some point set. You don't
see that anywhere else. The evergreens that are brought in
and flocked or in the case of the Tropical House,
turned into pineapples this year for the tropical vibe. Just
(07:52):
that creative use of plant material to create the holiday spirit.
But be true to what we do, which is we're
plant people, and we hope that you know, some guests
will walk through and it's just this fun holiday experience
and others see every subtle detail from you know, the
(08:13):
Holiday Express train station we've created in the you know,
vintage boxes and the train car seats or everything we do.
I think, just going back to your original question, there's
a real level of detail at what we do that
is off. That's the biggest compliment is when people notice
what really goes into it for the community. And I
(08:36):
think this garden was established by the community, and it's
been fostered by the community and supported financially through volunt you,
through donors, and through tended by volunteers, and so it
really I said, it still exists for the community. It's
just been a grassroots effort and we always want more
(08:58):
people to be able to spend more time and nature
and experience all that all the joys that it has
to offer you a.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Round and that is one of the great things right now,
Mary and Bright with the holiday Express and Bright Nights
that are going on started just this past week and
going through December the thirty first. You can learn more
at Lordsogardens dot org. There and also you'll have opportunities
to give as well, which is always important for you know,
nonprofit organizations like Lords and Gardens which do so much
for our community. Mia Jenkins, thanks so much for coming
(09:26):
in and talking to us about this. What an inspirational
place and certainly a place that we're excited to my
wife and I to go and check out this holiday season.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
All right, we'll be back with more after this on
news radio eleven ten kfab
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