Have you ever visited a garden, expecting the usual sights, only to be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected? At the Botanica Garden in Wichita, accept the gardens invitation to joyful delight as you pause and listen. Let the soothing sound of water bring calm to your senses with its hidden streams, fountains, and running water. Relax into this truly unique experience as Botanica’s unexpected gift to you.
The Wichita Botanical Gardens is well known for its beauty of scenery and sounds.
I had a chance last October to visit the garden myself and it was true that I saw many beautiful plants, art, and natural landscape. The garden was fun, well designed with the intent to please its visitors. The garden lived up to its name and reviews.
I was caught off guard however by a beauty in the garden that was unexpected.
A special beauty not advertised. A beauty so subtle that I almost walked the entire garden before I realized it’s specialness. This garden in Wichita was not just the garden of sight, but a garden of sounds.
Not the typical sounds of the birds and the bugs, but the sounds of water.
And by sounds, I mean the many sounds of water twisting, turning, bubbling and splashing throughout seventeen acres of the garden.
THE GARDEN OF WATER
My first experience with water was in the Chinese garden of friendship. With the indoor and outdoor art installations, sculptures and stained glass, the garden showcased the values of community, beauty, and serenity.
Read more about the Chinese Garden here [link to my other article]
And I was amazed at the soothing sound experience from the start of my walk through the Chinese Garden to the end. From the beginning, tinkling sounds of water greeted me as a sort of welcome.
Elements of water weaved through the garden, following my path. The streams gently bubbling and gurgling were not the primary visual blockbusters of the garden, however they were the foundation of the magic of Wichita’s botanic garden. The trickling streams were well woven artistically into the beauty of the existing stone, metal work, and painted art infrastructure. The undulating flow of rocks and natural structures among living greenery lived and breathed pure energy. A graceful energy only eclipsed by the KOI fish which undulated through streams artfully designed under the bridges and walkways. I could hear sporadic soft splashes from the little flicks of sound as the happy dance of KOI fishes.
The water cascaded over rocks and undulated through the riverbed path as it flowed through the Chinese Garden very much like the Terracotta dragon who sat and flowed along the garden wall and hobbit like open doorways.
WATER IN THE SHAKESPEAREAN GARDEN
When I exited the Chinese garden into the Shakespeare Garden, I had noted the prominence of the sounds of water, but I did not understand its significance in relation to the rest of Wichita’s Botanical Garden. I had assumed the water was confined to the garden of friendship.
The minute I stepped out of the friendship garden and into the Shakespeare Garden, I was proven wrong.
Upon exiting, I immediately stepped into a shaded vestibule. The vestibule was highlighted by a fountain tinkling, tinkling, splashing, splashing water into this inky black pool. The sharp staccato of the sound matched the striking visual contrast of the neon green lily pads floating on top of the fountain pool that looked unnaturally black.
The inky black water was a vision of moonless midnight reflected on its surface and yet I was looking at the fountain in the middle of the day.
This lively display of a water fountain contrasted sharply to the water found in the Chinese Garden of Friendship.
In the Garden of Friendship, the sound of water was muted and sort of like a low hum. The gentle hum is like the sound coming out of a sound machine turned on low so that you can peacefully drift off to sleep.
However, this water was sharp and staccato. A sound that rejuvenated my spirit after it has been lulled into the relaxed state after visiting the Chinese garden. The fountain was very much a center of attention and was deserving of rapt attention.
Walking past the inky water fountain further into the Shakespeare Garden, my eyes and ears were drawn to a larger fountain up ahead.
The fountain in the center of the garden was a large fountain where water gushed, rushed and was flung into the air from various waterspouts.
The water was loud and demanding to be noticed. The water was like a roaring lion, surrounded by nature, flowers and shrubbery that circled the garden.
It was truly a pleasure to walk around the fountain admiring the flow of water and then to walk around again facing outward towards the garden. The garden was lush and in bloom around the fountain as if it was an audience watching with rapt attention, flowering in approval of the spectacular show.
THE SUNKEN GARDEN
When I was surveying the garden, much to my surprise, I had originally missed some steps leading down into a secluded sunken garden.
Sunken gardens were popular during the Renaissance period and as I was in the Shakespeare Garden this was no exception. To my delight in the middle of the garden, you guessed it, was a fountain.
In handcrafted marble, in each corner, there were four sculptures of ladies in various states of dress.
Each statute represented the passage of time, much like the water that felt eternal that seemed to flow with me. As I stepped further into the sunken garden, away from the lion’s roar of the main fountain in the Shakespearean Garden, this subdued fountain lent a sense of refined calm.
The ladies standing on each of the corners were modeled after the seasons.
To my delight I had forgotten as it was October; Halloween was near, and I could see blue twinkling lights in the greenery behind one of the statues. It took a moment for my mind to register that these tiny blue lights weren’t fireflies nor flowers, they were holiday lights.
Holiday lights matching the other festivities that they were adding to the Garden during this type of year. I would not have imagined how fun the garden could be decorated with Halloween spirit. (link Halloween article here)
As I progressed through the rest of the Botanical Gardens, the water followed, or I followed the water.
Shortly after leaving the Shakespeare Garden, the concrete path became colored yellow, like a yellow brick road that begged to be followed.
The path swirled childlike, and to my surprise lead rainbow and you guess it! Another fountain.
THE SUNFLOWER FOUNTAIN
But this was no ordinary fountain, it was whimsical than the English fountain.
The water from this fountain pooled and flows over its middle in a very gentle, elegant way.
A middle in the shape of a sunflower. A sunflower cap expressing joy in its bright colors. Beautiful and exciting sight for a child.
The fountain was low to the ground, it was at a child’s level. Its water pooled and poured over the flowers middle gently, encompassing the whole of the sunflower cap.
Just like the sunflower fountain, the garden’s fountains and water features filled me with wonder. Each one, with its unique sound, brought a sense of peace. Water is essential for the plants thriving in the garden, and hearing it flow gracefully and freely was a reminder of its importance. The gurgling and bubbling sounds were a delightful surprise, making my garden visit truly memorable.
DISCOVER THE WATER SYMPHONY AT THE WICHITA’S BOTANICAL GARDEN
Start your own journey of relaxation by wandering through Wichita’s Botanical Garden. Listen to the calm sounds of streams, the splashing of pools where KOI fish swim, and the rhythmic sound of an inked fountain surrounding you. Hear the rushing water from the main fountain in the Shakespeare Garden and the constant pouring sound from the sunflower fountain that adults and children can delight in. This one-of-a-kind water experience promises peace, rest, and relaxation amidst the botanical beauty.
Here are the details of visiting Wichita’s Garden (unofficially the garden of water):
Location: Botanica, The Wichita Garden is located at: 701 Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203.
Website: For more details to visit the garden view their website here: https://botanica.org/
Phone: (316) 264-0448
Calendar/Newsletter: Sign up for more information here: https://botanica.org/email/
Pricing: At the time of this blog post, ticket prices varied based on age (approximate $8-$10 range), with free admission for children under 2 years old. Go here for updated pricing information: https://botanica.org/contact-us/
Ready to immerse yourself? Visit the Kansas Botanical Garden today and let the song of water wash over you.
