The Jefferson City Botanical Master Plan proposes a vision for a regionally significant, educational landscape in the heart of Missouri’s Capitol City. Spearheaded by the Jefferson City Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry and members of the Central Missouri Master Gardeners, the vision proposes a new landscape within an existing city park, Ellis Porter Riverside Park. The Botanical Garden will highlight Missouri ecologies as well as cultural and productive landscapes all within an impressive location along the hillsides and ridges of the Missouri River bluffs. 

The Botanical Garden is defined by two axes. Along the north-south route, visitors enter a sequence of gardens that reflect the major Missouri native landscapes. The second axis runs east-west; focusing on productive landscapes of Missouri, including agricultural, foraging, and urban forestry spaces. The linchpin at the center of both axes is the Caretaker’s House, which is an area of more intensely cultivated and ornamental landscapes. Large naturalized areas of prairie and savanna are situated along the southern slope and existing woodland along the northern edge of the Botanical Garden. 

The circulation of the Botanical Garden uses a combination of existing primary pathways, new primary pathways, and a new finer network of secondary paths, including trails within the woodland area. The pathways provide walking loops for activity and interest, and cohesively tie the different park areas together.

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