Nothing says green like a garden and Omaha is blessed with a vast array of public gardens.  The locations shown here are affiliated with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and many offer guides to visitors and have activities like special events and tours.  Admission is free in most cases.

Joslyn Castle
3902 Davenport Street

Look for peonies, shrubs and numerous trees originally planted by the Joslyn’s, including two Nebraska State Champions, the gingko and English oak.

http://www.joslyncastle.com/index.htm

Metropolitan Community College Arboretum
30th and Fort Streets

This garden on the northwest side of the Metropolitan Community College Fort Omaha campus is a replica of the Sacred Hoop Prayer Garden located in Bancroft, Nebraska. Nebraska’s great writer John G Neihardt called Bancroft home from 1900 to 1920 and this replica is named in his honor.  

Forest Lawn Memorial Park
7909 Mormon Bridge Road

Designed to look like a park, Forest Lawn has an impressive variety of trees including oak, maple, hickory, larch, spruce, fir, magnolia, tulip tree and a stretch of gingko-lined road.

http://www.forestlawnomaha.com/history.htm

Swanson Science Park Arboretum
8601 Harney Street

The Swanson Science Park Arboretum is an extension of Swanson Elementary School in west central Omaha. The park features crabapple, oak and conifer collections.

Omaha Public Power District Arboretum
108th and Blondo

The 26-acre site has about 1,000 plants including 201 types of shrubs and 208 different species of trees plus eight educational exhibits, an outdoor classroom, two acres of wildflowers, a lowland water feature and about two miles of trail.

http://www.bigmuddyworkshop.com/oppdpg.html

Burke High School
12200 Burke Blvd

Chalco Hills Arboretum
8901 S. 154th St

Wehrspann Lake, southwest of Omaha, is surrounded by thousands of trees and shrubs representing over 70 species and types. Most of the plants are displayed to show growth patterns expected in the natural environment where no supplemental moisture and little cultivation are provided.

http://www.papionrd.org

Lauritzen Gardens
100 Bancroft

The 26-acre site has about 1,000 plants including 201 types of shrubs and 208 different species of trees plus eight educational exhibits, an outdoor classroom, two acres of wildflowers, a lowland water feature and about two miles of trail.

http://www.bigmuddyworkshop.com/oppdpg.html