Omaha can count on several things each spring: thunderstorms, allergies and, for the last 56 years, the garden walk in support of the Munroe-Meyer Institute.
The Munroe-Meyer Guild organizes the garden walk as a fundraiser for MMI. Since the event’s inauguration, more than $1 million has been raised for MMI equipment, projects and improvements.
In 1967, the first garden walk was organized by the Women’s Association of the Meyer Therapy Center. The association organized the tour of five private gardens and the sale of garden-related items, such as urns, statuary and decorated gardening gloves and aprons. That year, the tour drew 350 people and raised $3,000 to benefit the Meyer Therapy Center.
With the inaugural event a success, attractions were added to the garden walk. The organizers created a style show in the early 1970s, showing off garden apparel that was modeled by individuals associated with UNMC. At different garden locations, attendees could watch demonstrations in portrait painting, ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), BBQ cooking, pottery-making, wine tasting, equestrian skills, hydroponic gardening and even synchronized swimming. Nursery personnel also delivered horticultural advice. In 1977, a picnic lunch at Peony Park Royal Grove was included, with bus service to each garden.
The gardens featured in the walk were unique in their designs, plants, flowers and integration into the architecture of the homes. Attendees viewed ponds, waterfalls, pools, tennis courts, peacocks and garden sculptures.
Gardens of individuals who worked at UNMC were featured, including that of Harold Gifford, MD; Bill and Carol Angle, MD; Denham Harman, MD; and F. Miles Skultety, MD. In 1980, the guild designed the garden walk as an actual walking tour by confining all the gardens to one neighborhood. In some years, the garden walk included gardens from more public locations, such as Boys Town, Metro Community College and UNMC.
The garden walk grew in popularity, drawing bus tours from out of town and out of state. In 1995, about 3,500 people toured the gardens, raising $28,000. It was canceled in 2008 as the guild experienced a drop in the volunteers who made the event a success, although the hiatus lasted only one year. Later, in 2012, the event raised $44,000 for MMI. In recent years, the pandemic changed the event to a virtual experience, with videos of the gardens available online.
Rain or shine, the garden walk has been a successful and much-loved fundraiser for the Munroe-Meyer Institute. For more information on the 2023 event, visit this link.