By Wanda McKinney, Southern Living

A total of 915 acres compose the 23-year-old Powell Gardens--a onetime dairy farm then Boy Scout camp. Don't be overwhelmed by the enormity of this oasis; free trolleys help you cover the ground. Sample a few of my favorite spots.

"This is the longest living wall west of Wales," says Alan Branhagen, director of horticulture. He points out hen and chicks, sedums, and other plants peeking out from the crevices of a 600-foot-long stone wall in the Island Garden. This area also features a sunken secret garden, where floating lotus blossoms remind you of Monet. And don't miss the Tapestry Hedge made of junipers and arborvitae forming a row of soldier-straight greenery. Alan also points out a drainage ditch reincarnated. "What was an eyesore is now an asset," he says of the Louisiana irises and Japanese primroses flourishing with wet feet.

Blooming pockets exist around every corner.

The Perennial Garden with 1200 kinds of flowers covering three and a half acres; the Hummingbird Garden; Osage orange trees with giant green fruit dotting the ground. The gardens burst with daisies, geraniums, salvias, purple coneflowers, lilies, and zinnias. And one element of Powell Gardens in particular matches the glorious foliage--the chapel.

Walk the path that leads from the prairie area; then round the curve, and there it is--the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, designed by famed architect E. Fay Jones. The chapel, completed in 1996, is made of redwood, oak, and glass, with a flagstone floor. Rest for a little while, and revel in the pristine design.

And that's not all. Powell Gardens continues to grow. The Heartland Harvest Garden will open in 2008, giving a close look at agriculture. A Missouri Star quilt pattern will be planted in vegetables. "We'll also have a barn, demonstration kitchen, and kitchen garden," Alan says.

They will build it, and visitors will continue to come. They'll wander the gardens and dwell in the heavenly chapel. You, too, should stop by; as their Web site boasts, you'll truly find it a "road trip for the soul."

Powell Gardens: 1609 Northwest U.S. 50, Kingsville, MO 64601; (816) 697-2600 or http://www.powellgardens.org/. Where To Stay: The Raphael Hotel; (816) 756-3800 or http://www.raphaelkc.com/.

Try These at Home

It's easy to add a spectacular feature to your lawn or garden. Alan Branhagen, the director of horticulture at Powell Gardens, suggests these simple ideas that pay off with showy displays.

• Turn a soggy spot in a sunny area of your yard into a "wet feet" garden. Plants that thrive in this environment include cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii).
• Fill a cracked ceramic birdbath with ferns. Place a flat stone over the crack to slow water drainage, and then add soil. Choose plants such as Southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) or 'Frizelliae' lady fern (Athryium filix-femina 'Frizelliae').
• Add style to your patio with a container water garden. Select a large vessel to hold the water, and plug the drainage hole. (You may have to seal ceramic pots to make them watertight.) Stack bricks in the container, and place pots of water plants at the depths noted on the plant tags. Good choices include 'Ogon' Japanese sweet flag (Acorus gramineus 'Ogon') and tropical water lilies (Nymphaea sp.).

Related Links:

• Southern Living: 40 Things Every Southerner Ought to Do
• Southern Living: Texas Barbecue
• Southern Living: Barbecue In The Carolinas
• Southern Living: 204 Food Finds Across The Region