WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Staff with a well-known botanical gardens venue in Wichita say last month's Arctic cold snap proved costly for the gardens.
Television station KAKE reports that the failure of a heater in Botanica's largest greenhouse during the coldest day of the season killed a slew of plants, some of which had been with the garden for 20 to nearly 30 years.
Kathy Spillman is director of special events for Botanica. She says most of the plants lost were warm-weather succulents and palms, and the estimated value of the plants lost is between $30,000 and $40,000. Botanica staff have started a crowd-funding effort to replace the plants.