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Gardening 101: Central Iowa abounds with inspiration and ideas
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Des Moines Botanical Center photo
Sometimes your garden imagination just needs a jump start, and there are many resources available in Des Moines and within easy driving distance. Funded by both public and private sources, these gardens offer the public a chance to see newly introduced plants as well as inventive plant combinations.
With inclusion of the indoor resources of the Des Moines Botanical Center, Des Moines area gardeners can get a gardening “fix” year around!
So next time you are looking for some outside stimulation for your gardening eye, take a look at these four resources. You won’t be disappointed.
Des Moines Botanical Center
909 E River Dr
Des Moines, IA 50316
(515) 323-6290
(admission fee, call for details)
This Des Moines treasure is marking its 30th anniversary this year, and its geodesic dome has become a integral part of the Des Moines skyline.
The inside exhibits include tropical plants, a notable collection of orchids, and ever-changing exhibits including revolving ornamental plantings. The Gardeners Show house features a variety of themed exhibits and classes and other special events are offered on a regular basis. Just check out the web site for the latest list of events.
The Botanical and Environmental Center is managed and operated by Des Moines Water Works. Support for the Des Moines Botanical Center comes from both public and private dollars, which include tax revenues from the City of Des Moines and other surrounding communities. In addition, revenues are received from memorials, contributions, grants, membership fees, and fund raising events of the Friends of the Botanical and Environmental Center. The Des Moines Botanical and Environmental Center is a member of the American Public Gardens Association.
Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden
1716 Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50312
Test Garden Manager, Better Homes and Gardens, 515-284-3994.
(limited hours, no admission fee)
Des Moines has long been home to the historic Meredith Publishing Corporation, and its test gardens, located next to Meredith Corporation, is open to the public on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m., from May through October. Large groups may schedule tours during these hours.
Designed as a series of themed vignettes, the gardens are unique in the array of plants they offer as it serves as a display garden, testing site for new plants as the setting for magazine photo shoots for Meredith’s many publications and web sites. Since new plant introductions are often offered to these kinds of gardens first, you can see how the plants perform and keep your eyes peeled for successful innovations in gardening.
Reiman Gardens, Ames
Located south of Jack Trice Stadium (the ISU football stadium)
(admission free to ISU students, CoHort's members and children age 3; call for other prices)
(515) 294-2710
Reiman Gardens has grown by leaps and bounds since 1993 when ISU alumnus Roy Reiman and his wife Bobbi generously gave $1.3 million to initiate phase one of the new gardens. When the gardens opened in 1995, the gardens covered five acres; today is has grown to cover 14-acres. The year-round facility features distinct gardens throughout the indoor and outdoor areas, an indoor conservatory, 2,500-square-foot indoor butterfly wing, butterfly emergence cases, a gift shop, and five supporting greenhouses.
Among unique features of the gardens are most of the roses hybridized by Dr. Griffith Buck whose passion was developing hardy and disease resistant roses for the upper Midwest. While his breeding stock was destroyed after his retirement, cuttings and plants he had shared with family and friends were donated back to the gardens and nearly all of the 90 roses he bred can be found at the garden.
In addition, there is a delightful children’s garden. The Town and Country Garden showcases 12 different gardens that demonstrate varied designs and solutions to common gardening uses.
Iowa Arboretum
1875 Peach Avenue
Madrid , IA 50156
(515) 795-3216
Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Ground hours: Sunrise to Sunset
(No admission fee but donations are appreciated)
If you often wonder, “Will that plant survive in my yard,” the Iowa Arboretum, located on 378 acres in the heart of Boone County, is a great place to check that out. The arboretum (tree garden) contains hundreds of species of trees, shrubs as well as flowers in a quiet scenic setting.
As the arboretum’s website explains, “Here you can learn which plants are best adapted to the soils and climate of Iowa and how to use these plants properly for landscaping, gardening conservation and other purposes. The Arboretum also serves as an outdoor laboratory for testing the hardiness and adaptability of newly introduced plants.”
The arboretum includes 19 different plant collections, plants with similar uses grouped together. The forty acres developed as a “Library of Living Plants” showcases the largest and most diverse display of plants that can be successfully grown in Iowa.
Check out their web site for more information!
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