Arie den Boer Arboretum:
Water Works Park, 408 Fleur Drive,
Des Moines, IA 50321 (515)283-8700.
- The Arboretum proudly displays one of the world's
largest collections of flowering crab apple trees with 300 varieties.
The collection grows through a donor program promoting planting of
memorial trees.
Bellevue
Butterfly Garden: South Bluff Nature Center at Bellevue State Park, Highway
52 South,
Bellevue, IA (563)872-4019.
- Garden designed specifically to attract
butterflies by providing nectar plants for adults and host plants for
caterpillars. Some 60 species of butterflies expected each year. Adjacent to a
three-acre prairie preserve and wildlife food plots, these gardens are also used
as a teaching and research resource.
Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden: Between Grand and Locust Streets,
Des Moines, IA (515)284-3994.
- This test garden for Better Homes and Gardens
magazine offers a variety of plants and display gardens, including a dwarf
conifer garden, a fragrant path, a shade garden, a clay garden, a rock garden,
and an ornamental grass garden. Employees are available to answer questions.
Open hours are limited.
Bickelhaupt
Arboretum: 340 S. 14th Street,
Clinton, IA 52732-5432 (563)242-4771.
- The 13
acre Arboretum, started in 1970 by Frances and Robert Bickelhaupt on the grounds
surrounding their home, displays more than 1,500 plants, including trees,
shrubs, flowering perennials and wildflowers. Special collections include dwarf
and rare conifers, lilacs, a medicinal plant display, and a conservatory
showcasing house plants.
Brucemore:
2160 Linden Drive SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 (319)362-7375.
- A National Trust
Historic Site, Brucemore is a Queen Anne style mansion situated on a 26-acre
parklike estate. The 1 acre formal garden, more in the style of a cottage
garden, showcases more than 400 roses complemented by flowering perennials.
Buxton Park Arboretum: N. Buxton and W. Girard,
Indianola, IA (515)961-9420.
- Enjoy the Victorian gazebo and lighting as you take a tour through formal
perennial and rose gardens in this 5.4 acre park. The Arboretum includes a Interpretive tree tour.
A new, peaceful Memorial Garden was added after the 100th anniversary of
the park.
Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic
Gardens: Hawkeye Community College, Hess and Orange Road, P.O. Box 1833,
Waterloo, IA 50701 (319)236-0455.
- The 75 acre site, begun in 1996 with the
planting of approximately 140 native trees and shrubs in the sesquicentennial
forest section, strives to create a major botanical collection of native and
exotic plant materials with special emphasis on those that thrive and flourish
in the Cedar Valley region.
Central Gardens of North Iowa: 800 2nd Avenue North,
Clear Lake, IA 50428
-
Begun in the year 2000, thislovely 2.75 acre garden showcases 22
theme gardens, including the Container Garden, the Moon Gate, the Alumni
Walk and Garden, the Low Shrub Garden, the Ceremony Garden, the Heritage
Garden, the Herb Garden, the Shrub Rose Garden, the Midwest Garden, the
Stream Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Ornamental Grass Garden, the
Wetland Garden, the Bird Garden, the Wildflower Garden, the Victorian
Shrub Garden, and the Victorian Garden. Features include beautiful
winding paths, a pergola, ponds, lawns and steps.
Clare &
Miles Mills Rose Garden, Greenwood Park: 4802 Grand Avenue at 49th Street
(Behind the Art Center),
Des Moines, IA 50310 (515) 237-1386.
- This lovely All
America Rose Selections accredited garden displays more than 2,500 roses.
Crapo
Park: Great River Road,
Burlington, IA (319)753-8110.
- The 85 acre 100 year
old park includes an arboretum with over 200 varieties of trees and shrubs and
botanical gardens of annuals and perennials.
The
Plant Guide.
Des Moines Botanical Center: 909
East River Drive,
Des Moines, IA 50316 (515)242-2934.
- The riverside Botanical
Center displays nearly 1,000 different species and cultivars of tropical,
subtropical, and arid region plants in an 80-foot-tall and 150-foot-wide
Plexiglas dome. Special collections include cacti and succulents, bonsai, and
orchids (over 200 species). The 14 acre center site's outdoor displays feature
annuals and perennials, a cottage garden, a butterfly garden and an herb garden.
Dubuque Arboretum and
Botanical Garden: Marshall Park, 3800 Arboretum Drive,
Dubuque, IA 52001
(319)556-2100.
- 375 volunteers maintain this award-winning garden with over 800
roses (hybrid teas, miniature, shrub, and old garden roses) and over 13,000
hostas (700 varieties), as well as special collections of irises, peonies,
lilies and daylilies, dahlias, and dwarf conifers. Special gardens include a
Rose Garden, a Knot Garden, an Herb Garden, and a Japanese Garden. A Greenhouse
and displays of prairie wildflowers and grasses complete the site.
Forest Park Museum: 1477 K Avenue,
Perry, IA 50220 (515)465-3577.
- The Arboretum features a collection of trees from
all parts of the country planted in straight rows to allow farming
between the rows.
Frontier
Organic Research Farm Botanical Garden: 3021 78th Street,
Norway, IA 52318
(319)227-7966.
- A fascinating 1 acre Botanical Garden showcases 200 botanical
species in 17 medicinal herb beds patterned in the shape of a leaf. Theme-based
beds and miniature gardens include a bee garden, a yin-yang garden, a spiral
garden, an herb wheel, a moonlight garden, a potager garden, and a male/female
material medica bed. An elderberry grove surrounding the garden serves as a
natural windbreak.
Garden of
The Gardeners of America/ Men's Garden Clubs of America:
5560 Merle Hay Road,
Johnston, IA 50131 (515)278-0295.
- The national headquarters for The Gardeners of America/Men’s Garden Clubs of America is located on a
two-acre plot maintained by volunteers and showcasing a variety of annual and perennial gardens
and trees, plus a gazebo, waterfalls and archway.
The Gardens at the Gazebo on the Green: 3002 Newport Road, N.E.,
Iowa City, IA 52240 (319)338-7889
-
These private gardens on 33 acres include 14 formal theme gardens including
a Rose Garden, an English Country Perennial Garden, a Southern Courtyard Garden,
a Neo-Classic a Romantic Garden, an Herb Garden, a Grass Garden, a Water Garden
and 7 more with gazebos, pergolas, tea and garden houses, a 65' long arbor
and more. Note: Private facility. Please check
facebook page for open hours.
Heritage Rose Garden: Main Street between
1st and 2nd,
Gray, IA 50110 (712)563-3066.
- A country style garden features an
extensive collection of Old Garden and Canadian Heritage roses.
Iowa Arboretum: 1875 Peach Avenue,
Madrid, IA 50156 (515)795-3216.
- The 378 acre arboretum, a "Library of Living
Plants" containing forest, prairie, and meadow areas, offers 3 self-guided
woodland trails through 40 cultivated acres displaying hundreds of species of
trees and shrubs, plus herbs, roses, ornamental grasses, Siberian irises,
daylilies, and hostas.
K & K Gardens: 108 E. Wilbur Street,
Hawkeye, IA (563)427-4759.
-
Located on the southern edge of Northeast Iowa's rolling hills, this one acre perennial garden
showcases plants available at this commercial nursery.
Johnson Rose Garden: 306 W. Lincolnway Street,
Jefferson, IA 50129 (515)386-4759.
Lilac
Arboretum and Children's Forest: Ewing Park, 1900 McKinley Avenue (at
Indianola),
Des Moines, IA.
- This arboretum features more than 1,400 fragrant
lilacs of 120 varieties.
Living History Farms:
2600 NW 111th Street,
Urbandale, IA 50322 (515)278-5286 or (515)278-2400.
- A
dozen garden plots scattered throughout this living history museum all were
developed from historically accurate seeds, some going back more than 300 years.
Gardens include a Native American garden, vegetable gardens, herb/flower
gardens, a cutting garden, a Victorian annual garden, a Victorian perennial
garden, a wildflower garden, a prairie restoration trail and more than 40 acres
of crop land.
Municipal Rose Garden: Community Center,
Sunny Crest Park, 2204 Grant Street,
Bettendorf, IA
52722 (563)344-4112.
- The Community Center is located at Sunny Crest Park, which
features a gazebo and garden.
Muscatine Art Center: 1314 Mulberry Avenue,
Muscatine, IA 52761
(319)263-8282.
- A 1908 Edwardian Mansion, the Laura Musser Museum, features a
Japanese Garden. While you're in Muscatine, visit the
Pearl Button Museum.
Noelridge Park:
4900 Council Street NE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 (319)398-0247 (319)398-5101.
- This large multi-facility public park contains an All-America Selections Display
Garden, test gardens and greenhouses.
Pella
Historical Village and Scholte Gardens: 728 Washington Street,
Pella, IA 50219
(641)628-3684.
- This museum village celebrates its Dutch heritage with flower
gardens, architectural models and antique Dutch heirlooms brought to Pella by
immigrants. Tulips (28,000!), annuals, perennials and roses ornament the village
which includes the Scholte Gardens at the home of its founder and a Statuary
Garden dedicated by Princess Margriet of The Netherlands.
Prairie Pedlar: 1609 270th Street,
Odebolt, IA 51458 (712)668-4840.
- This retail garden store and barn
showcases over fifty display gardens arranged into theme beds plus a geenhouse
filled with everlasting annuals, hard-to-find perennials, scented geraniums, and
herbs.
Rabbit Hollow Gardens: 2285 290th Street,
Garner, IA (641)927-4448.
- An
acre of perennial and herb gardens includes a Moon Garden, a Wild Flower Garden,
an Herb Garden, and a Butterfly Garden, as well as a gift shop.
Reiman Gardens: Iowa State
University, 1407 University Boulevard,
Ames, IA 50011
(515)294-2710.
- Reiman Gardens offer 14 acres and 26 unique
garden areas with seasonal displays designed around a grand theme that
changes each year. Two large glass houses include the
breathtaking Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing with one of the most
diverse collections of live, exotic butterflies in the country, and an
indoor Conservatory open year-round. Gardens include the Dunlap Courtyard,
the Hillside Garden, Joey and Jesse's Herb Garden, Lake Helen (displaying
aquatic plants), Margaret E. Penkhus Campanile Garden, Missing Buck Roses,
Patty Jischke Children's Garden, Rose Gardens, South Field, Stafford
Garden, and the Town and Country Garden (demonstration gardens including Front Yard Garden,
Naturalist Garden, Formal Lawn Garden, Home Production Garden, Outdoor
Living Room, Walled Court, Sunny Yard Garden, Prairie Vista Garden, Paving
Court and Reflection Garden).
Riverside Gardens: Third Street and US Highway 151,
Monticello, IA
(319)465-5626.
- The lovely 37 gardens feature a wide variety of annuals,
perennials and hosta, and a wetland nature trail.
Shakespeare
Garden: (Scroll down to Ellis Park), Ellis Park, 2000 Ellis Boulevard NW,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52405 (319)398-0247.
- A formal garden showcasing specific
plants mentioned in Shakespeare's writings.
Stampe Lilac Garden: Duck Creek Park, 3300 East Locust Street,
Davenport,
IA (563) 326-7812.
- An extensive collection of lilacs is set off by spring
flowering bulbs, peonies and mid-summer blooming perennials and annuals.
State Center Rose
Garden: 300 Third Street SE,
State Center, IA 50247 (515)482-2559.
- State
Center, the Rose Capital of Iowa, is home to this rose garden featuring old and
new rose varieties and a gazebo.
Teaching and Research
Greenhouse: University of Northern Iowa,
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
(319)273-2247.
- The greenhouse complex houses plants from many different
ecotypes, including 250 tropical plants, an extensive collection of arid climate
plants, and the 1,200 square foot Aquatic Learning Center (native and tropical
plants, fish, mosses and ferns, a hydroponic display, a large stone waterfall, a
spillway, a fast moving stream, a peat bog, and more. Take the virtual tour of
this attractive facility at its website.
Terrace Hill Historic Site: 2300 Grand Avenue,
Des Moines, IA 50312
(515)281-3604.
- A Victorian mansion, built by Iowa's first millionaire, has been
restored to the late 1800s period and showcases a re-created Victorian formal
garden.
Union
Park Floral Garden: 1801 Pennsylvania Avenue (North of Lutheran Hospital),
Des Moines, IA
- This park features seasonal floral displays thousands of
annuals.
Vander Veer Park Conservatory: 214-5 W. Central Park Avenue,
Davenport, IA
52803 (563) 326-7812.
- The site features a formal All-America Selections
accredited Rose Garden with 188 roses of 145 varieties, a hosta garden and
annual and perennial beds.
Weed Park Memorial Rose Garden: Park Drive,
Muscatine, IA 52761, (563)
263-0241.
- This memorial rose garden is accredited by the All America Rose
Selections organization.