Garden Spaces

A formal allée, one of the original design axis of the garden. A popular place for weddings and quiet moments. 

Garden features: an open lawn

Prominent plants: Bald Cypress

An indoor glasshouse with plants for nectar and habitat as a backdrop to tropical and native Lepidoptera adhering to all standards set by USDA APHIS-PPQ. Features up to 800 live butterflies representing up to 80 different species. 

Garden features: Butterflies, Tropical Border, Waterfall

Prominent plants: Lipstick Palm, Sweet Almond

This garden features the hardy roses developed by Dr. Griffith Buck. Dr. Buck, a professor at Iowa State University, bred many beautiful, hardy landscape roses between 1962 and 1985. Buck roses are recognized worldwide for their winter hardiness, attractiveness and low maintenance. They can survive Iowa’s winter temperatures while remaining resistant to most common rose diseases such as black spot.

Garden features: Buck Rose Collection, Rose Garden

Prominent plants: Carefree Beauty, Distant Drums, Quietness

A popular gathering space that also affords scenic views of the Gardens, this area is framed by a pair of sculptures called, “Dikotomia” and “Pods” and benefits from the shade of several Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) trees.

Garden features: Dikhotomia, Pods, seating, shaded area, annual plants

Prominent plants: Catalpa

The east entrance to Reiman Gardens is flanked by the East Entry Garden and North Lawn. The East Entry Garden showcases native prairie perennial with a mixed shrub border.

Garden features: native plants, Old Bridge

Prominent plants: Maney Juniper, Ohio Buckeye

The Heritage Garden displays Iowa State University plant introductions, including roses from the original 1910 Horticulture Garden with a backdrop of old-fashioned plants to extend seasonal interest. 

Garden features Historic Collection, Rose Garden

Prominent plants: Ames Rose, Princeton Sentry Ginkgo

The Jones Rose Garden incorporates a sustainable focus in its design and maintenance practices. Rose cultivars are selected for disease-resistance and winter-hardiness. The rose palette includes a mix of Buck roses, EarthKind roses, Easy Elegance® and Proven Winners® roses. Pairing these roses with perennials and other flowering shrubs results in a garden with four season appeal. The water feature in the center of the garden lines up with the Campanile to create a formal design axis.

Garden features: Pediment, water feature, annual containers, Rose Garden

Prominent plants: Wisteria ‘Blue Moon’, Arborvitae ‘Emerald Green’, Magnolia ‘Butterflies, Boxwood ‘Wilson’, Rose Mischief

The Hillside Water-wise Garden is the only one of its kind in Iowa for its unique planting method and style. A path casually winds up the hill through four different planting themes, planted in 4-6″ of gravel, and bordered by impressive limestone walls. The plantings reflect a sustainability initiative of being beautiful but requiring little or no water once established.

Garden features: Bulb collection, gravel garden, borrowed views

Prominent plants: Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’, Joe-Pye Weed, Achillea ‘coronation gold’

The Home Demonstration is broken into several small district gardens which provide homeowners with landscaping ideas for their own property by displaying different garden situations.

Part of the Home Demonstration Gardens. The Patio Garden displays colorful annual plants in containers in a contemporary green oasis on impermeable surfaced similar to an urban patio or rooftop space.

Garden features: annual containers

Prominent plants: Sweetgum ‘Slender Silhouette’

The Home Demonstration is broken into several small district gardens which contain ideas to be incorporated into home and business garden spaces. The Shade Garden showcases plants that grow in deep shade conditions. Elwood, the World’s Largest Concrete Gnome, helps us cast some shade on these plants.

Garden features: Elwood, Volunteer Memorial Bench, shaded area

Prominent plants: Redbud, Red Maple

Part of the Home Demonstration Gardens. The Edible Garden showcases a raised bed garden for vegetables and flowers with edible parts.

Garden features: Potting Shed, apple trellis, raised beds

Part of The Home Demonstration Gardens. The Formal Lawn Garden highlights an open lawn plan with symmetrical plantings suitable for wet shade and a strong focal point.

Garden features: Frank Lloyd Wright urns and sculpture casts, open lawn, annual containers

Prominent plants: Weeping White Spruce

Part of the Home Demonstration Gardens. The Front Yard Garden showcases new plant introductions, trialing both perennial and woody cultivars, in a three-year rotating display.

Garden features: mixed beds, annual containers

Prominent plants: State Street Maple, Gwen’s Rose Delight Japanese Maple

Part of the Home Demonstration Gardens. The Naturalist Garden showcases a natural-style planting of native perennials and shrubs around a small water feature.

Garden features: water feature

Part of The Home Demonstration Gardens. The Outdoor Living Room provides space to sit outdoors, an open lawn for activities and demonstrations, and mixed plantings common to Midwest suburban backyards. A small waterfall adds to the inviting atmosphere.

Garden features: water feature, open lawn, bulb collection, annual containers

Part of The Home Demonstration Gardens. Prairie Vista provides borrowed views of Sycamore Falls among Iowa native prairie-style plantings, complete with bee-friendly lawn alternative. 

Garden features: Rabbit Hill sculptures, hanging baskets, borrowed views

Prominent plants: European Hornbeam

Parf of The Home Demonstration Gardens. The Reflection Garden displays shade-tolerant plants around a central water feature.

Garden features: water feature, shaded area, gazebo, annual containers

Prominent plants: Dawn Redwood, Birch ‘Renaissance Reflection’

Part of The Home Demonstration Gardens. The Sunny Side Garden provides an example of a small space, like a side yard, with a lot of character.

Prominent plants: Chamaecyparis ‘King’s Gold’

Part of The Home Demonstration Gardens. The Walled Court creates a microclimate, allowing plants that are usually too tender for Iowa winters to thrive.

Prominent plants: Maple ‘Bloodgood’, Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’

This glass house features a lush, tropical collection of familiar and unfamiliar plants set among seasonal, artistic creations meant to inspire visitors through conventional and novel displays. Be sure to see the palms, cycads, and tranquil waterfall and pond.

Garden features: tropical border, annual display, water feature, annual containers

The sundial in the center of Herb Garden was a gift to the old horticulture garden on Iowa State University’s campus. This formal garden features raised beds with a mix of annual and perennial plants. Each bed corresponds with a theme – including Fragrance, Tea and Drinks, and Dye plants. Be sure to slow down and give yourself a chance to detect the interesting aromas that float through the Herb Garden.

Garden features: Sundial, annual plantings

Prominent plants: Magnolia ‘Royal star’, Oak ‘Crimson Spire’

Lake Helen anchors the central garden area with several planting shelves supporting aquatic wildlife, plants, and fish. In summer, Lake Helen is home to many Victoria water platters, hardy water lilies, and lotus.

Garden features: Purple Martin House, Look-out, water feature, open lawn, aquatic plants

Prominent plants: Lotus

This garden serves as a visual link to Iowa State University’s Central Campus while providing an open lawn gathering space. This area is a striking entrance to the City of Ames and Iowa State University as the Gardens creates innovative displays of rotating bulb and annual plantings against a backdrop of woody and perennial plants. The Campanile in the Gardens regularly plays tunes that correspond to the annual theme or season of the year.

Garden features: Garden Campanile, open lawn, annual beds

Prominent plants: Japanese Tree Lilac

The east entrance to Reiman Gardens is flanked by the East Entry Garden and North Lawn. The North Lawn is an open lawn space with some of Reiman Gardens’ most mature trees.

Garden features: open lawn

Prominent plants: Cornus mas, Peony collection

With agriculture as its theme, the Children’s Garden contains elements reminiscent of Iowa’s agricultural heritage. Features include a hideout, a maze, tumbling mounds, a butterfly bench, and a splash pad with hand pumps to squirt water at unsuspecting friends. Hang out in the amphitheater that often features youth programs, or walk through the covered bridge and say, “Hello” to the bronzed sculpture “Shep”, the barnyard dog. Remember to rub Shep’s nose for good luck!

The Hardwood Forest features some of Reiman Gardens’ most mature trees. Walk the open lawn, sit under the secluded pergola, and enjoy the view of the Campanile Garden.

Garden features: Totems, pergola, open lawn, shaded area

Prominent plants: Red Oak, Blue Spruce ‘Fat Albert’

This open plaza, nestled between the Conservatory Complex and the Mahlstede Building, is ideal for relaxing or hosting your next event. Take a seat in the shade or look around and enjoy the mixed planting beds and containers that provide four seasons of interest. Additional points of interest include “Joy II," a working water fountain designed by Christian Petersen, and the sculpture titled “Expand.” 

Garden features: Joy II, Expand, seating, annual containers

Prominent plants: Aspen ‘Mountain Sentinal’, Yellowood, Bear’s Breeches, Magnolias

The South Field, located just south of the Mahlstead Building, is often used to display a sculpture for our annual theme year. 

Garden features: open lawn, annual plantings

Prominent plants: Feather Reed Grass ‘Karl Foerster’

A mixed border combines herbaceous and woody plants in an interesting and attractive way to provide four seasons of interest. The South Mixed Border contains many interesting evergreen trees.

Garden features: Dancing Chimes

Prominent plants: Ginkgo ‘Autumn Gold’, Norway Spruce ‘Acrocona’

The South Patio of the Mahlstede Building is surround by garden beds that showcase specimen trees – a trio of river birch, a weeping larch, and a pair of yellow buckeyes. The beds around these trees serve to highlight these trees and provide additional seasons of interest.

 Garden features: annual containers

Prominent plants: Yellow Buckeye, Larch ‘Varied Directions’, River Birch ‘Heritage’

A series of water pools cascade over a native limestone wall to collect in a circular pool surrounded by a walkway. A grassy meadow and bright perennial plantings will enhance the water feature’s path. An additional feature of the garden is a tower structure that adds an iconic landmark and destination to the gardens.

Garden features: Water Feature, Tower, boardwalk, annual plantings

Prominent plants: Sycamores

The Trial and Display Garden is the home to our yearly All-American Selections (AAS) Trials of annual and perennial plants and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability (ARTS), where new cultivars of roses are trialed for two years.

  Garden features: Raised beds, annual plantings, annual containers, trial garden

The West Entry Garden frames the entrance of the Conservatory Complex. A mixture of shade and ornamental trees, as well as large shrubs provide four seasons of interest.

Garden features: open lawn, Reiman Rock

Prominent plants: Euonymus ‘Verona’, Sumac ‘Morton’