Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Don't miss out on the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden's colorful borders, beautiful roses, out-of-the-ordinary conifers and so much more! The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Des Moines, Iowa

Built by the city of Des Moines in 1979, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden began with a geodesic dome housing palm trees (some donated by Longwood Gardens), lots of tropicals and desert plants and just a few outdoor plantings. Big changes in the past 10 years have expanded the outdoor gardens dramatically so there’s even more to explore in this 12-acre urban garden close to downtown.

The Dorothy and Max Rutledge Conifer Garden takes its lead from Beth Chatto’s classic book, The Gravel Garden. Plants grow in a 5- to 6-inch layer of gravel that helps discourage weeds and provides sharp drainage. Dry-loving perennials, such as moon carrot (Seseli gummiferum), Texas plume (Ipomopsis rubra) and sea kale (Crambe maritima), grow alongside an eclectic collection of conifers that includes ‘Green Arrow’ Alaskan cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis) and ‘Gold Drift’ Norway spruce (Picea abies).‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) above has golden-yellow new growth that matures to dark green. It looks great with the yellow flowers of native prairie broomweed (Amphiachyris dracunculoides) and a low-growing Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).

Locals on the lookout for seasonal inspiration will find plenty at the Koehn Garden. Here, colorful borders and a waterfall surround a central lawn where the garden frequently hosts special events. In the Lauridsen Savanna, visitors find a blend of native and cultivated varieties with a loose, natural