Reiman Gardens (pronounced Rye-Men) is a university-owned public garden located immediately south of Jack Trice Stadium on the

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

(ISU) campus in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

. Reiman Gardens is a year-round garden with events, programs, lectures, and tours that has consistently been one of the top visited attractions in Central Iowa. In 2023, Reiman Gardens was named a “Top 10 Garden worth traveling for” in North America at the International Garden Tourism Conference. Reiman Gardens consists of over 20 distinct garden areas, an indoor conservatory, an indoor butterfly wing, a gift shop, and several supporting greenhouses. It is open seven days per week; 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, with extended hours in the summer season and extended evening hours for its events. The Gardens are closed on

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, and

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

. ISU students and their classes are admitted free of charge, as are the Gardens' members. An admission fee is charged to the public.

Construction

Since 1914, Iowa State University has had a horticulture garden; Reiman Gardens is the third location for these gardens. The original horticultural garden was located north of The Farm House at the Iowa State Horticultural Research Station. In 1964, the garden was moved to a three-quarter-acre site on the northeast corner of Iowa State University's campus, north of the power plant. The site was limited, however, because it offered little room for expansion and was surrounded by ISU's industrial zone. Until 1975 the current Reiman Gardens site was used as a grain storage facility with pens for swine, cattle, and sheep. In 1975 the site was used as a soil borrow area to construct the berm around Jack Trice Stadium and until 1992 the site was used as a parking spot for football game days. Today's gardens began in 1993 with a gift from Bobbi and Roy Reiman. Construction began in 1994, and the Gardens' initial were officially dedicated on September 16, 1995. The original Gardens consisted of the Mahlstede Horticulture Learning Center along with the Herb Garden, the Rose Garden, and the Campanile Garden. The landscape design was created by Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects. In 1998, ground was broken for the Patty Jischke Children's Garden and the garden space opened in June 1999. In August 2001, The Marge Hunziker House opened, along with Lake Helen, the Stafford Arboretum Garden (now called Sycamore Falls), and the Town and Country Gardens (now called the Home Demonstration Gardens). Construction was completed by Country Landscapes. Reiman Gardens 18

On November 2, 2002, the Gardens officially opened its Conservatory Complex. The new building made the Gardens a year-round facility with an indoor plant conservatory, a butterfly glasshouse "wing", an

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

for classes and events, a gift shop, a

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

, an events hallway, greenhouses, a head house, staff offices, and two large areas housing all the heating and cooling and greenhouse systems equipment. In 2008, a construction project renovated major sections of the Conservatory Complex. The old gift shop and cafe space was converted into a meeting space and became known as The Garden Room. The gift shop moved into a space next to the lobby, replacing the auditorium. The Maintenance Building was constructed just north of the Conservatory Complex, in between Jack Trice Stadium and the Gardens. Architects Smith Metzger designed the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing, the Mahlstede Learning Center, Conservatory Complex and Marge Hunziker House. In 2017, Reiman Gardens gained a new entrance sign by University Boulevard. This sign, a long wall with high letters, has a garden bed surrounding it that is maintained by the Gardens. The Joey and Jesse's Herb Garden had its raised beds reconstructed. In 2018, the Hillside Water-Wise Garden opened, the first project completed of the 20-year Master Plan that was released to the public in January 2016. In summer 2018, the DeeAnn Drew Shade Garden opened. In 2019, the Pattern Garden was resurfaced; the Reflection Garden pergola, the Sunny Side Yard trellises, and the fence around the Marge Hunziker House were replaced; and many gravel paths throughout the Gardens were converted to concrete. A mobile and modular insect display was created for the Gardens' lobby with funds from Alliant Energy, allowing the Gardens to display new insects and invertebrates acquired in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In 2020, the front entrance to Reiman Gardens had its walkway repaved and the wooden trellis structure was replaced. Elwood the World's Largest Concrete Gnome had new stairs with a railing installed thanks to a donation from John and Linda Schuh. A pergola was installed at the top of the Hillside Water-Wise Garden thanks to a donation from Joyce and Bud Nichol. More gravel pathways throughout the Gardens were converted to concrete. In 2021, the Sycamore Falls garden space opened after 5 years of construction. This was the second project completed of the 2016 20-year Master Plan. Part of this project added a bathroom to the south end of the Gardens. A pathway near the east entrance was converted from brick to concrete.

Annual themes

Reiman Gardens uses a process called Dimensional Design to create its annual theme. Using a holistic approach, Dimensional Design requires a team effort from all departments. Thus, the Gardens' staff develops educational programs, interpretation, communications, events and amenities that support one theme, which in turn, also supports the Gardens' mission. The theme encourages guests to view the garden and its mission from a different perspective each time they visit. The theme year planning also gives structure to displays and programs and generates innovative ideas that turn into horticulture displays. Reiman Gardens' theme years: * 2003 - Year of the Butterfly * 2004 - Seasons of Agriculture * 2005 - Global Garden ** Focused on garden traditions from around the world. * 2006 - Art of Gardening ** Showcased gardening as art and art in the garden. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Cars and Campaniles". * 2007 - Excellence in Bloom ** Celebrated Iowa State University's 150th anniversary. * 2008 - The Novel Garden ** Displayed garden areas inspired by

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. Featured art pieces and horticultural displays based on

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

, The Color Purple,

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

, and

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

. * 2009 - The Landscape Before Time ** Showcased plants and insects from themed around

prehistoric times Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Dinosaurs and Other Common Garden Pests". * 2010 - Celebration of the Garden Ornamentation ** Celebrated quirky garden decorations. Featured the installation of Elwood the World's Largest Concrete Gnome and the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Gnome Sweet Gnome". * 2011 - Insects! ** Displayed garden areas inspired by those misunderstood and underappreciated

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "David Rogers' Big Bugs". * 2012 - Some Assembly Required ** Focused on how things are put together and how things connect with each other. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks". * 2013 - More than Meets the Iowa ** Celebrated the great state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Iowa Naturally". * 2014 - 2014: A Garden Odyssey ** Displayed garden areas inspired by space and

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Alien Invasion". * 2015 - Celebrating Our Past and Future ** Celebrated Reiman Gardens' 20th anniversary. Featured an outdoor sculpture exhibition "InTREEguing TREEhouses". * 2016 - Color **Displayed garden spaces and interpretation that highlighted all the color that can exist in nature. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks". * 2017 - Water ** Showcased sculptures of different sea creatures composed of rubbish collected from the ocean in an outdoor sculpture exhibition called "Washed Ashore". * 2018 - Movement **Enchanted with ideas and themes related to wind and movement. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition " Wind, Waves, and Light". * 2019 - Toys and Games **Celebrated the child-like joy of playing with toys, games, and nature. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "Nature of the Game". * 2020 - Wild & Whimsical ** Displayed garden areas inspired by "wild" nature and "whimsical" stories. Featured two outdoor sculpture exhibitions: "Nature Connects: Art with

LEGO Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...

Bricks" and "Ribbit the Exhibit". * 2021 - Patterns Unfolding ** Connected geometry, fractals, and patterns to nature as a whole. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "OrigamiintheGarden²". * 2022 - Home ** Focused on the idea of home and what it can mean to different people and creatures. Featured the outdoor sculpture exhibition "The Lewis and Art Exhibition". *2023 - Light and Reflection *2024 - Living Landscape **Featured eleven life-size, custom-built garden playhouses.

Facilities

Primary facilities at Reiman Gardens include: * Conservatory Complex - The entrance to Reiman Gardens, it features a conservatory of tropical plants, staff offices, a gift shop, restroom facilities, and The Garden Room, a popular event space. ** Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing - A indoor

tropical garden A tropical garden is a type of garden that features tropical plants and requires heavy rainfall or a decent irrigation or sprinkler system for watering. These gardens typically need fertilizer and heavy mulching. Tropical gardens are no longe ...

is home to up to 800 live

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

and

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s representing up to 80 different species. Reiman Gardens is permitted to display almost 1,000 different butterflies of native and exotic species. The temperature is kept at and 80% humidity at all times. The structure of the Wing resembles a butterfly. The Butterfly Wing is named for Roy Reiman's mother, Christina. ** Hughes Conservatory - A glass house that features a lush, tropical collection of colorful and rare plants among seasonal, artistic creations that interpret garden themes and intrigue guests. Features palms,

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk (botany), trunk with a crown (botany), crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants o ...

s, and a tranquil waterfall and pond. The Conservatory is named for Hazel S. and Dwight W. Hughes, ISU alumni who donated $1 million to the Conservatory Complex construction. * Marge Hunziker House - Named in honor of Marge Hunziker, the building dedication was a gift from her husband Erb and their six sons. This prairie-style building was designed by Architects Smith Metzger to represent a home and serve as a backdrop for the Home Demonstration Gardens (originally called the Town and Country Gardens) surrounding it. Inside the building is a large workroom that serves as a program workspace and meeting facility as well as restrooms. * Mahlstede Horticulture Learning Center - Named for ISU horticultural professor John P. Mahlstede, this building houses restrooms, a classroom, a conference room, and The Speer Room, a popular event space. It is thought to be one of the most beautiful rooms in Iowa with sweeping views of the Gardens pictured from glass walls that extend from ceiling to floor.

Gallery

RG Conservatory Inside.jpg, The Hughes Conservatory RG Mahlestede Building.jpg, The Mahlstede Building RG Lake Helen.jpg, Lake Helen RG Childrens Garden.jpg, The entrance gate for the Children's Garden. RG Town and Country Garden.jpg, The Sunny Side Yard in the Home Demonstration Gardens. RG Conservatory Outside.jpg, The Conservatory Reiman Gardens 21.jpg, alt=, The wisteria pergola located in the Jones Rose Garden. Reiman Gardens 33.jpg, alt=, Rust Events Plaza Reiman Gardens 25.jpg, alt=, The Jones Rose Garden Reiman Gardens 29.jpg, alt=, A path in between the Pattern Garden and the Naturalist Garden. Reiman Gardens 26.jpg, alt=, The South Field with the Hughes Conservatory in the background.

References

External links