Our 6 Favorite Aroids
Aroids: The Millennial Gateway to Gardening You’ll find their distinctive leaves and notorious flower stalks on everything these days from curtains to wallpaper. Aroids, such as philodendrons and arums, all members of the family Araceae, have skyrocketed in popularity due to their dramatic appearances and pop cultural cachet. For Millennials, they may even be a gateway to gardening. [...]
Our Amaryllis Picks
A Few of Our Favorite Amaryllis for the Holiday Season Late fall and early winter signal the beginning of amaryllis season. These massive bulbs produce showy, colorful blooms that add the perfect touch to holiday decor--it's no wonder these flowers have become so popular during this time of year. Read below for a few of our favorite [...]
2019 Holiday Gift Guide
7 Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List Stop by our East Village shop to discover gift-worthy handmade goods this holiday season. Plus, we've created this gift guide to inspire unique ideas for that hard-to-buy-for friend, hostess, or gardening enthusiast. 1. The Bookworm For those who prefer to stay in with a good book, [...]
Botanical Garden Profile: Aaron Harpold
Aaron Harpold, assistant director of horticulture While Aaron worked as an actor based in major U.S. cities, public gardens were his favorite retreats. Between traveling and work, Aaron always found time to pursue horticulture as a passion and hobby, often helping friends in their lawns and gardens on nights and weekends. After ten years of traveling from stage [...]
Ecological Education
An Ecological State of Mind When I first interviewed for my role at the Garden a year and a half ago, I was thrilled to hear about the ecologically sound practices the horticulture team deploys. With my background in ecology, I felt right at home. As I got to know this place, I started wondering if our guests [...]
Succulent Care Secrets
Secrets to Strong, Healthy Succulents Richard and Cynde Schreiber first started growing succulents and cacti when they lived in Yuma, Arizona in the 1960s. When they moved back to Iowa, they brought their love of desert plants with them to a four-season climate. To support this passion, the Schreibers built a desert greenhouse outside their home in Norwalk [...]
Lycoris: A Pleasant Surprise
A Cold-hardy Botanical Garden Favorite Whether you know them as “surprise lilies,” “naked ladies,” or “spider lilies,” the genus of lycoris is sure to impress onlookers in any Iowa garden. Relatives of amaryllis, lycoris put on a late-summer show without leaves to hamper the view of their vibrant rainbow of colors (hence the “naked” moniker). Then, they leave [...]
Pickling: Extend the Season
Stretch Your Summer Harvest When it comes to preserving your garden’s bounty, it’s time to think beyond basics. Today’s pickling looks considerably different than what you’d find in the Mason jars in your grandmother’s kitchen. From kombucha to kimchi, fermented foods line modern grocery store shelves. And for good reason: they not only provide probiotics and help you [...]
Botanical Garden Profile: Margaret Schultz
Margaret Schultz, volunteer You are relatively new to the community. How has the Garden helped anchor you to Des Moines? I have been here six years, and the Botanical Garden has been and was instrumental in making me feel welcome. I moved here only knowing a few people and no longer worked, so I didn’t have a huge [...]
5 Flower Shapes to Generate Interest
How Flower Geometry Inspires Garden Design According to Leslie Hunter, Botanical Garden horticulturist, designing a garden can be an exercise of joy and madness. Attempting to coordinate size, shape, color, bloom time, fragrance, light and moisture requirements all present unique challenges to any gardener. Another aspect worth considering is the shape of flowers and how several shapes can [...]
Plants We Love: Mangave
Mad About Mangave First, a pronunciation guide: man-gah-vay. Think agave and you’ll get it right every time. In fact this hybrid group between two genera (that’s what that little x stands for in front of their botanical names) owes half of its genes to a variety of Agave species and cultivars. The resulting 40 varieties are the product [...]
Turn Up the Heat on Summer Produce
Maximize Your Summer Harvest July and August come due with exhilarating freshness. The harvest is hot and weedy, but that heat is the secret to summer cooking per chef-owner Lisa LaValle of Trellis, the Botanical Garden’s acclaimed in-house café. The chef-gardener is often blessed with an overabundance of zucchinis, eggplants, peppers and carrots, all of which grill to [...]
