What’s in Bloom
See our Garden change, evolve and mature month by month, season by season, year by year. Click each month for a gallery of images that capture the Garden’s best and most interesting during that time.
May 2020
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Geum Cocktail™ ‘Mai Tai’ flowers speckle the Rutledge Conifer Garden with peach-colored blooms.
Beautiful purple chive flowers bloom in the Wells Fargo Rose Garden and the Koehn Garden this spring.
The Dorothy and Max Rutledge Conifer Garden comes to life with greenery and plenty of small, colorful blooms this time of year.
Gentiana acaulis 'Maxima' stuns with this gorgeous shade of deep blue.
The Prairie Meadows Living Wall is growing into its new display for 2020. This wall contains more than 1,300 individual plants!
'Spiderweb' Iris blooms get their name from the intricate purple designs.
Shades of purple make up this layered, dynamic display along the edge of the Wells Fargo Rose Garden.
The Garden's waterfall cascades from a lush, green hillside garden.
'Mount Everest' Alliums stand tall as the first of many Alliums to bloom in the Garden.
A single iris blooms in beautiful shades of purple and orange in the Dorothy and Max Rutledge Conifer Garden.
Peony 'Chief Wapello' adds a punch of pink to the Wells Fargo Rose Garden's spring display.
A cozy seat in the Gardener's Show House to soak in the lush greenery.
Our Chatty Cathy™ hibiscus blooms are as bright as ever in the conservatory.
Clematis 'Sugar Sweet Blue' begins to climb in the Wells Fargo Rose Garden.
April 2020
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March 2020
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Small but brightly colored orchids captured attention along the conservatory path.
These Giant Crinum Lily blooms resembled fireworks in the conservatory.
A colorful grouping of blooms from the conservatory's desert garden.
A new interactive display for children to explore during their next visit to the Botanical Garden.
An intricate display of succulents and air plants in the conservatory's desert garden.
A punch of red from this hibiscus flower adds a splash of color to the Gardeners Show House.
The first signs of spring at the Garden arrived in cheery yellow shades.
A new dynamic display of container plants in the Gardeners Show House.
Our Jade Vine flowered in vibrant color this month.
The conservatory view from the Garden Commons shows multiple Jade Vine blooms under the stairwell.
Another look at the Jade Vine in bloom.
February 2020
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Eye-catching, colorful flowers and foliage bask in the conservatory sunlight.
Dombeya burgessiae ‘Seminole’ stuns with bright pink flowers against the conservatory greenery.
Discover leaves of all shapes and sizes inside the Gardeners Show House.
Tiny, brightly colored blooms unfurl from a succulent in the conservatory's desert garden collection.
Giant crinum lily blooms sprawl open like fireworks along the conservatory path.
Deep purples and lime greens make up this inflorescence from Managave 'Spotify' in the conservatory's desert garden.
Look for creative topiary and other unique plants inside the Gardeners Show House.
These stunning pink blooms are hard to miss from our desert rose plant. Located in the conservatory desert garden.
A relative of shell ginger (A. zerumbet), look for these striking blooms from this Alpinia sp. plant near the North Gallery entrance.
This African violet's deep indigo hues pop against its green, furry leaves.
The conservatory collection glows in the sunlight on a cold winter day in Iowa.
Dioon spinulosum, or giant dioon, stands tall along the conservatory path.
A collection of Mangave and cactus absorb the sunlight on the conservatory balcony.
A gravity-defying Tillandsia display is suspended by ropes in the Gardeners Show House.
January 2020
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The Gardeners Show House is a houseplant haven for guests to spark their own container creativity.
The pink blooms from Megaskepasma erythrochlamys take center stage in the conservatory.
A collection of container plants--including amaryllis, succulents and cacti--soaking in sunlight on the conservatory balcony.
The conservatory's desert garden illuminated by the early-morning sun.
A stunning, colorful orchid in full bloom inside the Gardeners Show House.
Sun-soaked Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea looks gorgeous atop the conservatory's waterfall.
A fun collection of topiary surrounded by greenery in the Gardeners Show House.
Many of the conservatory's succulents are blooming in pops of impressive color.
Lively amaryliis blooms are still adding striking color to the the conservatory's greenery.
An inviting seating area to relax surrounded by calming greenery.
Kalanchoe luciae 'Flapjack' displays its multicolored pattern and unique, stacked leaves.
The conservatory boasts countless shades of green as snow covers the rest of Des Moines.
December 2019
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Paphiopedilum Victoria-Regina (Queen Victoria Slipper Orchid) blooms year round in the Gardeners Show House.
An impressive Aechmea ‘Yellow Berries' Bromeliad in bloom inside the conservatory pool.
A collection of Amaryllis mixed in with our "Mad About Mangave" plant display.
These vibrantly striped Amaryllis petals are especially striking against the green backdrop of the conservatory.
A quirky terrarium display using unique containers, including a birdcage and a gumball machine.
A playful window box displays Amaryllis blooms and variegated leaves.
Crisp white Amaryllis blooms make a statement against the deep green shades of the conservatory.
An inviting seat in the Gardeners Show House surrounded by greenery, Amaryllis blooms and unique container plants.
A stunning lavender hibiscus bloom demands attention among dark green foliage.
A look at the updated seating arrangement in the back of the Gardeners Show House.
Our conservatory desert garden offers a welcoming change of scenery from the chilly Iowa winter.
A relaxing seat among the greenery and Amaryllis blooms in the Gardeners Show House.
The "fireplace" in the Gardeners Show House for the holiday season. The Bromeliads make up the "flames."
A seasonal walk through the Gardeners Show House featuring a number of white and pink Amaryllis flowers.
In another holiday-themed display, Tillandsia air plant "ornaments" were draped on our tree in the Gardeners Show House.
A look at the "desert" side of our holiday train, complete with sand, cacti and other succulent plants.
The "tropical" side of the holiday train display features vibrantly colored orchid blooms and varied greenery.
A closer look at the orchid display surrounding the holiday train in the Gardeners Show House.
Our wreath made from air plants and wood adds a fun and unexpected holiday flair to our red door.
November 2019
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A sun-drenched conservatory banana plant.
Glowing orange and pink blooms from a succulent in the conservatory desert garden.
A misty walk through the winding conservatory paths.
Animal-inspired topiary designs in the Gardeners Show House.
These gorgeous, patterned Amaryllis blooms can be found along the conservatory path.
A stunning view of the conservatory on a sunny, late-November day.
A new seating configuration surrounded by greenery in the Gardeners Show House.
A blooming Christmas cactus among the container garden displays in the Gardeners Show House.
A vibrant passiflora in bloom surrounded by the conservatory's lush greenery.
A spotted succulent in the cactus and succulent section of the Gardeners Show House.
The Gardeners Show House is home to a large collection of orchids, just like these stunning purple blooms.
A sign of the holiday season, colorful Amaryllis blooms line the conservatory planting beds.
October 2019
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The autumn colors popped during the third week of October at the entrance of the Ruan Allée.
A stunning magenta dahlia unfurls in the Wells Fargo Rose Garden.
Gomphocarpus physocarpus (balloon plant) catches the sunlight along the espalier wall in the Koehn Garden.
A view of the water garden and Des Moines skyline framed by autumn's golden tones.
Frost flowers collected from the Garden the night before first frost, Oct 11.
Vibrant greens and pops of yellow and orange brought the Rutledge Conifer Garden and hillside garden to life in late October.
This colorful dahlia added pops of salmon and yellow in the Koehn Garden.
A stunning view of the fall colors in the Rutledge Conifer Garden from the boardwalk.
Aster tataricus 'Jindai' blooming in the hillside garden.
Trees with changing leaves line the hillside garden path.
A creative topiary display in the Gardeners Show House.
Another view of the Garden's fall foliage across the waterfall.
September 2019
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Soft, hazy plantings fill the boxwood parterre on the Principal Belvedere on Aug. 4.
A glimpse of the billowing borders in the Koehn Garden on Aug. 4.
Candy colors and textures exude from the crisp bed lines of the Wells Fargo Rose Garden on Aug. 4.
Cirsium rivulare ‘Trevor’s Blue’ (Trevor’s Blue plume thistle), a non-weedy thistle, growing in the belvedere beds on the Principal Belvedere.
A panoramic shot displaying the lush green conservatory landscape.
A painted lady butterfly comes to rest on Phlox paniculata 'Jeana'.
Colorful Dahlia 'Groovy' steals the show along the annual border in the Koehn Garden.
A series of amaranths and celosia form a colorful weft through this summer’s lush planting on the espalier wall in the Koehn Garden.
A cluster of pink lilies look as perfect as a painting in the August water garden landscape.
Buddleia 'Grand Cascade' takes center stage on the Principal Belvedere this August.
A view of the late-summer water garden looking toward the Lauridsen Savanna.
Butterflies abound in the Lauridsen Savanna throughout August.
The Gardeners Show House planting scheme invites visitors to take a seat and collect container gardening ideas during any season.
A gray-skies vignette of the water garden facing the Rutledge Conifer Garden.
A sun-soaked view of the water garden from the Lauridsen Savanna walking path.
Another look at the planting designs in the boxwood parterre on the Principal Belvedere.
A walk along the August hillside garden reveals a variety of grasses and hydrangea blooms.
Lovely pink hardy hibiscus flowers unfold in the Koehn Garden.
Summer lush plantings glow in evening light in the EMC Insurance Companies Entry Garden.
The sublime contrast between Artemisia lactiflora ‘Elfenbein’ (Elfenbein mugwort) and the walls of the Koehn Garden.
The Wells Fargo Rose Garden on Aug. 4.
August 2019