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.
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
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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.
July 2019
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A look at this season's hot colored planting design in the EMC Insurance Companies Entry Garden.
Sunlight filtering through lily blooms in the Wells Fargo Rose Garden.
Lychnis coronata 'Orange Sherbet' adds pops of bright orange along the sidewalk in the Koehn Garden.
Stunning 'Claret' sunflowers stand tall as they catch the sunlight along the Espalier Wall.
Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) blooms in fluffy plumes in the Rutledge Conifer Garden.
This cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) looks like a thistle and produces neon-purple blooms. Located along the Koehn Garden's Espalier Wall.
A monarch butterfly comes to rest on vibrant pink phlox blooms inside the Koehn Garden.
Lush greens on the hillside garden created a stunning backdrop for the Rutledge Conifer Garden this July.
Clusters of pink coneflowers in the Koehn Garden attract countless bees and other pollinators.
A look at Spectral Liberation surrounded by wild planting schemes in the parking lot garden.
Stokesia ‘Rozanne’ adds a cluster of texture and purple hues to the perennial Koehn Garden.
Coneflowers and lilies intermix with vibrant colors in the Koehn Garden.
Agastache rupestris 'Glowing Embers' coral blooms add texture and spectacular color to the mostly green Rutledge Conifer Garden.
Pastel yellow lilies bloom beautifully and fill the Koehn Garden with their sweet, floral scent.
A blue-skies view of downtown Des Moines over the water garden.
Canna 'Intrigue' stuns in the EMC Insurance Companies Entry Garden. This coral color is a sight to see in person!
A layered, textural planting design in the Wells Fargo Rose Garden complete with verbena, bee balm, alliums and more.
June 2019