by The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (Iowa) were a delightful surprise. At 12 acres, they aren’t the biggest gardens I’ve visited, but what they had packed a punch.
The experience starts in the parking lot. There are many flowers and some artwork as you enter the lot, and in front of the building entrance were many beds exploding with color (see cover photo). I spent a fair amount of time in this area before even heading inside! Indeed, there was a sign for the Parking Lot Garden saying “First impressions are everything,” and informing me that I should head back in spring to see 30,000 bulbs in bloom!
The gardens date back to 1939 with a city greenhouse that served for several decades. The Botanical Center was not completed until 1979. The gardens have had a troubled history of near-closing due to financial difficulties, with management changing hands several times. However, none of that is evident during the visit, as the gardens were wonderfully maintained and immensely enjoyable.
I had seen some events posted elsewhere about monarch migration, so I kept my eye out, hoping to see some. To my delight, I did see quite a few!
