2012 Intern Blog - Reiman Gardens

As Kathleen Miller mentioned a few posts ago, our intern team gets together every Thursday to explore another aspect of Reiman Gardens. A few weeks ago we spent time with Aaron Steil talking about how our collection of plants is organized and managed. Creating signs like the one in the picture below for the ‘Pearlie Mae’ Buck Rose helps our visitors know what they’re looking at, but having that data also means that we know what problems to look for and how rare a plant is. Here at the Gardens we only have four employees trained in plant collections, but most of the responsibility falls on Aaron. I was trained to make signs during the second week of my internship and have slowly been chipping away at getting our annuals labeled for your convenience! Often, signs get damaged and are removed, but if you ask around we would be glad to help you out with any questions you might have. I hope you all find these signs useful!

By Lindsey Smith

It is summer time in the gardens, and you know what that means, beautiful blooms, warm weather, and, much to our disgust, Japanese Beetles.  Even without being an avid gardener, almost anyone can identify these plant-destroying pests by their iridescent bodies, clinging together in groups on your favorite plants. You probably have seen them the most on your precious roses, eating away until there is nothing left but a skeleton of a leaf. Rest assured, they’re affecting our garden just as much as yours.

Japanese Beetles feed on over 300 different plant species. We’ve done our best to remove some of the worst offenders, such as dahlias, cannas, sweet potato vine, etc., but even this won’t keep the belligerent bugs away from tearing up a new plant or bloom. Our initial and most common approach is to have our crews go out with buckets of soapy water and knock the unassuming bugs in them to their death. In the past day, we have applied our first round of knockdown spray which is naturally derived and plant based, to inhibit their molting cycle and hopefully limit the damage done. We usually wait until late-July to apply this, but with our unseasonably warm winter, the beetles have been way ahead of schedule.

The unfortunate news is that, for now, Japanese Beetles are here to stay. We will dream of a day when there’s an organic spray targeted specifically for those annoying insects. Until then, we’re doing everything we can to limit their carnage in the garden, even if it means killing them one by one!

By Carrington Flatness

As part of the internship program, all of the interns meet together once a week on Thursday mornings to discuss our experiences and other aspects of Reiman Gardens. Sometimes we even go on field trips! Most of the meetings, however, are spent observing the different tasks that keep the Reiman Gardens running smoothly.

There has been a lot of talk this summer about the funky contraption set up in the Conservatory at Reiman Gardens. As part of the theme year Some Assembly Required, a Rube Goldberg inspired machine was created by Iowa State University design students to be displayed at Reiman Gardens. This machine has it all: water elements, flying softballs, pinwheels of all sizes and colors, and an overall wacky appearance. 

Knitting and crocheting have previously been recognized by the public as a pastime for older generations. Hold that thought, though, because a revolutionized form of this intricate artwork is making its way into the mainstream of our society and the Butterfly Wing at Reiman Gardens: yarn bombing. Yarn bombing, or urban knitting, is a new and sometimes more accepted form of graffiti and has been quite the conversation piece to the visitors at Reiman Gardens.

By Carly Lepic

Some of the wildlife at Reiman Gardens has found a new home in the Stafford Garden. Birdhouses of all shapes, sizes, and colors have been popping up this week and will be on display until October. The variety includes traditional and eclectic creations, made of wood, glass, license plates, and even some sporting school mascots (Go Cyclones!) All of the birdhouses featured in the Gardens are top entries from the Our Iowa magazine challenge. Designs either fit in a “Most Creative” or “Most Unique, Functional Feeder” category.

In the past month all the interns and I got together every week and discussed various aspects of Reiman Gardens and public gardens in general. We compare and contrast the different jobs that make the Gardens run and what goes on behind the scenes. We have the chance to talk with all the full time staff to see how their experience has been and how they have grown. 

We have finally made it to the month of June and what a beautiful month it has been thus far! Last Monday, our outdoor work crew was split up into three teams and was placed in a specific location within the Gardens. This is where they will remain for the rest of the season so that every detail of each area may be brought into focus, and we can work to make the Gardens a wonderful place for all our visitors! I was ecstatic to find out that my spot for the remainder of the summer would be in the Events Plaza and Children’s Garden. Going along with our theme year “Some Assembly Required”, our Children’s Garden has been transformed into an animal hotel, showcasing the many unique homes that can be created by animals. Along with our LEGO® building station for the kids, our flower beds have been transformed into specific regions to display different kind of animal homes. The LEGO® rabbit and fox are residing in our “prairie” bed. The bugs and birds find safety in the “forest” next to it, and the waterfall speaks softly for our “under the sea” inspired bed. Come out to Reiman Gardens soon and see it yourself!