Plant Particulars - Reiman Gardens

It is planting season, and all the horticulturists and gardeners have been busy outside planting the Home Production Garden, Children’s Garden, Herb Garden, Campanile Garden, Trial Garden and many other areas that showcase colorful annual plants. This year will be the second year we do extensive trials of annual flowering plants in our Trial Garden. Each year we get seed from Benary and Ball Seed companies and evaluate their performance here in central Iowa. 

Typically this time of year I would be preparing everyone for the wonderful tulip display in the Campanile Garden, but thanks to some unseasonably warm weather in March, I am left talking about the tulip display that is nearly finished blooming! This year’s tulips were inspired by pixels. Just as a computer display is built bit by bit using pixels, the tulip display was built bulb by bulb to create this colorful display inspired by our theme year, “Some Assembly Required.” This year’s bulb display features 20,281 tulip bulbs of eight different varieties, all of them planted outside last October by staff, students and volunteers. In addition to those 20,000+ bulbs, 1,800 tulips bulbs of three additional varieties were forced in the headhouse coolers and greenhouses for use in containers and indoor displays.

It’s March, so I feel a certain obligation to talk about shamrocks (Oxalis sp.). These plants are easy to find in stores around St. Patrick’s Day and they make nice houseplants. Keep them in a bright, sunny location indoors. Plants like cool temperatures, ~60-65°F. Water regularly allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. This plant is not very tolerant of excessive wet or excessive dry conditions. The three-parted (or if your lucky, four-parted) leaves close up at night and plants will bloom in white, yellow or pink depending on the species or cultivar. Many grown as houseplants will go dormant during the summer months. Leaves will begin to dieback when dormancy sets in. When you see this, stop watering and fertilizing and move plants to a cool, dark location. Keep an eye on the plants as fall approaches. Resume normal watering and fertilizing (with an all-purpose, balanced fertilizer) when new growth starts to appear.

Prepared by Aaron Steil, Education Coordinator


Charmed Jade


Charmed Velvet

February often marks the dead of winter. This makes the Conservatory particularly attractive this time of year, and the “Architectural Salvage” display featured this winter and early spring will definitely give you a “spring” in your step! One of the plants featured prominently in this display is lettuce (Lactuca sativa). This cool-season crop is easy to start and grow in your own garden. The first crop can be sown as early as late March or early April. These leafy greens along with spinach, collards, and kale thrive in the cool temperatures of early spring and can be started on a windowsill and moved outside or started in a cold-frame. Harvest the largest leaves with a scissors throughout the season. As the temperatures warm into late spring and early summer, leaves will become bitter and once the plants bolt (or bloom) it’s time to remove them.

January marks a new year and a new display in the Conservatory at the Gardens. Now is a great time to take in the warm tropical atmosphere of the Conservatory and Butterfly Wing. The new display will feature a few interesting plants. Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is one of the plants in the new display that will add some color to the beds of the Conservatory. These flowering houseplants are in full bloom this time of year and feature unique shuttle-cock shaped flowers in pink, lavender, white, purple, salmon and red. The flowers rise above dark green glossy leaves which feature a silver ring.