Plant Collections Home Page

There are currently over 5,000 living specimens with individually assigned accession numbers at the Iowa Arboretum. Some strengths of the collections include oaks, hardy pecans, dwarf conifers, maples, irises, and hostas. The location designation of several specimens, and in some cases entire species, are according to plant type and primary and secondary inventory.

As outlined in our mission statement, one purpose of the Iowa Arboretum is to be an inspiring educational resource of trees, shrubs, and other plants in the Iowa landscape. Interpretative collection signage achieves part of that mission. Individual plant labels also provide valuable information including genus, species, and cultivar information and an indication of the age of the planting. 

Click here for an explanation of the plant labels.

Click on a collection photo for more detailed information.

Click here for a map of the grounds showing locations of major collections.

Alpine Garden

Butterfly Garden

Childrens’ Garden and Orchard

Coffman Viburnum Walk

Columnar Trees

Conifers

Flowering Trees

Founders’ Grove

Governors’ Oaks

Herb Garden

Iowa Hosta Collection

Iris Collection

Jacobson Conifer Collection

Kroeze Memorial Tea House

Large Deciduous Trees

Medium Deciduous Trees

Native Prairie Restoration

Nut Trees

Palustrine Wetland

Perennial Garden

Shade Garden

Shrub Border

Stout Silver Medal Daylilies

Theresa Schutt Hosta House

Trees for Poorly Drained Soils

Windbreak