Iowa Arboretum & Gardens

Family Funday Sunday!
2025-09-14 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Iowa Arboretum & Gardens, 1875 Peach Avenue, MADRID, IA, 50156
Join us for some learning and exploration fun! The topic for Sunday, September 14, 2025 is Animal Study, where we’ll discover all sorts of interesting facts about the critters that call the Iowa Arboretum home. 10am-12noon, open house style. Activities are free with paid admission. Members are always free!

PAWS IN THE PARK Run/Walk
2025-09-13 07:00 - 09:30
Run or walk for a “Good Paws ” with or without a canine friend! 5K Run/ walk starts and finishes at the beautiful Iowa Arboretum & Gardens.
7:00 am -8:00am Registration – T-shirt/ Packet Pickup at Beckwith Grand Pavilion at the Iowa Arboretum. Upon registration you will be free to begin the course and keep your own time.
Dog Information
Dogs will get bandanas and goody bags.
Maximum 2 dogs per person and must be up to date on all vaccinations.

Tunes in the Trees - September 9, 2025
2025-09-09 17:00 - 20:00
Join us in the gardens for a family friendly outdoor concert event with the WEARY RAMBLERS. FOOD TRUCKS: local fare from Brick & Ember Pizza and V & B Farms Ice Cream. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, the kids and the family dog – all are welcome at this summertime favorite!
CONCERT ADMISSION: $10 for non-members age 13 and older; $5 for members age 13 and older; children age 12 and under FREE!
NEW IN 2025: $5 gets non-members some Treehouse Playtime from 5pm-6pm before the music starts (Iowa Arboretum Members FREE)!

Treehouses at Twilight - Western Whimsy
2025-08-28 18:00 - 21:00
Join us for Treehouses at Twilight – Western Whimsy on August 28, 2025 from 6pm-9pm. This is an event where the adults can be a kid again in Treehouses, at an elevated play area, and along the woodland trails. Each ticket includes 21+ admission, one featured drink ticket, adult snacks and beverages, musical entertainment by local singer/songwriter Jordan Messerole, themed photo booth and more! Discounts for Couples and Members!
GET TICKETS HERE

Pressed Flower Art Workshop
2025-08-24 13:00 - 15:00
Pressed Flower Art Workshop – Sunday, August 24, 2025 from 1:00pm-3:00pm GET TICKETS
Participants choose from a range of flowers and leaves picked, pressed right here at the arboretum and ready for your personalized creation!
Use chosen flowers to make: Designed & laminated bookmark, Styled arrangement on cardstock, Craft a frame for your creation, Bring your own frame from home (recommended sizes 5×7 or 8×10). We will also have a small supply of glass frames available for purchase at the workshop.
There are so many ways to use pressed flowers to create art, so come join us! Workshop space is limited!

Family Funday Sunday!
2025-08-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-08-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-07-13 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-06-29 10:00 - 12:00
Family friendly activities designed to help you explore and learn together about nature and the outdoors! Included with admission – Members are always free! 10am-12noon No registration necessary!

Kids Climb Tree Climbing Event
2025-08-17 13:00 - 15:00
Sunday August 17, 2025 – Join us from 1:00pm-3:00pm for safe tree climbing with the Iowa Arborist Association! All equipment (helmet, harness, etc.) is provided. FREE with paid admission. Members are always FREE!

Tunes in the Trees - August 12, 2025
2025-08-12 17:00 - 20:00
Join us in the gardens for a family friendly outdoor concert event with Carter Guse. FOOD TRUCKS: local fare from Comfort Food Catering and V & B Farms Ice Cream. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, the kids and the family dog – all are welcome at this summertime favorite!
CONCERT ADMISSION: $10 for non-members age 13 and older; $5 for members age 13 and older; children age 12 and under FREE!
NEW IN 2025: $5 gets non-members some Treehouse Playtime from 5pm-6pm before the music starts (Iowa Arboretum Members FREE)!

Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Trial Program Public Evaluation Day
2025-08-09 10:00 - 16:00
YOU ARE INVITED!
Join the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Trial Program for their second Public Evaluation Day! You and up to one adult guest and two children are invited to participate in evaluating perennials and shrubs in the trial garden. Walk the garden to check out soon to be available varieties and let us know your favorites! Evaluation generally takes around 25-30 minutes; you are then welcome to walk the grounds on the West Side of the arboretum for free.
Background: Due to a lack of regionally specific research, demonstration, and outreach surrounding newly introduced ornamental plants for Central Iowa, the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens established an ornamental trial garden for the categories of herbaceous perennials and shrubs in the Spring of 2023. This public-facing trial garden provides beauty, education, and outreach to the people of Iowa in a form viewable to the public, allowing for year-round visibility and observation of these plants. The Public Evaluation Day helps us in several ways. First, we get to hear from you, the consumer, about what plants you want in your garden. Second, we expose the Central Iowa public to the breadth of plants that are available to you while testing their long-term performance. Help us help you garden better!
Details: By participating in the Public Evaluation Day, you and up to one adult guest and two children get free admission to the West Side of the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. Entry into Treehouse Village and the East Side of the grounds will require admission or membership to the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens (see front desk upon visit). A short program will begin at 11am and again at 2pm.
*Golf cart service is available for persons needing assistance
Please RSVP for you and your guest(s) by July 20th below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44A5AD28ABFEC25-55183929-trial
Learn more about the program:
https://iowaarboretum.org/ourplants/trialprogram/

OPEN LATE until 8!
2025-07-29 16:00 - 20:00
TUESDAY JULY 29, 2025 – Join us after 4pm for playtime until 8pm! Extended hours at the regular admission rate. Museums for All discounted admission for up to 4 total in a family – must show SNAP/EBT/WIC card plus Photo ID). Arboretum members are always FREE!

Treehouses at Twilight - Supper Club
2025-07-24 18:00 - 21:00
Join us for Treehouses at Twilight – Supper Club on Thursday, July 24, 2025 from 6pm-9pm. JULY 24 EVENT INFORMATION: This is a rain or shine event – we will move indoors if needed, due to rain or storms. There is a bug soother repellent dispenser at the Treehouse Village if bugs are an issue. Feel free to bring your own bug repellent if you desire to do so!
This is an event where the adults can be a kid again in Treehouses, at an elevated play area, and along the woodland trails. Each ticket includes 21+ admission, one featured drink ticket, adult snacks and beverages, musical entertainment by local group The Weary Ramblers, themed photo booth and more! Discounts for Couples and Members!
GET TICKETS HERE

OPEN LATE until 8!
2025-07-22 16:00 - 20:00
TUESDAY JULY 22, 2025 – Join us after 4pm for playtime until 8pm! Extended hours at the regular admission rate. Museums for All discounted admission for up to 4 total in a family – must show SNAP/EBT/WIC card plus Photo ID). Arboretum members are always FREE!

Tunes in the Trees - July 8, 2025
2025-07-08 17:00 - 20:00
Join us in the gardens for a family friendly outdoor concert event with BUCKMILLER SCHWAGER BAND. FOOD TRUCKS: local comfort fare from Kaaswagen and V & B Farms Ice Cream. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, the kids and the family dog – all are welcome at this summertime favorite!
CONCERT ADMISSION: $10 for non-members age 13 and older; $5 for members age 13 and older; children age 12 and under FREE!
NEW IN 2025: $5 gets non-members some Treehouse Playtime from 5pm-6pm before the music starts (Iowa Arboretum Members FREE)!

Tunes in the Trees - June 10, 2025
2025-06-10 17:00 - 20:00
Join us in the gardens for a family friendly outdoor concert event with OPUS TAYLOR BAND. FOOD TRUCKS: local fare from Smokin’ Big Dawg’s BBQ and V & B Farms Ice Cream. Bring a lawn chair, picnic blanket, the kids and the family dog – all are welcome at this summertime favorite!
CONCERT ADMISSION: $10 for non-members age 13 and older; Members FREE; children 12 and under FREE!
NEW IN 2025: $5 gets non-members some Treehouse Playtime from 5pm-6pm before the music starts (Iowa Arboretum Members FREE)!

Classic Car Show
2025-06-08 11:00 - 14:00
Our Annual Classic Car Show will take place on Sunday, June 8, 2025. This popular event is open to the public. All classic cars are welcomed. Food Trucks will be available and admission to the Car Show is FREE. Participants showing a car will be asked to arrive anytime after 10am to park and complete the info card to place on their dash. 2024 was our biggest show yet with over 80 participating cars! Interested in being a sponsor for this event? Reach out to info@iowaarboretum.org for more information on how your business can be featured.

2025 Garden Social & Auction
2025-05-17 16:30 - 21:00
We hope you will join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year – the Garden Social & Auction – Saturday, May 17, 2025 – 4:00-9pm
GET TICKETS HERE
Each Ticket includes:

Leisurely walking tour of the Arboretum & the Adele & Dean Bowden Treehouse Village
Cocktail Hour with snacks, beverages and musical entertainment
Delicious catered meal from Christiani’s VIP of Des Moines and dessert
Silent and Live Auctions with items for your home, garden and entertainment
50/50 Raffle with a cash prize

Annual Plant Sale!
2025-05-01 12:00 - 2025-05-03 16:00
Thursday, May 1, 2025 (Members Only) from 12noon – 4pm ~ Friday & Saturday, May 2-3, 2025 (Public Welcome) from 9am – 4pm
Join the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens for our annual Spring Plant Sale! Hundreds of perennial varieties will be available from plants for dry shade, to native selections, to classic favorites! Follow this event and our socials to get a closer look at some of the plants we’ll be offering for sale.
DETAILS:MEMBER ONLY early access will be May 1st from noon – 4pm.The general public is invited to shop from May 2nd to May 3rd. We will open the sale at 9am and close at 4pm both days.Please park at the Cafferty Building parking lot (follow the signs labelled ‘Plant Sale’ with arrows).

PLEASE NOTE: Admission onto the Arboretum grounds is not included when attending the plant sale – Entrance fees apply. Proof of membership, proof of reciprocal admission, or general admission purchase required to explore grounds, including the Adele and Dean Bowden Treehouse Village. Please reserve your timed admission spot here: https://iowaarboretum.org/visit/

Arbor Day Celebration!
2025-04-26 09:00 - 12:00
Our Annual Arbor Day Celebration will be Saturday April 26th from 9am-12noon. 2025 HIGHLIGHTS: Kids Climb! Kids of all ages will be assisted by arborists to climb arboretum trees! Create and add your poem to our popular POETREE! Build a tree branch shelter in Treehouse Village! Make a tree cookie medallion… and so much more. All activities are FREE WITH ADMISSION. Members are always FREE! Mark your calendar – you won’t want to miss this!

RUN for the TREES
2025-04-26 08:00 - 09:30
Join the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens for a scenic 5K or 1 mile Family Run/Walk on well maintained trails around our campus and through the new Treehouse Village. All run/walk participants will receive a tree seedling at the end of the race. In addition to hosting the run/walk, we will also be having Arbor Day activities – including a KIDS CLIMB EVENT facilitated by the Iowa Arborists Association until 12noon. Run/Walk registration includes a t-shirt, race bib, swag bag, snacks and a tree seedling! **Participants must be registered by April 4th at noon to be guaranteed an official event t-shirt. Only paid registrants receive a shirt.** PACKET PICK UP: will be April 25th 9am – 4pm and April 26th from 8am – 9am at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. REGISTER HERE

Taking Time to See Watercolor Art Class
2025-04-19 12:00 - 15:00
Jane Marie Degeneffe describes her watercolor workshop in this way… Taking Time to See is a workshop that will give an awareness of the beauty around you in both nature and the world of thought and meditation. In this workshop, you begin with choosing one of the flowers or branches provided to focus on and paint. This first watercolor painting done in class will be an illustration for your writing. Your writing will be separate from workshop time, as the time in class will be painting. The blank watercolor pad and paints provided will be a take home starter for your journal. Quotes, reflections, poetry and goals or memories are always good topics for journaling. Taking time to see and be mindful of what goes on within your heart can be very restful and healing. The watercolor painting process is also restful and healing. Workshop runs from 1-3pm with an opening reception from 12-1pm before class starts.
REGISTER HERE

ISU Maple Syrup Day & Pancake Breakfast
2025-04-12 08:00 - 11:00
Maple Syrup Day is a fundraiser event for Iowa State University Xi Sigma Pi, a national forestry honor society. Join the students for a morning of demonstrations, education and pancakes! Wood turning, wood chopping, making maple syrup, and interactive educational exhibits. Pancakes are $5-$8 and include sausages and a beverage. 8am-11am.

Spring Ephemeral Hike
2025-04-09 13:00 - 15:00
Explore the grounds with our Curator of Collections, David McKinney and discover the earliest blooms of the growing season.
REGISTER HERE

2025 Spring Fever Symposium
2025-04-05 09:00 - 15:00
Join us for our biggest education event of the year! We have an incredible lineup of speakers to pack this day with Iowa gardening goodness, from tree care to garden design. Pre-registration is required. Open to the public… all are welcome!

REGISTER HERE

Talk Descriptions:
Eric Foley: The Land Down Under
We take a closer look at the soil beneath our feet and examine importance of healthy soil to create a fertile growing environment for plant roots.
Lois Girton: Not Your Grandmother’s Peonies, So Where Did They Come From?
Those of us of a certain age likely remember the pink, white, and purplish red full double peonies gracing our grandparents’ or parents’ gardens. They were likely varieties of the Chinese peony Paeonia lactiflora and perhaps their faces were even lying on the ground. Fast forward to today and we have many more choices of colors, sizes, and forms of peonies with thousands of named cultivars readily available. We owe this firstly to the plant explorers who introduced nurserymen to other Asian and European species and then to the men (yes, mostly men) who undertook crosses between different species, or even between different sections of peonies in the case of the Itoh hybrids. Peonies from Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caucasus when combined with P. lactiflora gave earlier blooming herbaceous peonies in true red and yellow tones. Crossing woody peonies of the Delavayanae subsection with those of the Suffruticosa group gave us the “lutea hybrid” peonies in a wild assortment of colors. Foremost among these hybridizers was Professor A. P. Saunders of Clinton, NY, working from the early 1900’s through the 1940’s. He is considered the “father of the modern peony” and almost all peonies being introduced today trace back to one or more of his cultivars.
Fatima Najar: An introduction and update to the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Perennial and Shrub Trial Program
We’ll kill it so you don’t have to! Introducing the new Perennial and Shrub Trial Program at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens. Learn about how plants are put to the test in Iowa’s climate as well as evaluated for their landscape merits. Hundreds of varieties are scrutinized over several years to help inform the public about what plants are the best for success in their gardens. Find out about many of our favorite plants so far and hear about how you can get involved to share your opinions, your tastes, and help inform the industry about what you’d like to see more of in the future!
Your Natural Garden: Caring for an Ecologically Vibrant Garden
In this engaging lecture, renowned plantsman and designer Kelly Norris offers essential guidance on stewarding the beauty and ecological richness of naturalistic landscapes. As gardens designed to mimic nature grow in popularity, many wonder how to care for these vibrant, biodiverse spaces properly. How does a gardener’s relationship with place change when plants take the lead? Norris reveals how tending to a natural garden differs from traditional methods by emphasizing a connection to the broader environment and embracing dynamic processes. With stunning examples and practical advice, this lecture will inspire and equip gardeners to embrace natural rhythms and processes while celebrating natural abundance and complexity in the places we live and work.

About the speakers:

Kelly Norris
Kelly D. Norris is one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. In his practice, he explores the narrative of place through site-specific plantings and landscape interventions. An award-winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His forthcoming book Your Natural Garden from Cool Springs Press launches in late 2024.
Kelly’s interdisciplinary studio works in public and private places across North America. He’s the founder and curator of The Public Horticulture Company, an emerging ecological landscape startup based in Des Moines, Iowa. The studio annually produces the New Naturalism Academy, a virtual school for enthusiastic designers, as a commitment to continuing education and lifelong learning.
He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for eight years, he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden, and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.

Lois Girton
Lois is originally from Alberta, Canada and obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Genetics at the University of Alberta before earning her PhD at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in the Department of Plant Pathology. After a career in various research, teaching, and academic advising roles, she retired from Iowa State University in 2020.
Lois is the founding President of the Russ O’Harra Hosta Society and also served on the Board of the Iowa Arboretum and Gardens for 15 years. Lois has been a Director of the American Peony Society (APS) for several years and is currently its President. APS is the international registration authority for the genus Paeonia.
The Iowa Arboretum has been part of her peony journey as it is where she first encountered woody (tree) peonies. Since 1995 Lois has been growing all types of peonies (woody, herbaceous, Itoh) with a special emphasis on species peonies and those bred by A.P. Saunders who is considered the “father of the modern peony”. In 2020 she started a website devoted to Saunders peonies (saunderspeonies.com) and is currently writing a book on the topic.

Eric Foley
Eric has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2014 and a Board Certified Master Arborist since 2023. Eric has been working in the tree industry since 2009 in Ohio, Minnesota, and now Iowa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Cedarville University, and holds a high value on constant, lifelong learning. He has held the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) through the International Society of Arboriculture and is a member of the Tree Care Industry Association. His goal is to help everyone enjoy and value their trees, and to help people, urban development, and trees all live together and be mutually beneficial. He started Freedom Tree Care in 2022 with the goal of helping people grow their love for the outdoors through expert care for trees and landscape.
Eric is originally from Minnesota, but moved to Iowa in 2021. He and his wife have 4 children, 2 mini Australian Shepherds, and enjoy all kinds of sports and outdoor activities. You can find Eric coaching his kids’ baseball and basketball teams, doing CrossFit, or out mountain biking in his spare time (which is very limited!).

Fatima Najar
Fatima Najar has been with the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens Trial Program for two years, and was
invaluable in helping start the program. Fatima grew up in Sioux City, Iowa later going to Iowa State
to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Forestry. Before joining the arboretum, she worked as a field technician
collecting data on native prairie plants, pollinators, and a special project with Botrychium (moonwort).

Recently promoted to Assistant Curator, Fatima is a liaison between the public and horticulture industry
while also collecting evaluation data on every perennial and shrub variety every two weeks. She does
amazing work balancing those responsibilities with care of the garden and managing outreach. Fatima is
passionate about conservation and sustainability, and loves to communicate those interests to diverse audiences.

Paint Party at the Arboretum
2025-04-03 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for an evening of creating a beautiful painting while sipping on garden-inspired MOCKtails! Bring a snack (& recipe!) to share. All art supplies are included. MOCKtails available for purchase. Registration required. REGISTER HERE

Central Iowa Beekeepers Association Winter Seminar
2025-03-15
Central Iowa Beekeepers Association (CIBA) – 2025 WINTER SEMINAR
Saturday, March 15, 2025 – RAIN or SHINE – 8:20 AM to 4:30 PM
Registration $40 per person; $35 for current CIBA members; $20 for students (college and K-12) Includes snacks & lunch!
Register by Wednesday March 12, 2025 at www.centraliowabeekeepersassoc.org
Questions? Contact Don Moody 515-770-5754 or ds.moody1@hotmail.com

Dad's Belgian Waffles Day
2025-03-08 09:00 - 11:30
Join us from 9-11:30am on March 8, 2025 for all you can eat waffles! Waffles, sausages and beverages will be served with whipped toppings and flavored syrups. $10 per person – under 5years old eat FREE!
