Kroeze Tea House Garden

The Kroeze Memorial Tea House was dedicated at the Garden Bouquets event on October 3, 2010. It is named for the late Arie Kroeze of Iowa City, owner of Pleasant Valley Nursery and Golf Course, and President of the Iowa Arboretum Board of Directors between 1995 and 2002.

The planting around the tea house was renovated in the summer of 2017 with a monochromatic design of purple hues. Monochromatic color schemes are said to create a sense of harmony and simplicity. This minimalist style of design allows the plants within the landscape to take precedence, aiding in the tranquility of the space itself. The addition of a few contrasting neon tones enhances the bold impression of this unique planting. A brick walkway and a flagstone-style pathway was installed on the either side of the tea house by the Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association’s Day of Service in 2018; completing the space for a restful stop along the 0.8 mile outer loop trail.

Additional plantings of dozens of hostas were added to the shady areas surrounding the tea house in 2022 in anticipation of hosting the national convention of the American Hosta Society in 2023.