PLANT COLLECTIONS
The living collections at the Iowa Arboretum & Gardens feature some of the oldest botanical collections in Iowa alongside continually expanding contemporary collections.
The Iowa Arboretum & Gardens is a living museum. Each and every plant is meticulously documented from seed to death with data captured in-between.
Our plants are wild collected, received through exchanges with other botanical gardens, acquired through the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), and purchased from nurseries and garden centers. Each plant that comes to the Arboretum is entered into our database and location marked on internal mapping software. This data allows staff to keep a close eye on the health, size, and current or former locations of our plants.
With hundreds of thousands of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials across 160 acres, the Arboretum has several strengths including oaks, nut trees, conifers, native plants, and our trial program. The historic Arboretum collections are planted by categorical designation. Some are arranged by genera, for example oaks (Quercus spp.) while others by whole categories like conifers, wetland trees, or flowering trees. Today, planting of any plant is based on garden design and function; taking into account relevance, and how plants interact or contribute to any given landscape. Learn more about specific gardens here.
Plant collections are available to outside researchers, botanists, and horticulturists to utilize for their projects with advance approval by the Material Transfer Agreement form. Please indicate your interest for a collection two business weeks before intended collection date so we can complete this form to have permission granted. The unauthorized collecting of seed, germplasm, or scion from any Arboretum plant is strictly prohibited without prior written consent.
The Iowa Arboretum & Gardens does accept the donation of plant material. To inquire about a possible plant donation, fill out our In-Kind Donation form.
In order to better serve our visitors, many of our plants are labeled with individual display labels. These provide genus, species, and cultivar information and an indication of the age of the plant.
Our Collections
Conifers
Explore hundreds of varieties of conifers across dozens of genera kept in this reference garden designated collection.
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Hemerocallis
Daylilies have been a mainstay in American gardens for decades. We grow hundreds of new and historic varieties.
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Hosta
Hostas are versatile plants that have been an important part of the Arboretum’s history.
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Iris
Hundreds of bearded iris, Siberian iris, and rock garden iris are spread across many of the Arboretum’s gardens.
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Nut Trees
Important for lumber, medicine, nutrition, and wildlife many nut trees are even handsome shade trees.
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Quercus
Our oaks include wild collections, naturally occurring or novel hybrids, and common landscape varieties.
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