GARDENING RESOURCES

kids club logo

GARDENING RESOURCES

Help for your classroom gardens can be found in all sorts of places. There are many books available to help in planning your garden, along with numerous Web sites. Don't forget to look within your own community and state for help.

To get started you may want to contact one of the national organizations that targets programs to school gardens:

American Society for Horticultural Science
7931 E. Boulevard Drive
Alexandria, VA 22308-1300
National Youth Gardening Symposium

International Reading Association
Special Interest Group
Gardeners and Readers Develop Naturally
RT. 1 Box 1038
Ellensburg, WA 98926
GARDEN newsletter and idea exchange

National Gardening Association
180 Flynn Ave.
Burlington, VT 05401

On-line gardening resources

American Nursery & Landscape Association

Enviro-Explorers.com – lots of environmental activities, including birdhouse building, zone maps, prairie planting and butterfly gardens

Gardening.com – plant encyclopedia, area and cost calculator, design guides, projects, gardening advice, zone maps

Botany.com – on-line database of plants

Weedalert.com – weed identification and techniques for their control

Bhg.com – Better Homes and Gardens' Web site offers garden plans, material estimators, plant and flower index, zone maps, lots of garden ideas

GardenPlans.com – gardening tips, free garden plans

Iowa State University - horticultural program

Iowa State University - master gardeners

Kidsgardening.com – National Gardening Association’s Web site that offers how-to projects, dictionary, free stuff

Reiman Gardens - Established in 1995 through a gift by Bobbi and Roy Reiman and located on a 14-acre site, Reiman Gardens of Ames, Iowa, consists of several large and small areas each with its own unique theme. It is now the largest public garden in the state. Visit this site for more information on the plants, garden areas, and educational events and activities.

Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is located east of Hawkeye Community College, 1927 East Orange Road, Waterloo, IA 50704. Special events and educational programs scheduled throughout the year. Call 319-226-4966 or e-mail: gardens@cedarnet.org for tour information and fee.

Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Marshall Park is the only public arboretum and botanical garden in the United States staffed entirely by volunteers. 375 dedicated individuals maintain the trees, plants and shrubs, and seed-gifts which are all labeled throughout the garden. The garden is located at 3800 Arboretum Drive, Dubuque, IA 52001; phone 563-556-2100; fax 563-556-2443. It was established in 1980 and consists of 52 acres, including special gardens and collections of rose, knot, herb, Japanese, greenhouse, hosta collection (13,000 with 700 varieties), iris, dahlia, lilies, and dwarf and unusal conifers.

Prairie Learning Center - Experience the breathtaking beauty of over 5,000 acres of tallgrass prairie and native Midwest wildlife. Located near Prairie City, Iowa on Highway 163 in Jasper County, the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge reconstructs the native plant and animal communities that greeted Iowa's earliest settlers in the mid 1800's.

Ohio State University - plant facts

Other Gardening Resources in Iowa

The Iowa Arboretum is located on 378 acres in rural Boone County near the small town of Luther. The arboretum contains over 300 acres of forest, prairie, and meadow. The "cultivated" 40 acres contain hundreds of species of trees and shrubs, plus herbs, roses, rnamental grasses, Siberian irises, daylilies, and hostas. Facilities include the Cafferty Building (information and educational facility) and Jones Memorial Gazebo. The grounds are open daily throughout the year, sunrise to sunset. The Iowa Arboretum is located southwest of Luther. Take Iowa Highway 17 to Luther, then go 2 1/2 miles west on Boone County Road E-57. Turn south onto a gravel road and follow the signs to the arboretum.

Des Moines Botantical Center is located on the east bank of the Des Moines River at 909 East River Drive. Nearly 1,000 different species and cultivars of tropical, subtropical, and arid region plants grow beneath the 80-foot-tall and 150-foot-wide Plexiglas dome. The building also houses classrooms, gift shop, cafe, and library. Outdoor beds on the 14.4 acre site feature annuals and herbs.

WOI-AM (640) radio's weekly horticultural show airs at 10 a.m. every Friday.

WHO-AM (1040) radio's weekly "Gardening Today" show with Mohamad Khan airs every Sunday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Specialists are available from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 515-294-3108, Iowa State University's horticultural hotline

Master gardeners field questions at many local Extension Service offices.

Experts can be found at greenhouses, nurseries or other gardening centers.

Free 2003 Garden Catalogs

Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
P.O. Box 1800 Louisiana, MO 63353-1800
Phone: 800-775-6415 (ask for offer 03CC5121)
Web site: starkbros.com
(Fruit trees and landscaping catalog)

Raintree Nursery
391G Butts Road Morton, WA 98356-9700
Phone: 360-496-6400
Web site: raintreenursery.com
(Fruit trees, berries and unusual edibles, 700 fruit cultivars from around the world, 96-page catalog)

Miller Nurseries
John E. Miller

Dept. 860

5060 West Lake Road

Canandaigua, NY 14424-8904

Web site: millernurseries.com

(Planting guide and catalog)

Jackson & Perkins

1 Rose Lane

Dept. 316A

Medford, OH 97501

Phone: 800-854-6200

Web site: jacksonandperkins.com