Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

On January 2, 2013, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden opened for the first time as a nonprofit organization under the leadership of president and CEO Stephanie Jutila and the governance of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Board of Directors.

The institution is undergoing a dynamic renewal funded by a successful capital campaign to raise $12.6 million for the Phase I expansion of the outdoor gardens and improvements to the existing conservatory and building.

The gardens will feature rich annual color designs conceived around artistic concepts inspired from music, history, art and pop culture, using plants as the ingredients for exhibitions.

[citation needed] According to a contest on the WHO Radio Van & Bonnie morning show on June 21, 2011, the dome is constructed of 665 plexiglass panels.

[1] In March 2021, the Botanical Garden revealed its plans for the development of an additional 7 acres (3 ha) which will include improved connections to both I-235 and the riverfront, an additional exterior entrance to the Flora Café, a willow garden near the river with water and sand areas for children and families to enjoy, a River Cafe with edible fruit and vegetables planted nearby, restrooms, an amphitheater located in natural topography with a dry garden overlooking the amphitheater, and an elevated pathway through a canopy of trees in the rolling hills of the heavily wooded space.