On Thursday, a quaint group braved the cold and attended a lecture at Reiman Gardens hosted by Sara Merritt, the director of education at Iowa State. The program kicked off celebrating 30 years of “inspiring awe and cultivating beauty at Iowa State University.”

The lecture started with a brief history of the garden and the goal of the gardens: to be a sanctuary for students and staff of Iowa State.  

Reiman Gardens’ 2025 theme is Picture Perfect. This year’s displays are designed to be photo opportunities and “Instagramable.” Each exhibit will be a callback to a previous exhibit. If you’ve been to Reiman Gardens in the past 30 years, this year may take you down memory lane.

Unique to this year, the staff came up with the exhibits instead of an artist. This is only possible because about 300 volunteers regularly help out.

Merritt took time to recognize the hardworking staff. “I feel very fortunate to work at a place with a very dedicated staff. There isn’t a person here that doesn’t give their full self to the work.”

At the lecture, we got an inside sneak peek of 2025 exhibits. They will include pollinator hotels, plant pots made of legos, enormous butterfly wings, a big wooden train, diamond chairs, and a greenhouse built by Iowa State Engineers for a Sustainable World out of recyclable materials.

“We are trying to go above and beyond this year. We are trying to show the community who we are,” said Merritt.

Some exhibits will be temporary, but Reiman Gardens wants to keep some permanently and will decide which ones in the future.

Reiman Gardens will also have a scavenger hunt. Merritt shared her excitement. “It’s my favorite part. I’m always excited about the ways we engage with people.” The scavenger hunt will pay homage to annual themes from 2004-2023.

Reiman Garden has many education programs and special events. They’ve partnered with the Iowa State Lecture Series to provide free lectures for students. This year they will host painting classes, maker mocktails events, forging programs, floral design classes, various wellness programs such as yoga, trivia nights, murder mystery parties, and more.

Merritt promises the “gardens will be extra beautiful this year.” 

To get involved with Reiman Gardens, you can volunteer or join events.  Entry is free for students with their student ID.

For more information and a calendar of events, click here.

For admissions and hours information, click here.