Geodesic Conservatory, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (Botanical Center)

The idea of a botanical garden in Des Moines dates back to 1929, when two local garden clubs launched the project, soon halted by the stock-market crash. Wikipedia adds that a city greenhouse was acquired in 1939 and later fell into disrepair. The project was revived several times, and in 1966 the city secured a 14-acre site occupied by a brickyard.

Construction began in 1977 according to the garden, in 1978 according to Wikipedia. A federal grant of $2,577,000 paid for the geodesic conservatory, while the city put up $700,000 for production greenhouses. The Des Moines Botanical Center opened on 15 December 1979.

The city ran it until 2004, then Des Moines Water Works until 2012; an independent not-for-profit took over in 2013 and adopted the current name. Landscape architect Doug Hoerr drew up a master plan in 2009, the outdoor gardens opened in 2015, and major works took place in 2013 and 2021.

The dome is 150 feet (46 m) wide and 80 feet (24 m) high, combining an aluminium frame with 665 Plexiglas panels. The sources consulted say nothing of the geodesic design choice and name neither the architect nor the engineer. Under the dome, tropical plants grow in summer and winter alike, sheltered from Iowa's harsh climate.

The dome forms the centre of a twelve-acre garden made up of thirteen gardens, two of them indoor and eleven outdoor. The conservatory is accompanied by production greenhouses funded by the city. A separate space, the Gardeners Show House, developed by Master Gardener volunteers, extends the visit.

The conservatory grows more than 1,000 tropical species from around the world, including orchids, bromeliads, cacti and succulents. A desert garden, tended by volunteers known as the Desert Diggers, gathers agaves, yuccas and, at times, the bloom of Stapelia gigantea. There are also a traveller's palm, night-flowering shrubs pollinated by bats, a waterfall and a koi pond.

Seasonal displays address ethnobotany and ecological themes. The Gardeners Show House offers houseplants that visitors can grow at home, including orchid and coleus collections, and hosts an annual holiday garden railroad.

The conservatory stands in Des Moines' East Village, close to downtown, on the east bank of the river. It offers a tropical counterpoint to Iowa's winters, and events mark the cold season: "Dome for the Holidays" from mid-November to early January and "Dome After Dark" from January to March.

The visit can be extended with the outdoor gardens, which change through the seasons, the Evergreen Gallery and the nature play area. The Flora cafe allows a pause on site. Allow one to two hours.