THE CHILDREN'S GARDEN

​This whimsical garden is a playful interpretation of the Mississippi River. Surrounded by greenery, flowering perennials and native prairie plants, the intrigue of water play allows children to be carried away by their imaginations. Visitors become acquainted with a world of fours - the four seasons, the four directions, four way tests, factors of four, games of four and flowers of four! This area, with the sundial underfoot, is where the adventure begins. Continue through the garden to the new Headwaters area representing the starting point of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca. ​

TROPICAL SUN GARDEN

The atrium of thriving tropical plants is 6,444 sq ft of climate-controlled space and the centerpiece of our beautiful facility. A 14-foot waterfall, stream, and fish pond circulate water through the atrium, providing a home for our popular Japanese Koi, and supplying vital humidity for our plants. The peak of the atrium is a stunning 70-foot skylight allowing sunlight to nurture our collections. The Sun Garden is home to fruit-bearing plants including coconut, banana, vanilla, coffee and the cocoa tree (chocolate.)

SCOTT COUNTY REGIONAL AUTHORITY RARE CONIFER COLLECTION

Donated by the late Chub Harper, the southern border of the Quad City Botanical Center is flanked with a stunning collection of rare and unique conifers. Mr. Harper, a life-long horticultural expert and groundskeeper, raised all of the trees on his own small acreage, and then donated them as a collection to the care of our organization.

ability GARDEN

Located just outside the garden gates as part of our grand entrance, this unique garden provides a number of elevated garden beds accessible to guests who find bending to ground level difficult or impossible. Planted in the early spring with showy annuals, flanked by spring, summer, and fall flowering perennials, this garden is a wonderful addition to our exhibits.

ORNAMENTAL GOLDFISH POND AND AQUATIC PLANTS

The interior Sun Garden Koi pond and the outdoor goldfish pond are visible directly opposite one another, divided only by the glass atrium wall. One pond mirrors the next. The outdoor pond grows aquatic plants and is home to goldfish, frogs, toads and occasionally a pair of mallard ducks. This stunning feature of the garden is popular with brides due to the reflective nature of the water. 

greenhouse

The greenhouse is a multipurpose space at our garden that is always changing; serving as a working area, educational space, collection display area, and as plant storage. The greenhouse is home to our cacti collection, featuring cacti from founding member Al Dieter, orchids, hoyas, succulents, tropicals during the colder months, and a variety of other special plants. This space is used for repotting, propagating, getting plants ready for public sale, and for education classes to get their hands dirty. Enjoy a sneak peek at a gardeners, everchanging working greenhouse. 

PAT'S GARDEN

This pocket interactive woodland garden with a whimsical fairy theme is nestled under the protective branches of a well established burr oak and blue spruce trees. Pat’s garden includes hosta, ferns and other shade-loving plants, making this garden pure enchantment for all ages. Small fairy homes are tucked into the garden and guests can build their own fairy house. Next to Pat's Garden, visit the Hobbit house...a child-sized playhouse!

HEARTLAND CENTRAL GARDEN RAILWAY EXHIBIT (SEASONAL)

All aboard! The Quad City Botanical Center, in partnership with the Heartland Model Railway Club, is home to a 1:24th scale garden train railway exhibit. Up to four independent trains can operate on the almost 800 feet of track. The train is operational on Sunday afternoons 12-4 pm, May through October, and for special holidays and private events when requested in advance. Enter this garden from inside the Botanical Center just past the banquet rooms.

BUTTERFLY PERGOLA GARDEN (SEASONAL)

Once home to a “knot garden,” our planting island on the west lawn was transformed to a beautiful butterfly and bee garden. Butterfly weed, butterfly bushes, bee balm and other pollinator-attracting plants adorn this garden and bring thousands of winged visitors every season. The nearby garden pergola provides seating and shade for observation and reflection.

WILDFLOWER PRAIRIE GARDEN (SEASONAL)

The planting island is representative of the natural prairie that once covered the state of Illinois. Naturalized prairie plants have deep reaching root systems that prevent soil erosion, and often grow to heights that tower over our heads. Among the many unique native plants growing here are the compass plant and coneflower.

PERENNIAL GARDENS (SEASONAL)

Glorious throughout the gardens and grounds are well-established perennial plants that bloom in spring, summer and fall. Spring brings dazzling grape hyacInths, allium, and daffodils; summer blooms include coneflower, rudbeckia, and monarda, and fall shows off splashes of color from long-blooming mums. A variety of ornamental grasses, vines, shrubbery and trees artfully fill our outdoor gardens. Special collections of note are the Iris of the Year and the daylily assortment.

SCRAMBLED ALPHABET GARDEN (SEASONAL)

This entertaining garden has every letter of the alphabet represented in cut glass, intertwined with a corresponding flower and set in a concrete stepping stone. Planted near each stone are plants and flowers that begin with the same letter, planted by the Tri-City Garden Club. It creates a unique border between our canopy walkway and southwest lawn.