Only a week ago, some ISU students left their books behind to endear themselves in tropical climates filled with colorful plants, beaches and pi¤a coladas. Then in a spin of twisted irony, higher education called them back from Margaritaville after they had only begun to enjoy themselves.

Iowa State, however, has its own paradise — an oasis filled with palms, a waterfall and the tranquil wisps of butterflies filling the air — Reiman Gardens.

Tucked back in the corner of Jack Trice Stadium, Reiman Gardens maintains habitats for exotic foliage and insects from around the world in an effort to sustain, entertain and educate.

Reiman has three full-time horticulturists who are responsible for maintaining fragile plant life in the greenhouses and conservatories, and also for directing the help of numerous volunteers willing to get their hands dirty — literally.

One member of the full-time trio is Ed Moran, who acts as assistant garden superintendent and has worked with the team for five years.

Moran has been in charge of the outside floral displays visible from Elwood Drive for years. He and his team have recently begun to clean up the outside gardens in preparation for their theme “Global Garden,” a display he says is meant to please and possibly inspire passers-by.

“I think at first [Reiman] was more of a display-type thing, but now it’s changed to incorporate more educational aspects,” Moran says. “We’re trying to create a multifaceted display that people can learn from but is also attractive.”

Reiman Gardens has only been creating themed gardens for the past couple of years. This spring it will showcase plants and landscape designs symbolic of such countries as Italy, France, England and the Netherlands. Moran says he hopes the diverse gardens will help people accentuate their own gardens with multicultural influences.

“We’re always looking for concepts and how we can bring them through to people,” he says. “We hope people will come here and find something they can take away from it or a flower to inspire them to do something in their own gardens.”

Moran says there are challenges to creating such a diverse garden, including the climate, the soils and local wildlife. He says many of these problems are not unique to planting in the Midwest but in gardening in general.

“Sometimes you have to be able to modify your design or vision to what is going to work,” he says. “Some of the best gardeners in the world fail. Sometimes they try new and innovative things and it may not work — it’s just something that goes with gardening.”

Sandy Latta, who has been working at Reiman Gardens for 10 years, is also one of the main horticulturists and acts as glass house manager. Although Moran looks over the displays outside, Latta’s job is more concerned with nurturing the seedlings in Reiman’s own nursery to make sure they have a plentiful supply of plants.

Latta says the process of growing the plants and transplanting them to permanent habitats can be a tricky and very delicate process.

“We transplant seeds, plugs and bulbs and move them to the benches [in the nursery] to finish growing them off for the outdoor gardens,” Latta says.

“It’s a pretty delicate process. We have controls of the dew and we can set each mat at a certain temperature.”

Reiman also has a security system that will alert workers if balance of elements — like as the heat or fog machines — are off-kilter, and Latta says certain people are always on call in case of an emergency.

Latta says her work at Reiman Gardens is not dependent solely on her expertise and the center’s technology, but also on volunteers who help her work with their small budget.