Less than a decade ago, Roy Reiman looked over the barren area south of the Scheman Building and said, “Martin, you really need to plant some flowers out there.”

Martin Jischke, former ISU president, agreed with the statement and presented garden plans to Reiman a month later.

The colorful proposal, however, showed a garden located south of Jack Trice Stadium, far from the empty lawns of Scheman.

For Reiman, that was not the only surprise.

“I was going through the plans page by page,” Reiman said. “When all of the sudden, I looked down over at the right-hand corner and it said `Reiman Gardens.'”

Reiman said he was flattered, but reluctant. Having proposed the name “Cyclone Gardens,” he believed the dedication implied credit he did not want.

However, the 1957 alumnus of agricultural journalism and ISU Foundation Board of Governors member went on to help shape his idea into reality.

In its seventh growing season, the gardens are again under construction.

Currently, the Conservatory Complex, made possible by a $1 million donation from the Hughes family of Cedar Rapids, is under construction.

The complex will house a butterfly wing, growing greenhouse, a learning center and a hospitality center. When the building is completed in 2002, Reiman Gardens will fill its entire designated 14 acres.

Additional smaller gardens, including a Hillside Garden, a State of Iowa Garden, a Sensory Garden and a Fragrance Garden, are planned.

The Reiman Gardens mark Iowa State’s south entrance with a rich display of Iowa’s botanic diversity and foreign species. From award-winning roses, herbs and vegetables, the flowers create a tranquil and spiritual atmosphere.

Along with its plants, the approximately $15 million garden continues to grow. In August, the gardens were celebrated with the addition and dedication of the Town and Country Gardens to Erb and Marge Hunziker and an arboretum and pond in the memory of Helen Booth.

Both projects were contracted through Country Landscapes, which began the project in May 2000.

Featuring design ideas for common home gardens, the Town and Country Gardens display annuals and perennials that can thrive in the climate of Iowa.

The entrance to the feature is a pathway through lawn gardens leading to a small cottage building. Inside, educational sessions and special events regarding household gardening are planned. The home theme is continued around the cottage with exhibits in the backyard.

The Town and Country Gardens overlook Lake Helen, which was designed by an ISU horticulture student. The $250,000 rubber-lined lake was a gift from Country Landscapes and George Booth in memory of his wife.

The new lake addition enabled the gardens to support several aquatic displays in the presence of two waterfalls.

Of all the garden’s resources, to Reiman, one of the most gratifying aspects of the gardens is Iowa State’s incorporation of the project into academic class work.

Teresa McLaughlin, Reiman Gardens director, said Iowa State uses it for laboratory, photography, landscape architecture and plant genetics classes.

“The gardens are a great place for students to practice class work,” she said. “With all the monuments, it’s also a spiritual place to come and contemplate.”

Admission is free for students.

The hope Reiman and his wife Bobbi have for the gardens is reflected in a commemorative plaque at the base of the Garden Campanile that says, “Let these gardens be a special place for students to come to quiet their minds, collect their thoughts and find their futures.”

Visit the Reiman Gardens Web site at www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/.