An ISU alumna’s love of gardening impelled her to donate a children’s book about flowers to Reiman Gardens.

Natalie Knudsen, a graduate of Iowa State in 1992 with a degree in agricultural journalism, had the idea for “A Children’s Garden of Flowers,” after attempting to name a flower for every letter of the alphabet.

After an hour she had nearly all of them and decided to write verses for them, she said.

“I didn’t want rhyming things,” she said. “That seemed too easy to do. Most of [the verses] have personal meaning for me. `G’ is for Gladiolas. My grandmother grew hundreds of gladiolas to give as gifts.”

When Knudsen heard Reiman Gardens was going to dedicate a children’s garden, she decided to contact them about becoming involved with the book.

“I wanted to donate the text to the gardens and Iowa State,” she said. “It is a way to give something back.”

From there she contacted the gardens as well as faculty members at Iowa State.

C. Arthur Croyle, associate professor of art and design, met with Knudsen to discuss the possibility of using some of his students to help out with illustrations.

“He was interested because he thought he could use some of his students, he thought, in the biomedical illustrations program,” Knudsen said.

“I could keep it at Iowa State. They could gain experience. It was really a cooperative effort.”

Knudsen was able to get her book published after the Reiman Gardens found a donor that was willing to put up the $7,000 needed to finish the project.

The donor was Harold “Bud” Nichol, the husband of Reiman Gardens CoHort Joyce Nichol, whom the book was later dedicated to. He asked for the donation to be kept a secret from his wife until the publishing of the book.

“We kept it a secret for almost two years as a surprise for her,” said Teresa McLaughlin, director of public relations for Reiman Gardens. “[Joyce Nichol] was a preschool teacher in Ames, so it was fitting to have a children’s book dedicated to her.”

Each page of the book features one flower and verse as well as scientific information, including the flower’s common name, scientific name and basic characteristics.

All of the illustrations for the book were done by Croyle and a team of biological pre-medical illustration students.

The book is currently being sold at the Reiman Gardens and also at the University Bookstore for $9.95.

“I hope that people like it and it’s great to see all the proceeds from the book going back to the gardens,” Knudsen said.

Along with “A Child’s Garden of Flowers,” the University Bookstore carries roughly fifty different titles written by ISU alumni and faculty members.

Maria Ball, marketing assistant at the University Bookstore, said the store has an entire section dedicated to books written by ISU alumni and faculty members, including “The Hunger Bone,” by Debra Marquart, assistant professor of English, and “Discovering the Body,” by Mary Howard, a former faculty member.