The ISU Foundation currently is raising funds for a Reiman Gardens expansion project.

Tom Mitchell, president of the ISU Foundation, said the focus of the expansion is “teaching, research and outreach.”

“Our goal is to fully develop the gardens’ site over the next few years,” he said.

The expansion of the gardens was set up in a master plan in 1993, when the Reiman Gardens project originally began with a private donation.

Vice President for External Affairs Murray Blackwelder said if the funds become available, the money will be used to finish the garden.

However, Blackwelder said the university is having trouble finding the necessary funds.

“We do not have this gift yet, but we are working on it,” he said.

Mitchell agreed that the fund raising for the expansion is still in its preliminary stages of planning.

He said he does not know exactly how much money needs to be raised but said the project will require a significant amount.

“In order to do something that would represent this institution and its quality of research and teaching, it is going to be a large project,” Mitchell said.

Blackwelder estimated that $14 to $16 million will be needed to complete the gardens.

He said the foundation officials currently are talking to several potential donors but said they are looking specifically at one particular source.

Mitchell said he hopes the expansion of the gardens will assist in university initiatives.

“We will be able to do exhaustive research,” he said. “Hopefully, we can share the information with alumni and friends of Iowa State. They can then use the ideas generated to implement their own gardens.”

Reiman Gardens Director Mike Chaplain said he is confident that the funds will be raised for the expansion, which he believes will begin within the next three to five years.

“There’s enough plant-orientated people, farmers and such, that they should be able to support such a thing,” he said. “People are always looking for a place to enjoy plants.”

Chaplain said an expansion would be beneficial for several reasons, including that it would allow for Reiman Gardens to hire more employees.

Mitchell also said he hopes the gardens will continue to be an educational tool for students.

“Students will have the opportunity to learn how plants are grown in different conditions,” he said.

The Reiman Gardens were constructed in 1995 through a $1.3 million donation from Roy and Bobbi Reiman.

The gardens cover 14 acres south of Jack Trice Stadium.