Iowa State’s Reiman Gardens is gearing up for summer with a host of tours, planned activities and structural developments in the works.

Located just south of Jack Trice Stadium, Reiman Gardens is currently four-and-a-half to five acres, but it has the potential to grow to as large as 14 acres. Linda Naeve, ISU extension program specialist, said development will be gradual. “We plan on developing it a little bit at a time,” she said.

Construction first began on the gardens in August 1994, and completion was celebrated on September 16, 1995, with a dedication ceremony to Roy and Bobbi Reiman, financial supporters of the gardens. Roy was a 1957 graduate of the agriculture journalism program at Iowa State.

Development is a primary function at Reiman Gardens this summer. Right now, work is being done on two new gardens — an international vegetable garden and the Three Sisters garden.

The international vegetable garden will contain vegetables native to the Orient, France, Italy and Mexico.

The Three Sisters garden stems from Native American folklore. It has Indian corn in the center, Kentucky Blue pole beans off to the side and Jack O’Lantern pumpkins circling the outside as ground cover.

“Native Americans say these three crops sustain humanity,” Naeve said.

Another new development is the addition of a rock garden just north of the Horticulture Learning Center.

The garden is being designed by Bill Boon, professor of landscape architecture at Iowa State, and probably will not be started until fall. Immense variety can be discovered at the gardens, since more than 18,000 annual bedding plants were planted by volunteers, students and staff this year.

Another sight to catch is the collection of Buck roses. Griffith Buck, retired ISU horticulture professor, bred 85 different types of hardy roses. Of those 85 types, Reiman Gardens has close to 30.

In addition to the construction, there are also many activities at Reiman Gardens this summer. Every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. is the Brown Bag Lunch Seminar. This activity includes a sack lunch, provided by each participant, and speeches on various horticulture topics.

An open house will be held at the gardens on July 12. The main building will be open from 8-10 a.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be given.

On June 16, the Gardening Camp for children begins. The camp runs through July but has already filled its enrollment.

Visitors to the gardens can also take advantage of the guided tours that are offered. The tours need to be scheduled three weeks in advance and are given by a group of volunteers called CoHorts.

Tours are usually given during business hours—dusk until dawn daily—but other arrangements can be made. There is no admission charge.