AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State's Reiman Gardens has been chosen to participate in a summer exhibit called "Celebrating America's Public Gardens" at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., this summer.
The exhibit opens Saturday, May 26, and is a summer-long event celebrating the importance and diversity of public gardens across the country.
Roses are a favorite at Reiman Gardens. Courtesy photo.
Reiman Gardens' exhibit will focus partly on the legacy of Dr. Griffith Buck and his contribution to Iowa State University horticulture and to rose breeding.
Buck, for whom the Buck rose is named, worked at ISU's College of Agriculture from 1948 until 1985 and developed nearly 90 rose varieties. Buck died in 1991.
Cultivated to survive harsh Iowa winters, Buck roses are known for their hardiness. They need less care and maintenance than other cultivars. Buck achieved these traits by breeding rose plants that had survived Iowa's winters without cover or protection. He also selected roses for their color and flower shape. That makes them even more popular in the new era of sustainable agriculture.
"We are the first rose garden that's been planted using sustainable concepts and designs," said Teresa McLaughlin, director of Reiman Gardens. "The U.S. Botanic Gardens really wanted us to a part of the exhibit because we are a leader in the field."
Twenty top gardens from around the country will be represented alongside Reiman Gardens, including gardens from California, Florida and Hawaii.
The exhibit will be in the National Garden of the U.S. Botanic Center, 100 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., on the west side of the U.S. Capitol.
The United State Botanical Garden and the American Public Gardens Association is sponsoring the exhibit which runs through Oct. 8.