
On a recent trip to Iowa we were thrilled to discover a new treasure, (new to us, anyway) The Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. What a beautiful place this is! Opening in 1980 the gardens have continued to flourish and now feature such delightful areas as the hosta, English, Japanese, herb and rose gardens to mention but a few.


They have a wonderful collection of daylilies as well as many other perennials and a colorful display greeted us at every turn.

I was especially drawn to the English garden, of course, and having arrived at the Gardens early in the morning, we found this secluded spot very peaceful.

There are more than 1200 hostas thriving in the shady areas of the garden and because slugs like hostas and wrens like slugs there are lots of little wren houses scattered about. These tiny birds seem to have done an excellent job of protecting the plants.

There are several pieces of artwork in the Gardens, sculptures ranging from whimsical to traditional can be found under the trees and among the flower beds.


Among the flowers blooming in the Gardens are many gorgeous varieties of roses and some splendid dahlias. And wild flowers have their own special area too.

And everywhere you look you’ll these little chipmunks dashing about.

Down by the lake in the Japanese garden we could hear frogs calling to one another and I was rewarded with an excellent opportunity for some quality one-on-one time.

If you are anywhere near the Dubuque area, and even if you’re not, I can highly recommend a visit to the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. They are an absolute delight and what’s more there is no charge for entry which in this day and age is amazing!