From the Tropical Sun Garden’s uniquely designed conservatory to the Greenhouse and Butterfly Habitat, the Quad Botanical Garden’s gorgeous gardens and grounds offer much to explore. Works of art throughout the Garden compliment the plantings and design and enhance the experience of being in a garden. Be sure to stop by the Window Box Gift Shop to browse items unique to the Quad City Botanical Garden.
Gardens
Tropical Sun Garden
Explore the Tropical Sun Garden as an escape to a peaceful sanctuary, or to gain knowledge about plants from around the world. At the core of the Tropical Sun Garden is its atrium. Within the 6,444-square-foot space, the Garden is home to hundreds of tropical plants. A 14-foot waterfall and stream pump hundreds of gallons of water through the atrium’s fish pond providing a home for the Garden’s Japanese koi.
Butterfly Pergola Garden
The Butterfly Pergola Garden on the west lawn of the Center, once home to a knot garden, was transformed into a beautiful butterfly and bee garden in 2006. Butterfly weed, butterfly bushes, bee balm and other pollinator attracting plants throughout the garden lure thousands of winged visitors every season. Relax on an inviting bench in the nearby Pergola Garden offering seating and shade for observation and reflection.
Wildflower Prairie Garden
See what the natural prairie that once covered the state of Illinois was like in the Wildflower Prairie Garden. Among the unique plants growing in the garden is the compass plant and coneflower.
Greenhouse and Butterfly Habitat
The Center’s Greenhouse and Butterfly Habitat was added to the Botanical Center in 1999. Housed within the Greenhouse and Butterfly Habitat are items rotated in and out of the Center’s main exhibit. Cuttings from the Greenhouse and Butterfly Habitat’s gardens are nurtured and later sold as younglings from the Center’s grow carts. Throughout the months of summer, hundreds of regional butterflies can be found fluttering about in a screened enclosure within.
Ornamental Goldfish Pond & Aquatic Plants
Delight in the water features throughout Quad City Botanical Center, adding interest and balance to the Center’s gardens. The Sun Garden’s koi pond and the outdoor goldfish pond mirror one another and are only divided by the glass atrium wall. Look for goldfish, frogs, toads and a pair of mallard ducks in the outdoor pond dotted with aquatic plants.
Works of Art
Works of art throughout the Center compliment the plantings and design and enhance the experience of being in a garden. Generation to Generation by Hungarian sculptor Karoly Veress is an abstract form made of bronze with a plant-like feel and sections that appear to be growing. John R. Vandewalle’s The Tower of Shambalah completes the recently redesigned planting island, drawing the eye upward and casting shadows on the manicured lawn.
Stop by the Window Box Gift Shop. Located off the lobby of the Quad City Botanical Center, the Window Box Gift Shop features unique garden gifts and handcrafted jewelry, soaps and candles as well as gardening tools, plants and logo gear. Merchandise changes with the seasons.
Travel Tip
- Don’t forget your camera. There will be exciting photo opportunities during your visit to the Quad City Botanical Center.