Founder's Garden at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
The new Founders Garden is the first project to be implemented from Didier Design Studio’s broader master plan reflecting on the broader contextual landscapes of Iowa, tracing the formation and distribution of those landscapes inscribed through geologic history. The Founder’s Garden emulates the sand prairies of the Loess Hills deposited by wind with gentle, sweeping landforms hosting a unique plant collection curated by horticulturist Ryan Drake. “Threshold”, a sculpture commissioned from internationally recognized artist Juan Jose Novella, animates the heart of the garden.
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The Founders Garden is situated at the end of a long axis, inviting visitors from a more private, reflective garden to an expansive space with a sense of connection to the sky, the river, and the city beyond. The garden’s topography highlights two distinct conditions and plant collections to intentionally present a contrast between the elevated dry sand prairie and the depressed rain garden and bioswale. Working with staff at the GDMBG, we designed a special sand soil profile for the central garden beds to host a diverse collection of native plants collected locally and grown on specifically to produce seed for this garden.
