Photo courtesy of Cooper Alt.

Near the conservatory is the Rose Garden started in 1948. The garden is an All-America Rose Selections garden, which is an award that was given out from 1940 until 2013.Gardeners grow different award winning roses for people to enjoy. 

Vander Veer Botanical Park just east of the St Ambrose campus and is a nice place to go to enjoy the outdoors. Established in 1885, it has become a favorite spot of many people on campus, like sophomore Joseph Foley who is waiting for it to warm up just a bit more outside saying “It’ll be too nice outside not to take a walk”

On the north side of Vander Veer, the conservatory has a long tradition of rotating gardens on display that change with the season. During spring you will find Azalea and flowering plants and summer you will find more tropical plants and foliage. Fall holds a display with fall colors, and even includes some chrysanthemums for the Chrysanthemum Festival in November. The winter feature in the conservatory is a light display with Poinsettia to celebrate the holidays.

Also nearby the conservatory is the lagoon, which is filled with fish by the Iowa Vander Veer Lagoon Department of Natural Resources. Also during the warmer parts of the year you will find ducks and geese taking over the water. 

Photo courtesy of Cooper Alt.

On the south side of Vander Veer is the fountain closer to campus. It dates back to the 1930s, it is the second fountain that was installed there. The first fountain was an iron Victorian fountain from 1900, but  was removed. From May to October the fountain will run throughout the day. With varying heights, the water will feature different lights changing the color. There are also gardens surrounding the fountain to enjoy. 

The last feature of Vander Veer that is meant to bring people together is the Enabling Garden. The Enabling Garden is a place for people to share the joy of gardening. It is accessible to everyone regardless of age or ability and is meant to appeal to all of the five senses in order to bring the most enjoyment to as many people as possible. It is meant to help people improve and maintain the physical and mental health of everyone who participates.

The park is a fantastic place for anyone to go that might need a place to relax, or maybe even want a wide open space to work out and do cardio. It is open to everyone and almost all times of the day so feel free to take advantage of the space.