The Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden® is the best place to see the creativity and skill of our editors in real life. In half an acre of space in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, the garden holds more than 2,500 shrubs, trees, perennials, vines, and annuals within 22 distinct areas, including a shade garden, a rose garden, a shrub collection, and sunny borders, to name a few.
Visiting the Test Garden
You can visit the Test Garden and take a stroll around when it's open to the public. Hours are Fridays from noon to 2 p.m., from May through September each year. One exception for 2024 is Friday July 5, when the Test Garden as well as Dotdash Meredith will be closed for a company holiday.
Use this handy map, below, for a self-guided tour. (Groups of 10 or more may schedule guided tours during the open hours by appointment. Call 515-284-3994 to make a reservation.)
From the main entrance of the BHG Test Garden, you can walk in either direction on the circular path that leads all around the space. However, if you head to your left, you can follow the order of each garden space on the map above. Simply match the numbers on the map to the numbers listed below to discover all of the distinct areas of the Test Garden's beautiful landscape.
- The courtyard
- The rose garden
- The southwest terrace garden
- The shade garden
- The fragrant path
- The conifer collection
- The clay garden
- The garden room
- The meadow
- The cutting garden
- The mixed perennial garden
- The shrub walk
- The mixed border
- The tool shed and storage area
- The mixed conifer and shrub garden
- The hillside garden
- The vegetable and herb garden
- The arbor and daylily garden
- The pond and cascade
- The southeast terrace garden
- The deck
- The rock garden
Each garden display area is designed to show plants and ideas that can add beauty to many yards in different climates and growing conditions. The shrub walk, for example, displays large and small shrubs with colorful foliage, fragrance, and flowers that add just the right touch to a front or backyard. The rose garden shows varieties that thrive and bloom with no use of sprays. The mixed perennial garden combines early and late bloomers, providing color from spring through fall.