Executive director, Ryan Wille says one goal for the next 25 years is connecting with kids. And the center is already building new Storybook Gardens to meet that goal.
The Storybook Gardens will cater to slightly older kids than the existing Children's Garden. Each garden will be designed after a book, with a costume hut and group reading areas.
"The plants will be, if I had to describe them in one word, they'd be unique and kinda whimsical," he said. "So think things that might be shaped like a plant from a Dr. Suess story."
Another goal is to connect with home gardeners. Last week, the botanical center announced a new Trending Garden. Wille says the project aims to show gardeners ways to be creative in a fixed space on a budget.
"Plants are popular right now," he said. "Since COVID, folks got an interest in house plants and what they can do to beautify spaces that they were stuck in for a while."
Construction is set to begin in August.
The Storybook Gardens will open to the public this fall.
Around the same time, the Quad City Botanical Center will release a public survey about its plans for the future.
