Adjacent to the Mississippi River in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, the Quad City Botanical Center is comprised of an indoor tropical atrium, outdoor gardens including a Children’s Garden with water feature, a G-Scale garden train exhibit (seasonal), educational greenhouse, a three-season event canopy, indoor banquet facility and gift shop.
As a public garden, hundreds of plants are maintained, ranging from tropical varieties to regional Zone 5 perennials.
A garden for all seasons, the tropical atrium is splendid throughout the winter months and has been turned into a sandy beach on occasion, and the rare conifer collection is unique to the Quad Cities. In spring, flowering bulbs enliven the garden, including a stunning iris collection. Other special collections include day lilies, mums and ornamental grasses. The outdoor butterfly garden attracts pollinators by the hundreds, and is lively from early spring to late fall when the monarchs start their migration.
Credit: Overview from garden website