Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
19 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Iowa Des Moines 'Better Homes and Gardens' Test Garden

'Better Homes and Gardens' Test Garden

The magazine keeps a perfectly groomed display garden for its photo shoots.

Des Moines, Iowa

Added By
BasedGod
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
A patio photographed at the Test Garden.   Wicker Paradise/CC BY 2.0
A patio photographed at the Test Garden.   Wicker Paradise/CC BY 2.0
Screenshot from video on the 6 best hydrangeas from the BHG Test Garden   Better Homes and Gardens/CC BY 2.0
Outside the Better Homes and Gardens Headquarters, where the Test Garden is located   Map Data © 2011 Google
The gardens   MauiKat / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Ever wonder if those perfectly groomed, impeccably landscaped lawns and flower beds in gardening magazines actually exist? Well, if you see a photo of an emerald-green lawn, an eerily well-kept flower bed, or a patio that looks strangely unused in "Better Homes and Gardens," chances are it was taken at the magazine's Test Garden in Des Moines.

Better Homes and Gardens uses a private display garden on the grounds of its company headquarters in Des Moines for many of its photo shoots. The BHG Test Garden lies just outside the downtown offices of the corporate headquarters, an oasis occupying just half a block. With 22 distinct areas, the Test Garden serves not only as a colorful wonderland of flora but also as an outdoor studio for photography, a venue for corporate entertaining, and a lunch spot for employees.

Despite its urban locale, it has modeled as several unique backyards, seamlessly flowing into one another. At every turn there is a whole new vista that appears to be completely unrelated to the landscape around it. Each section of the garden could be an entirely new backyard, where the magazine can photograph its how-to sequences, document new plant performances, and suggest landscaping and patio ideas.

The Test Garden is open to the public on Friday afternoons from noon to 2 p.m., May through September. The rest of the time it is in use, magically standing in for the backyards you wish you had.  

Related Tags

Gardens Photography Secret Media Plants

Know Before You Go

Located just south west of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and the Des Moines Central Public Library just off of Locust Avenue.

This place is easily accessible on foot and public transportation.

The Test Garden is open to the public on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m., from May through September.

Call (515) 284-3994 set up a tour or to ask for more information.

Community Contributors

Added By

BasedGod

Edited By

Meg, Ike Allen, MauiKat

  • Meg
  • Ike Allen
  • MauiKat

Published

September 12, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/test-garden-secrets/visiting-the-test-garden/
  • https://www.ridedart.com/routes/system-map
  • http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/test-garden-secrets/visiting-the-test-garden/
  • http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/test-garden-secrets/visiting-the-test-garden/
  • http://www.bhg.com/gardening/design/test-garden-secrets/visiting-the-test-garden/
'Better Homes and Gardens' Test Garden
1716 Locust St
Des Moines, Iowa
United States
41.583395, -93.639244
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pappajohn Sculpture Park

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

West End Architectural Salvage

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Des Moines

Des Moines

Iowa

Places 6
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Pappajohn Sculpture Park

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

West End Architectural Salvage

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

Des Moines, Iowa

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Des Moines

Des Moines

Iowa

Places 6
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Mill Brae Garden

    Larne, Northern Ireland

    Mill Brae Memory Garden

    An uninspiring grass verge transformed into a therapeutic community garden.

  • Kemptown Secret Garden.

    Brighton, England

    Kemptown Secret Garden

    A hidden sculpture garden tucked within the middle of Brighton.

  • Dunbar’s Close.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Dunbar's Close

    A verdant 17th-century-style garden hidden along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

  • Frances Griffiths with Fairies

    Bingley, England

    Cottingley Beck

    The photographs of "fairies" that fooled much of the world (including the creator of Sherlock Homes) were taken at this English stream.

  • View from Dr Neil’s Garden over the loch.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Dr Neil's Garden

    A secret garden in a picturesque Edinburgh village has inspired artists for centuries.

  • The entryway to the rose garden.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Kelleher Rose Garden

    One of the now-less-hidden floral gems of the "Emerald Necklace."

  • The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

    Sydney, Australia

    The Lex and Ruby Graham Gardens

    This secret Australian garden was built on love after a man planted a random bulb he found in the ocean.

  • View of the center of the garden

    Chipping Campden, England

    Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden

    A small and tranquil hidden garden in commemoration of one of the great Victorian plant collectors.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.