Where Des Moines' secrets bloom

Behind the calm that surrounds Greenwood-Ashworth Park lie decades of history, anecdotes, and small details that have made it one of the most special —and least known— places in Iowa.

From former farmland to a dream garden

In the 1920s, the city of Des Moines acquired these lands as part of a plan to expand its green spaces. What we know today as Greenwood Park was once a wild forest that served as a passageway for traders and Native Americans. It was in 1930, with the help of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), that the Rose Garden was created as part of a national program to beautify cities and generate employment during the Great Depression.

The idea was simple yet poetic: to create a space where any citizen, rich or poor, could walk among beautiful flowers, even if the world around them was in crisis.

A garden that blooms without asking for anything in return

Since then, the garden has been cared for almost like a temple. No admission fees, no ticket booths, no large tourist signs. Just flowers, stone paths, wrought-iron benches, and pergolas covered in climbing plants. Most curious of all is that there is no artificial irrigation: the roses live only on rainwater. That makes it one of the few public rose gardens in the country with this philosophy.

Today it is home to more than 1,500 rose bushes, with more than 100 different varieties, including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, and old species that are hardly seen anymore in other parks. Their fragrance is a symphony floating in the air during spring and summer.

A living ecosystem in the heart of Des Moines

But Greenwood-Ashworth is not just flowers. The park acts as a natural refuge within the city. Century-old oaks, maples, wild cherry trees, and poplars shade paths that cross gentle hills. In the wooded area, it is common to see squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and even deer if you visit early in the morning.

The pond attracts blue herons, ducks, geese, and turtles basking in the sun along the edges. In spring, the gardens vibrate with the buzz of bees and monarch butterflies, which use the park as a stopover during their migration. It is a perfect place for birdwatching without leaving the city.

Secrets among the paths

Some say that if you walk the paths at sunset, you can hear music: not because there are concerts, but because the trees, the water, and the rustling leaves create a kind of natural harmony. Locals call it “the symphony of silence.”

Near the pond, there is a sculpture hidden among the bushes, with no name or visible author. According to an urban legend, it was placed there by an anonymous sculptor in the 1970s who swore eternal love to their partner there. Some believe the figure changes slightly over time, as if it ages along with those who visit it.

Inspiration for artists and secret weddings

Many local writers, poets, and painters have used this park as a creative refuge. It is said that the novel “The Summer Letters” (1974) by Iowan author Clara H. Darnell is inspired by real walks in Greenwood Park, where the protagonists fall in love among the roses. Today it remains a highly sought-after place for intimate weddings without luxury, but with real magic.