Right next door to the Old Idaho Penitentiary is the Idaho Botanical Garden. They’re almost one complex – the botanical gardens are on the old penitentiary grounds. There is more penitentiary history to be found in the gardens, so I recommend seeing them together. (They offer a combo ticket, see at bottom.)
I wasn’t very impressed when I first entered the gardens. There’s no big wow moment at the entrance. But walk up the hill and you are rewarded with garden upon garden, wonder upon wonder, along paths that invite you to wander back and forth in discovery. The woman at the entrance gave me a map and advised me to walk up the right side and come down the left, which works well, so I’ll talk about it in that order below.
Idaho Botanical Garden
As I mentioned, walking in the front isn’t super impressive. There is a pretty, whimsical gate and some plants at the entrance from the parking lot, but beyond that is just an open field. Turns out, this is Outlaw Field, where prisoners from the penitentiary next door play local baseball and football teams. You can find more about that on signs along the path.
From the entrance, walk up a gentle incline, past a metal art tree and a large stage set up as a concert venue. There are some pretty flower beds along the way, but nothing major. Once you get to the Garden Cottage on the right and the walled English Garden to your left, that’s when the Idaho Botanical Garden really gets going.
Main Square/Garden Cottage
As I criss-crossed to the various gardens, I came to think of the plaza around the Garden Cottage as “Main Square.” The restrooms are here, as well as a separate area to get water. These are oversized to accommodate the crowds for concerts in Outlaw Field.
By contrast, the Garden Cottage is quite small. It’s the Botanical Garden’s gift shop and any snacks are sold here. It’s definitely not a snack stand, however. All food items are pre-packaged gift items, things you can buy to take home with you. Even the ice cream is sold in little pre-packaged popsicles, though it is from a local vendor. I was here long enough to get properly hungry and made a heavy snack out of some overpriced items. But don’t expect a real meal unless you bring it yourself. (After my mid-day snack, I left to eat a late lunch, then returned to tour the Old Idaho Penitentiary. On regular operating days, neither has any “real” food available. Though on event days they might have food trucks.) Ironically, there is a semi-shaded area with tables and chairs across from the Garden Cottage.
Children’s Adventure Garden
Ignoring the English Garden across the main square for now, let’s head up the widest path toward the big metal arch up the hill. Beyond this arch is the Children’s Adventure Garden. An open grassy oval features stumps and nests and caves, with stone paths running through and a leafy tunnel to explore.
Along an elevated path to the left, you find a treehouse overlooking a koi pond with lots of colorful fish.
Idaho Native Plants & the Dry Garden
Follow a winding path near the treehouse to see examples of native Idaho plantings. The collection of grasses and flowers showcases the diversity of a high desert climate.
Farther up the hill is a flat area that used to hold the penitentiary’s chicken houses. Now, it serves as a Dry Garden – plants that thrive using far less water. As a higher open spot, some nice dynamic sculptures catch the wind here.
Vegetable Garden & Cemetary
To the right of the Dry Garden is the Vegetable Garden. Rows of produce are labeled and in various states of growth. During my May visit, there didn’t seem to be too much here. But there’s a fenced kitchen garden and an overlook with a child-friendly pencil bench.
To find the Old Idaho Penitentiary Cemetary, you have to walk down the gravel road behind the Vegetable Garden. There’s a fenced-off area and if you climb up into it, you can see some interesting old headstones. Some dated quite old.
The Labyrinth
Heading back towards the Dry Garden, and sitting on a slight rise above it, is the Labyrinth. This is one of those meditative walking labyrinths, made with gravel and a low brick outline. (Not like a Shining-style hedge maze.)
The Labyrinth lies underneath a lovely grove of trees. There are benches behind it, and I found it a wonderful place to sit and contemplate for a while in the cooler shade.
Lewis & Clark Garden Path
From the Labyrinth, you can take a wide path up behind the gardens itself. Or you can explore my favorite part of the Idaho Botanical Garden, the Lewis & Clark Native Plant Garden. This winding path up the hill can be hard to find. Look for the grass-roofed pavilion with informational signs inside. The entrance to the path is behind the pavilion.
Walking up the path, you come across all the species of plants that Lewis and Clark collected on their western expedition. You pass through four zones: mountain, prairie, canyon, and wetland. The zig-zagging path winds all the way up to the highest point in the gardens, marked with a tall rock. From here, you can see over into the walled penitentiary and even beyond to downtown Boise.
Firewise (and Waterwise) Garden
From the top of the Lewis & Clark path, you can walk the broad path behind the gardens back down to the Labyrinth. Or you can walk a narrow trail down the “back” side of the hill to the Firewise Garden. (Find the top of the trail by walking behind a large Sacagawea statue.)
Down in the Firewise Garden, you learn how to mitigate damage to your home during wildfires. They use the concept of zones moving away from the buildings, shrubs that slow down fires, and keeping open areas right next to your house.
Crossing back over a stream towards the head of the Lewis & Clark path is a pretty Waterwise Garden. A bridge crossing the stream makes space for plants that thrive in wet conditions. This part is easy to miss if you go straight from the Firewise Garden to the Meditation Garden, so make sure to backtrack a little.
Meditation Garden & Koi Pond
Below the Firewise and the Lewis & Clark area is a wooded Meditation Garden. In here, there’s a Japanese pavilion, benches, and art scattered throughout. A Koi Pond is in one corner, stocked with plenty of colorful fish. The fish are clearly used to being fed well, if you approach the pool, they’ll come to see if you have anything for them!
Rose Garden
Heading back towards the front of the Idaho Botanical Gardens, you come into the terraced area of the Rose Garden. A lower lawn features overabundant rose bushes, while an upper path has some trailing varieties.
The whole area along here has straight paths between the Old Idaho Penitentiary walls to the main square and the Children’s Garden arch. There are garden swings and mature trees all along. On the penitentiary side, this is where gate 2 of the penitentiary lets out, and you can see all along the outside of the walls here.
English Garden
Now we’re all the way back to the pretty, walled English Garden. There’s a beautiful trellis entrance and a murmuring fountain inside. Paths go along the edge of a formal lawn featuring beautiful perennials. European elements like urns and gates make you feel like you’re not in Idaho at all.
This section was closed for a memorial service when I visited, though it had opened back up by the time I was leaving. Just to let you know events take place in here sometimes.
Hours & Admission
In the warmer months, the Idaho Botanical Garden is open daily from 9-5 and closed on Tuesdays. The last entry is at 4 pm. Here during the winter, they’re open Wed-Sun evenings, 6-9 pm, Nov. 23 thru Dec. 31 for Winter Garden aGlow, their holiday event. I imagine they’re closed through the coldest months and reopen in the spring. It seems they at least open in late April for a Fairy & Gnome House event. They have interesting events all year – if you’re local, a membership might be a great idea.
Typical garden admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65+, and $8 for youth 4-12. You can save $5 with a combo ticket for the Botanical Garden and the Old Idaho Penitentiary next door, for $15 total. Admission during Winter Garden aGlow is $18 for non-members.
Be First to Comment