Idea Garden

The Idea Garden, part of the University of Illinois Arboretum in Urbana, is 18,000 square feet of planted space. Champaign County Master Gardener volunteers work more than 6,000 hours each year in the garden to provide a source of inspiration, relaxation, and continuing education for our community and its visitors. Since 1997, the Idea Garden has been maintained as an educational tool to demonstrate garden design and maintenance ideas, to encourage novice and experienced gardeners to experiment with new plants and techniques, and as a site for public workshops.

Guided public tours of the garden are offered periodically.  The tours will be lead by experienced Master Gardeners who will provide information on the garden, explain some of the design ideas and highlight interesting plants. They will also answer questions about the garden and the plants. There is no fee or registration required. Those who wish to participate should meet at the west entrance to the garden, near the parking lot. The tour will be cancelled in case of rain.