White River Gardens


The White River Gardens are botanical gardens located adjacent to the Indianapolis Zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. The gardens are a part of the White River State Park.

History

White River Gardens originally cost $14 million to build. Each summer the garden hosts "Butterfly Kaleidoscope," an exhibition of live butterflies in the Hilbert Conservatory. The exhibit was canceled for two years and restarted again in 2013.

Gardens

The gardens and conservatory are located at the east of the Indianapolis Zoo and along the White River. There are over 1,000 different species of plants in the collection. It features the Hilbert Conservatory and a variety of different representational gardens including a shade garden, a water garden, and a garden specifically for weddings. One of the missions of the garden is to provide inspiration and ideas to gardeners on how to design their own gardens through design and traditional methods.

Hilbert Conservatory

The Hilbert Conservatory -- designed by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Woollen, Molzan and Partners and completed in 1999 -- is a glass-enclosed conservatory that has a ceiling and totals in size.
Annually, the Hilbert Conservatory hosts, Butterfly Kaleidoscope, an exhibit that features over 13,000 butterflies from over 40 different species from around the world.