The Idaho Botanical Garden (IBG) is a nonprofit botanical garden located on at 2355 North Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, Idaho, United States. Until 1973 the site served as the Old Idaho State Penitentiary's farm and nursery. After the penitentiary was closed, the land lay dormant for more than a decade, and in 1984 the gardens were first created. The facility is operated by a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. To help fund the garden, an admission fee is charged for entry. Gardens English Garden - This garden, which opened in 1998, was designed by world-renowned English landscape architect John Brookes and was made possible by Muriel and Diana Kirk. It contains plants typical to English gardens, but plants that are specifically selected to perform in the local climate. More than 1,300 perennials have been planted in this garden. A key focal point of the Muriel and Diana Kirk English Garden is the charming Summer House, constructed of Tablerock sandstone. The black slate roof originally graced the Veterans Home, and the ceiling is wood from the floor of Boise’s former J.C. Penneys store. The crowning achievement is the wrought iron and copper weathervane, crafted by Boise’s own master blacksmith Nahum Hersom. Another focal point is the Princess Diana Fountain, dedicated in 1998 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. Herb Garden - Flavorful and fragrant, the Herb Garden contains plants rich in legend and lore as well as aroma. These plants are herbs used for medicines, cosmetics, decoration, and cooking. This garden is one of the older gardens at IBG, established in the early 1990s. The stonework came from Boise’s Eastman Building which burned down in the 1986 downtown fire. Idaho Native Plant Garden (completed 1994) - representative plants from Idaho's desert and woodland environments, including sagebrush, syringa, native dogwood, and Idaho fescue. Meditation Garden - mature trees planted in the 1930s and 1940s by minimum security prisoners at the old Penitentiary. The rock wall along the back border of this garden contains sandstone quarried from Table Rock by the inmates. Visit the Koi pond to see an array of Koi donated by Richins family. The Richins donated their beautiful collection of Koi fish to the garden along with the funds to build a new state of the art Koi pond. Rose Garden - Heirloom and other old-style roses. Planted among the roses and along this garden’s borders are a host of