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Annual Garden
The Griggs/Burke Annual Garden has a formal garden layout and is planted in a different color scheme each year. Centered on a beautiful English fountain, "Merboys' the garden steps down the hill along Three-Mile Drive between the Slade Perennial Garden and the Ankeny Lang Rose Garden. In the spring the gardeners plant 25,000-30,000 annuals in the garden.
Dahlia Trial Garden
Each year the Dahlia Society of Minnesota plants a new selection of hybrid dahlias (Dahlia var.) which are then monitored by the Society for growth, habit, disease, flower quality and other guidelines and makes recommendations to The American Dahlia Society. Therefore you will only find numbers and letters on the labels - not names. This garden is most beautiful in August and September.
Daylily and Chrysanthemum Walk
The Burdick-Craddick-Lott Walk displays 81 varieties of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.) of which 26 are introductions by the Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota. Look for the maroon labels to find the U of M introductions. Chrysanthemums or ‘mums' are great garden perennials as they bloom late in the season when few other perennials are in bloom and they come in a wide range of colors and flower forms. The U of M introductions all bloom early enough to avoid frost damage.
The daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) bloom from early June to early August and are another perennial garden staple. They have a wide range of colors in yellow, red, and orange tones and have a long bloom period due to many buds on each stem. We have 206 cultivars of daylilies.
Dwarf Conifer Collection and Waterfall Garden
Dwarf conifers are some of the most exotic woody plants for the Upper Midwest garden. The term dwarf is a loose term and covers woody plants from creeping juniper, only a few inches high, to dwarf spruce and pine which could be up to 15' or more tall. Obviously you need to select your ‘dwarf' carefully! Some of the conifers have various variegations in foliage and a variety of colors of cones and leaves. They can add fantastic accents to a small yard garden or a large scale rock garden. We have 7 genera, 21 species and a total of 152 dwarf conifer specimens in this garden.
The waterfall headwaters has a variety of plantings surrounding it including yucca's (Yucca sp.) and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia sp.). The headwaters, pool and granite bridge allows visitors to literally "walk over water."
Entrance Garden
Richard and Judith Spiegel Entrance Garden: The Spiegel Garden, alight with alliums, tulips, narcissus and hyacinths, will surely brighten your day! Containers on the front terrace will overflow with Viola cornuta (johnny-jump-up or viola) planted with many different companions including snapdragons, nemesias, and forced bulbs. Look for a bed of rainbow-mixed tulips bordered with Scilla campanulata 'Excelsior' as you enter the building.
Fern Walk
The Charles & Dorothy Howard Fern Walk goes from the Woodland Azalea Garden to the pond in the woods. It holds a collection of hardy ferns and woodland wildflowers with a raised bed of wild ginger holding an untitled sculpture by Catherine Nash. This lovely woodland walk has 20 varieties of ferns and 9 varieties of wildflowers.
Hedge Collection
Though not always in style, hedges, both sheared and unsheared, are an extremely useful way to use plants. Though our hedges are all woody plants (trees and shrubs) hedges they can be made of herbaceous plants as well (annual and perennial). Hedges can block unsightly views, direct views, define exterior spaces, and can even be used to create a maze!
Though some of our hedges are made from flowering shrubs, unless the plant blooms on old wood you will invariably prune off the flower buds. An easier way to create a hedge is to find a shrub that grows to the height you need, plant it close together and watch the hedge materialize after a few years with next to no pruning (an informal hedge). We have 31 genera, 57 species and 44 cultivars in this collection.
Herb Gardens
Kitchen Herb Garden- Situated just outside the Slade Perennial Garden and the kitchen herb garden has a large collection of 23 genera and 34 species of perennial herbs. There are also approximately 700 annual herb plants put in the ground each year. This garden is probably the most popular of the 6 herb gardens at the Arboretum as visitors are always interested in new seasonings for their food. The Minnesota Herb Society works with Arboretum gardeners and contributes time, money and plants to make this garden a real treat.
Knot Garden- Given by the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club and the Knot Garden represents a period of European history when wealthy barons had the time to make their herb plantings intriguing. We would venture to guess that like the royalty they competed for the most interesting, beautiful, unusual! This pattern garden, best viewed from the Kitchen Herb Garden or the Wedding Tower, is comprised of Korean boxwood, Japanese barberry, lavendar cotton and germander.
The Cloistered Gardens, Fragrant Herb Garden, Dyers Garden- This unusual set of three herb gardens spills down over the hillside from the Slade Perennial Garden to the walkway leading to the Ordway Shelter. The garden starts with the Cloister Garden, reminiscent of a medieval monastic garden containing herbs used as medicinal cures and salves. The arbor has American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) and hops (Humulus lupulus) growing over it. There are 59 different genera and 69 species of plants in this garden.
The next garden down the hill, the Fragrant Herb Garden, is filled with fragrant herbs and flowers and it’s a delightful experience to walk slowly through the garden. There are 72 genera and 95 species in this garden ranging from moss roses (Rosa rugosa) to Gold Band Lily (Lilium auratum).
The lowest level of this series of herb gardens, the Dyers Garden, is along the walkway to the Ordway Shelter. It contains shrubs, perennials and annuals representing a small selection of plants used for dyes for clothes, making utensils, and personal adornment items. Plants range from Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) to Yucca (Yucca filimentosa) with 34 species and 30 genera represented in the garden.
The sixth herb garden is in the de Vos Home Demonstration Gardens. Its description is found there.
Home Demonstration Gardens
This wonderful collection of demonstration gardens was the brain child of the Arboretum’s second director, Dr. Francis de Vos and is named in his honor. They are clustered together for ease of viewing and comparison and encompass backyards, herb, patio, vegetable, cutting, rock, and seasonal gardens as well as a weed exhibit.
Naturalistic Garden- The Ludwick Naturalistic Garden is an informal backyard garden with small stone patio and bench, a wide variety of native and a few non-native perennials, shrubs and trees. At the upper end is a mother and child sculpture by Michael Price. The garden is framed by white fir (Abies concolor) and white pine (Pinus strobus) and includes some unusual plants such as sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) and bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia). This garden contains some 40 genera with 9 species of trees, 9 species of shrubs and 45 species of perennials.
The Fruit and Vegetable Garden- Many common and often many unusual vegetables easily grown in the Minnesota garden are displayed in this garden. A water trough feature, espalier apples, a small sculpture Looking for Rain by Miriam Bennett and The Stephen F. Keating Home Greenhouse (a backyard greenhouse) are all part of this garden. Fruit trees, shrubs and perennials, strawberries (Fragaria) are located outside the fence near the compost bins. In all we have 32 varieties of fruit trees and shrubs, and 23 perennials. Each year a new thematic vegetable design is on display.
Garden for Outdoor Living- The Edmundson Garden for Outdoor Living is a wonderful small backyard garden with patio, table and chairs, lawn, a perennial/annual garden and flowering shrubs and trees. It is amazing what can be accomplished in a small space in a semi formal garden. There are 7 species of trees, 19 types of shrubs, 57 different perennials and numerous annuals in the garden.
Herb Garden- The Gronseth Herb Garden contains a knot in the center with four different plant species surrounded by a walk and plantings of all types of herbs around the gardens edge. A centerpiece of this garden is a fan-shaped Meteor Sour Cherry espalier flanked on either side by two Zestar apple trees also espaliered against the wall in a serpentine pattern. It is a beautiful viewing garden but quite practical given the variety of herbs.
Garden for Small Spaces- The Bachman Garden for Small Spaces represents a small urban space, perhaps a patio area that contains small trees, flowering shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs. There are 41 different kinds of plants in this garden.
Cutting Garden- The Cross Cutting Garden gives the homeowner a great idea of what perennials and annual plantings they might use for flower arranging. There are 29 different perennials and annuals represented in the garden.
The Patio and Container Garden- Found at one of the wooden allee with hanging pots, patio containers and ends with massive stone planters. The pots all contain annual and perennial plantings which change yearly and the planters have dwarf trees, shrubs and perennials. Around 20 different kinds of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals are displayed in different types of containers.
Rock Garden- At the near end of the de Vos Gardens (near the Visitor Center), the Rock Garden displays a wide variety of alpine plants that are hardy in Minnesota. The Minnesota Rock Garden Society helps to support this garden through maintenance and donations of plant material. There are 282 different species of rock garden plants represented here.
Seasonal Garden- The Downing Seasonal Garden, along the walk at the inner edge of the de Vos Gardens displays the All American Selections of annual plant winners for the previous year. It provides a great display for these new introductions which are chosen based on data from trail gardens all over North America. There are typically 5-7 new varieties chosen each year.
Weed Exhibit- The Behrens Weed Exhibit was added in 2005 with the help of Dr. Richard Behrens, a weed specialist at the University of Minnesota’s Agronomy Department. It has proven to be one of the most popular demonstration gardens. It is not unusual to hear “oh, so that’s what that weed is!” or “so that’s Creeping Charlie, I have it everywhere”. The “garden” is a series of “pots” (PVC pipes) with a different weed growing in each. There are 36 different weeds represented. (You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to keep the weeds looking good!).
Hosta Glade
The MacMillan Hosta Glade is one of the finest public displays of hosta in the upper Midwest. There are over 300 varieties of hosta displayed. It includes sections which have hosta with blue colored leaves, fragrant flowers and miniatures and species, along with beds of classic hosta and a “landscape bed” of hosta mixed with other perennials. In 1980 the American Hosta Society designated the Hosta Glade as its first national display garden. It is also one of the coolest places at the Arboretum on a hot summer day!
Iris Garden
The Iris Garden holds a large number of iris cultivars 514 from 6 species. The iris bloom primarily in May and June with the most common being the tall bearded iris (Iris germanica) and Siberian iris (Iris siberica). The bearded iris come in all colors except a true red or orange and they range from dwarfs only a few inches high to those with stalks up to 3 feet. The non-bearded iris (Siberian and Japanese) have color ranges from white and light yellows to blues, purples and some reddish tones. The Siberian iris give a nice show in the garden throughout the season as the foliage stands up throughout the summer. The Japanese iris (Iris japonica) have large flat flowers in a range of colors but mostly white, blue and purple. They can be quite spectacular in bloom. We have 516 specimens in the collection.
Japanese Garden
The Japanese Garden “Seisui Tei” or Garden of Pure Water reflects a style of Japanese Garden from the Edo Period (1603-1869). Designed by landscape architect Koichi Kawana in 1985, it is maintained under the direction of master designer, Dr. David Slawson. The garden contains some traditional design elements from the Edo Period such as granite snow lanterns, a garden house, water basin and entry gates. Seisui Tei contains 20 different kinds of trees, 24 types of shrubs and 3 different ground covers.
Lilac Collection and Blackman Garden
The Hueg Lilac (Syringa sp.) Collection is the Arboretum's oldest collection. It was designed by Lee Snyder, Leon Snyder's son, and planted almost before the land was purchased. The collection contains several different types of lilacs and their cultivars, including common, French hybrids, Chinese, Preston, Peking, and Japanese. There are 26 species, 123 cultivars and a total of 179 specimens.
At the top of the hill is the Anne Blackman Garden and lilac information kiosk. The kiosk gives information on lilac types and cultivation.
Lilacs do well in Minnesota but many get mildew by summer's end and can be unsightly. They can always be justified, however, by their fragrant and beautifully spectacular blooms in May and June.
Lily and Dahlia Collection
The lilies (Lillium sp.) and the dahlias (Dahlia sp.) are located on the Lindquist Walk above the main waterfall headwaters. The real lilies are distinct from daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.). They generally bloom in June but the season can be extended forward and back depending on the species of some of the hundreds of cultivars. The plant size can range from 4-5 feet tall to under 1 foot and colors range from white to pink, yellow, orange, red and shades in between. There are a total of 102 varieties of lilies in the garden.
The Dahlia Collection, just up the hill from the lilies, contains hybrids of a large genus, none of which are hardy in Minnesota. The wild species are generally rangy, large plants with only a few species having significant flowers. The hybrids, which we change yearly, must be dug in the fall and the tubers stored in a cool, dry location over the winter. The Arboretum generally buys new tubers each year to halt any spread of disease and to insure good bloom in August and September. We generally have a total of around 50 varieties of dahlias in the garden.
Maze Garden
One of the Arboretum’s newest gardens is the Maze. This collection of over 1600 shrub specimens, contains 11 genera and 14 species and cultivars and is nestled into the pine collection across from the lindens. It is a gardenesque planting arranged to create a fun place in which one gets lost and tries to find ones way out. Kids of all ages enjoy this fun experience.
Ornamental Grass Collection
The ornamental grasses are a collection of 8 beds of grasses for Minnesota gardens. The collection emanated from the doctoral work of Prof. Mary Meyer and renamed to become the Arboretum’s ornamental grass collection. The main genera are Miscanthus, Molinia and Panicum. They are best viewed in late summer and early fall when most of the grasses bloom. They range in size from 5-6 inches (Festuca glauca) to 15 feet (Miscanthus x giganteus), and colors of blue, yellow, striped and green with a wide variety of textures.
Peony Walk
Peony (Paeonia sp.) are one of the best perennial garden staples for the Midwest garden. They are practically indestructible and grow well in our heavy, alkaline soils. They do get a couple of diseases, botrytis is the most damaging and can kill your plant. We have 3 species of peony, 191 cultivars and a total of 240 specimens in the Lang Peony Walk
Perennial Garden
The Elizabeth Carr Slade Perennial Garden is a delightful garden in a formal parterre. The central pool and fountain is surrounded by plantings of blue and gray foliage and flower to enhance the blueness of the water. This is then surrounded by four quadrants of grass with walks dividing the grass from the oval shaped perennial border. It gives the user many ideas about plant combinations as well as how well the plants grow in Minnesota. There are 137 genera, 324 species and cultivars in this garden.
Rain Gardens
Don’t all gardens collect rain? Of course, but these particular gardens collect parking lot runoff and allow it to settle into the planted swales. It’s a great way to remove our rainwater from hard surfaces instead of allowing it into the storm sewer and flooding and polluting our streams and wetlands. The parking lots have no curbs so all water runs to the swale. The plants are mostly native and must be able to withstand drought since they are planted in 6 inches of sandy loam over 2 feet of sand! Further, they must also be able to withstand short term flooding during heavy storms.
Rose Gardens
Palma J. Wilson Rose Garden and Nelson Shrub Rose Garden display 400 varieties of hybrid garden roses and hardy shrub roses, and are enhanced by fountains, trellises and a gazebo.
Sensory Garden
The Clotilde Irvine Sensory Garden is a model display of accessible containers and planting designs suitable for a variety of gardening styles and abilities, this garden engages the senses and refreshes the spirit.
Shade Tree Exhibit
The Pillsbury Shade Tree Exhibit was given by Mrs. Eleanor (Jutie) Pillsbury to express her love of trees and the commitment was made on her 100th birthday! The setting is in the old Southern Tree Collection site, so in addition to the exhibit trees there are Anise Magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia), Sourgum (Nyssa sylvatica) and Yellowood (Cladrastus lutea) among others.
The exhibit is designed to give the user the questions they need to ask before planting a tree in their yard or along their street. There are 12 exhibits:
- Shade Quality- Sit in a chair under light shade or under a dark shade tree to decide what you like.
Growth. Note the “Birthday Pole” which marks the growth over 5-year increments of fast and slow growing trees. (Generally slower growing trees such as oaks and sugar maples produce longer lived and sturdier trees).
- Sensory Qualities- The rustle of the aspen leaves, the flowers of the catalpa, etc.
- Shape- All are best, rounded, conical, spreading, upright. It just depends on what you need.
- Shade and Temperature- The two playhouses, one in the shade and one in sun almost always demonstrate a 10o F difference in temperature.
- Alerts to Disease Damage- Some trees are more disease resistant, others need to be doctored, and then again one needs to give care not to damage your trees.
- Method of Planting. From bare root to balled and burlapped, containerized, and tree spade, there is little difference over time. A small bare root tree will catch up to a large tree-spaded tree as it revives from shock.
- Messiness- All trees “shed” and are messy to some degree but some are “messier” than others. Even humans “shed”.
- Where to Plant- The best place to plant for summer shade and winter warmth is west and southwest of your home.
- Color- What is the summer color – dark green, bluish green, etc. What of the fall color of leaves, winter bark texture and color and spring budbreak color. Also, consider blooms – even a maple can be quite stunning in bloom.
- Tree Identification- Test your knowledge of trees by looking at leaves.
- What Happened Here- In 2001 A severe lightening strike hit the old red oak (Quercus rubra) that housed the tree house. Since that tree was destroyed a circle of young red oaks was planted around the tree house. In 30 years or so the tree house will again be “in the trees”.
In all the exhibit contains 40 different species or cultivars of trees. It also has a delightful tree house around the trunk of an old red oak (Quercus rubra) which was struck by lightening on July 23rd 2001 and the trunk is all that remains. A new circle of red oak will one day enclose the space around the tree house and it will be well hidden in the tree branches.
Terrace Garden
The Sarah Stevens MacMillan Terrace Garden is the entry garden to the many of the Arboretum’s gardens just off the Morgan Terrace outside the Snyder Building. This garden tries to create the best perennial garden that one could accomplish in Minnesota. A limited color palette of white, pink, blue, purple, and some yellow presents a challenge in late summer and early fall but as one will see, there are still flowers at this time of year. The garden is set off by a circle of green grass which is interplanted with crocus and Siberian squill for early spring bloom. Roses and other flowers are planted in the stepped wall surrounding the garden. There are 115 different kinds of perennials and shrubs in the garden.
Woodland-Azalea Garden
At the west end of the de Vos Home Demonstration gardens is the Woodland Azalea Garden and created waterfall and pond. This lovely site holds examples of many of the University Horticultural Research Center’s Northern Lights series of Azaleas. Along with the azaleas are examples of our native winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and perennials, including butterbur (Petasites) which has about the largest leaves of any garden perennial. It is a delightful refuge for those inclined to sit and rest a bit.
Visitor Center
Dahlberg Welcoming Terrace
The Betty Jayne and Kenneth Dahlberg Welcoming Terrace is the first entry to the Arboretum’s gardens and collections upon leaving the McQuinn Great Hall of the Oswald Visitor Center. Its unique combination of plants whose leaf color is either reddish/maroon green, chartreuse green or blue green creates a stunning effect. It is the place where families meet, garden tours start and some events are held. No other garden at the Arboretum has this color scheme.
Keating Terrace
The Stephen F. Keating Terrace is directly in front of the Oswald Visitor Center and is a place of respite for conference or meeting attendees as well as a place to sit, read a book or wait for your friends to arrive. A compacted, crushed trap-rock terrace planted with ginkgo trees (Ginkgo biloba) will provide future shade. Pots of annuals provide color among the trees and benches. The entrance garden contains selected perennials that display hardy plants used in unusual groupings. Don’t miss the daphne in bloom (Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’).
Newton Dining Terrace- This lovely garden setting provides approximately 160 of seats on two levels in which to enjoy your morning coffee, lunch or snack at any time. It is set into the hillside and shaded in the afternoon by large trees on the hillside. Honeylocust will provide future shade and surrounding perennials add seasonal color. It’s a great place to sit, relax and eat.
Sweatt Entry Terrace
The Margaret L. Sweatt Entry Terrace is the upper most entrance to the Oswald Visitor Center. One is caught by the wonderful scent of the Rugosa roses and the primarily purple and blue flowers surrounding the center bed of roses. The blue iris (Iris germanica 'Dusky Challenger') is startling blue and beautiful.
Wall Teaching Garden
The Wall Family Teaching Garden consists of a series of raised beds in an enclosed area off the Teaching Classroom. It is planted with herbs, vegetables and annual flowers and the fence area contains annual vines.
Wright Terrace Gardens
Outside the upper level of the Oswald Visitor Center are the Kathleen Mary Wright Terrace Gardens. Tucked into the hillside there is a Bosque of linden trees (Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’) followed by a garden of white flowering plants flanking an Arbor. This garden ends in an enclosed space with a bubbler and a small labyrinth carved into the paving. It is a garden beautiful in all seasons and when the trees have grown it will be a semi-shaded hideaway.
Wildflower Garden
The Grace B. Dayton Wildflower Garden features native plants of the deciduous woodlands and includes a collection of Minnesota's state flower, the Showy Lady's-slipper. A population of the Dwarf Trout-lily, a plant listed on the federal endangered species list, is also preserved here.
Garden for Wildlife
From butterflies to bullfrogs, the Johanna Frerichs Garden for Wildlife is a working laboratory designed to demonstrate the most effective ways to attract birds, insects, mammals to the backyard by providing food, shelter, and a reproductive habitat.
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