Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
 
 
 

 

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Oct. 28, 2010

 

 

 

 femalecardinal

Garden & Lawn Tips


These blustery days of dropping temps and twirling leaves remind us that winter is fast approaching. Now is a good time to finish those remaining yard and garden clean-up chores.  Here are a few suggestions from Pete Moe, Arboretum operations manager:

  • Drain your hoses and sprinklers and shut off hose faucets before temperatures plummet.
  • Remove frozen plants from containers and hanging baskets and consider replacing them with evergreen boughs, berry-filled branches and interesting seedheads for winter interest. 
  • Spread clean straw, marsh hay or oak leaves over tender perennials, newly planted bulbs and strawberries before temps drop into the teens, but after the soil surface has frozen.
  • Clean bird feeders, install squirrel guards and stock up on seed and suet to nourish our feathered friends over the long winter months.  For more gardening tips, click here.

 

            

 

 

 

pumpkinpalooza 

Pumpkin Palooza Weekend
& Ar-BOO-retum

 

Carve out some time for Pumpkin Palooza Weekend this Saturday and Sunday at the Arboretum!  It's the final weekend for our magnificent display of pumpkins, cucurbits and squash - over 80 varieties, including the rare and exotic.

  • From 1 to 3 p.m. both days, check out the pumpkin-carving demos and visit with our pumpkin experts for growing tips.
  • Visit with artist Keith Wilcock in the Reedy Gallery to learn more about the current "Around the World" exhibit.
  • Catch the documentary "Bill's Big Pumpkins" about Buffalo, Minn., pumpkin grower Bill Foss. Showtimes: 12:30 & 2:30 p.m. both days, Snyder Auditorium.  
  • From noon to 4 p.m. both days, head to the Learning Center to make mini-pumpkin heads from berries and veggies. 
  • COUNTRY Financial, the event sponsor, will offer treats and games for all ages at its Oswald Visitor Center booth.  

Did you know that many of the unusual pumpkins in our Pumpkin Palooza display are available for purchase at the AppleHouse?  Honeycrisp apples will be back this weekend!  Also, check out the UM cheeses, jams and jellies - many at discounted prices!  The AppleHouse is located 1.5 miles west of the Arboretum entrance, at the intersection of State Hwy.  5 and Rolling Acres Road. 

Ar-BOO-retum - On Halloween day, Oct. 31, gather up the wee ghosts and goblins for Ar-BOO-retum trick or treating and spooky fun!  Free admission for anyone arriving in costume (Sunday only). 

Little ones can trick or treat for apples in the Gift Store and receive a free cookie in the Restaurant.  Don't miss Halloween StoryTime  at 11 a.m. in Andersen Horticultural Library. All ages welcome. Collect a small squash afterward - there are lots to choose from!  

A special Sunday highlight is a free Spooktacular Concert of Halloween classics by the Minnetonka Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Roger Satrang Hoel, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in MacMillan Auditorium.

 

 

 

 

dogday 

Next Weekend: Dog Day, Biscotti & Nature Art

 

On Saturday, Nov. 6, the Arb hosts its first-ever "All About Dogs" Day with a VIP 5K dog walk on Three-Mile Drive and Pet Expo Fair at the Margot Picnic Shelters.  Cost is $25 in advance and includes automatic entry into a drawing for prizes. All participating pooches will receive a treat-filled goodie bag. The Pet Expo will offer up great info on dog diet and fitness, as well as ideas for pet-friendly plants, gardens and lawns presented by Arb staff and UM Extension. To register, call 952-443-4401 or click here.  All About Dogs Day is sponsored by ADOGO Pet Hotel. 

Biscotti Class- If your preference is for biscotti over Milk-Bones, check out Bruce Hubbard's class on how to bake this favorite Italian cookie from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the Learning Center.  ($30 member/$40 non-member).  They are great for entertaining and gift-giving. To register, click here.

 "Nature of Transition," an exhibit of 30 paintings celebrating nature's dramatic changes, opens Saturday, Nov. 6, and runs through Jan. 2 in the Reedy Gallery.  Come and savor these works capturing transitions and change - from summery warm orange and brown earth tones to the cool blues and whites of winter to the dramatic contrasts of sea and shore, flatlands and mountains, day and night.  You'll see  haystacks in golden fields (works by Richard Krogstad and Gary Max Collins), two new paintings by Ashley Dull and "Descending the Virgin Narrows" by Keith Wilcock, the largest watercolor painting to ever grace Reedy Gallery.  Opening reception with refreshments is Sunday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m., with a special talk on the psychology of color by artist and psychologist Keith Wilcock at 2 p.m. For more on this exhibit, click here.

 

 

 

 BalboaPark

Visit 'SoCal' with Peter Olin

Escape to San Diego and Los Angeles on an Arboretum travel tour Feb. 1-6.  "What a great trip!" says Peter Olin, tour host and director emeritus of the Arboretum.  "We will visit famous gardens, museums, the San Diego Mission, old San Diego (where we will stay) and private gardens.  We start out in San Diego and visit their famous Zoo, Balboa Park, the Mission, and Orfila Winery in the San Pasqual Valley. In Los Angeles, we will stay in Pasadena, visit the Huntington (fabulous gardens, the library with a Guttenberg Bible, and famous art collection).  We will also tour both the new and the old Getty with their head gardener.  Add in Descanso Gardens, and the Los Angeles Arboretum and we have a wonderful, adventure-packed tour."  For details and pictures, click here or if you'd like to be included in the mailing list, email Peter at olinx002@umn.edu.

 

Whatever you do, make it a great weekend!  

Please remember the Arboretum in your tax-deductible, year-end giving plans.  Thank you!