Signs of Spring at the Arboretum

The birds are singing! Catch the soprano whistle of the black-capped chickadee, drumming of red-bellied woodpeckers, who-whooing of great horned owls! (Free birding walks, 8:30 a.m., May 14, 17 and 28. Meet at Ordway parking lot.)

SummerHouse is open!  Garden market and gift store all in one. State Hwy. 5 & Rolling Acres Road (opens May 8)

Froggies!  Listening to a croaking frog chorus in Spring Peeper Meadow. (May 15, 7:30 -9 p.m., meet at Spring Peeper Meadow.)

Searching for wildflowers and other signs of spring on a free guided walk with an Arboretum naturalist (May 10 & 31, 10:30 a.m. Meet at Ordway parking lot.)

Spring Plant Sale:  "Oohing" and "aahing" at the thousands of flowering plants, shrubs and trees for sale during the annual Auxiliary Plant Sale (May 10-11).

Nature Notes: Magnolias and Daffodils
by Peter Moe, Arboretum director of operations  

Star Magnolia, Magnolia stellata, is the hardiest magnolia for Minnesota and is a reliable early spring flowering tree.  Cultivars of Star Magnolia include Centennial, Royal Star and Waterlily (which has pink flowerbuds and then white flowers).  A hybrid of Star Magnolia, the Loebner Magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri) also blooms nearly every year at this time.  Cultivars of this hybrid are Merrill, with large, white flowers, and Leonard Messel with large pink flowers.

Daffodils or Narcissus are one of the best spring bulbs for Minnesota.  Unlike some other short-lived bulbs such as crocus or dutch iris, daffodils will increase each year and continue to produce beautiful flowers year after year.  Daffodils do very well in the heavy clay soil we have at the Arboretum and are available in many different shades of yellow, orange and white. 


What's In Bloom 5/9/2008

Although by some measures, we're about two weeks behind schedule compared to other years, things coming into bloom are more welcome than ever.  You'll see drifts of daffodils almost everywhere you look from the moment you enter the grounds. Magnolias are starting to strut their their stuff throughout the landscape as well, from the Dwarf Conifer Collection to the Woodland Azalea Garden Hosta Glade.

Rhododendrons can be seen in the Bailey Shrub Walk, perennial garden, and near the visitor center.  You'll also be able to experience the first wave of a wide variety of tulips, hyacinths and other spring bulbs that are among
the 50,000 coming into a rainbow blooming pattern in the weeks ahead in honor of the Arboretum's 50th and Horticultural Research Center's 100th anniversaries.

A walk through the Wildflower Garden requires special care and attention.  You'll see marsh marigold, toothwort; white, yellow and dwarf trout lily, bloodroot, celandine poppy, early meadow rue, showy and nodding trillium,
American twinleaf, large-flowered bellwort, and of course, violets.  Please enjoy all plants from designated walkways.  One step onto a pile of dead leaves may accidentally destroy something rare and beautiful underneath. 

Things are also heating up in the prairie and the prairie display garden where the always eagerly anticipated Pasque Flower is starting to bloom. You'll also find pussy toes, prairie smoke, and golden Alexander.  

The Rock Garden is a great place to find early spring blooms including Grecian windflower, wild bleeding heart, draba, Siberian squill, penny cress, and several unusual tulips. 

Other items of interest worth checking out:  Glory of the snow in the dwarf conifer collection; Butterbur in the Woodland Azalea Garden-Hosta Glade; and Lungwort near the Snyder Building.

When you're at the Arboretum, check out the touch-screen kiosks in the Great Hall of the Oswald Visitor Center to see photographs of what's in bloom and where on the grounds it's located.  While you're in the Great Hall, take
note of our celebration of 100 years of cold-hardy plant introductions that can be enjoyed on the grounds whatever the season.

Changing weather conditions may significantly delay or accelerate the opening of blossoms and the period of time they are at their peak.

Check back each week for the most up-to-date information on what's in bloom  at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Common Name
Location(s)

White Forsythia
Shrub Walk

Speckled Alder
Bog Area

Rue Anemone
Prairie

Rockcress
Rock Garden

Wild Ginger
Wildflower Garden

Marsh Marigold
Bog Area

Pennsylvania Sedge
Prairie

Toothwort
Wildflower Garden

Dutchman's Breeches
Wildflower Garden

Draba
Rock Garden

White Trout lily
Prairie, Wildflower Garden

Yellow Trout Lily
Wildflower Garden

Forsythia
Perennial Garden, Shrub Walk, Three-Mile Drive

Prairie Smoke
Prairie, Prairie Display Garden, Wildflower Garden

Pasque-flower
Prairie Display Garden

Sharp-lobed Hepatica
Bog Area, Wildflower Garden

Hepatica
Rock Garden

Hyacinth
Visitor Center, Snyder Building

False Rue Anemone
Wildflower Garden

Jeffersonia
Rock Garden

Magnolia
Dwarf Conifer Collection, Perennial Garden, Sensory Garden, Shrub Walk, Three-Mile Drive, Visitor Center, Wildflower Garden, Woodland Azalea Garden_Hosta Glade

Daffodil
Arboretum Entry, Perennial Garden, Rose Garden, Snyder Building, Three-Mile Drive, Visitor Center, Woodland Azalea Garden_Hosta Glade

Alleghany Spurge
Bog Area

Japanese Spurge
Rock Garden

Colt's Foot
Bog Area

Striped Squill
Dwarf Conifer Collection, Sensory Garden, Visitor Center, Woodland Azalea Garden_Hosta Glade

Bloodroot
Bog Area, Perennial Garden, Prairie, Wildflower Garden, Woodland Azalea Garden_Hosta Glade

Siberian Squill
Arboretum Entry, Bog Area, Perennial Garden, Sensory Garden, Snyder Building, Visitor Center, Wildflower Garden, Woodland Azalea Garden_Hosta Glade

Skunk Cabbage
Bog Area

Tulips
Perennial Garden, Visitor Center

Bloom Line - 952-443-1400 Ext. 5010