Herb 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.

Gardens & Collections

Display and Specialty Gardens
Annual Garden
Dahlia Trial Garden
Daylily and Chrysanthemum Walk
Dwarf Conifer Collection and 
Waterfall Garden

Entrance Garden 
Fern Walk
Hedge Collection

Herb Gardens
Home Demonstration Gardens
Hosta Glade
Iris Garden
Japanese Garden
Lilac Collection and 
Blackman Garden
Lily and Dahlia Collection
Maze Garden
Ornamental Grass Collection
Peony Walk
Perennial Garden
Rain Gardens
Rose Gardens
Sensory Garden
Shade Tree Exhibit
Terrace Garden
Woodland-Azalea Garden


Visitor Center
Dahlberg Welcoming Terrace
Keating Terrace
Newton Dining Terrace
Sweatt Entry Terrace
Wall Teaching Garden
Wright Terrace Gardens
Wildflower Garden
Garden for Wildlife

Native Areas
The Prairie
Spring Peeper Meadow
The Bog Area

Shrubs
Azalea Collection
Bailey Shrub Walk
Hydrangea Collection
Lilac Collection
Miscellaneous Shrub Collection
Pea Shrub Collection
Potentilla Collection
Rhododendron Garden
Spirea Collection
Viburnum Collection
Weigela Collection

Trees
Arborvitae Collection
Ash Collection
Birch Collection
Buckeye Collection
Corktree Collection
Crabapple Collection
Elm Collection
Hawthorn Collection
Larch Collection
Linden Collection
Locust Collection
Maackia
Magnolia Collection
Maple Collection
Nut Collection
Oak Collection
Pine Collection
Poplar Collection
Prunus Collection
Small Tree Collection
Serviceberry Collection
Spruce Collection
Weeping Tree Collection
Willow Collection