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HELP ARBORETUM CELEBRATE ITS 40TH BIRTHDAY THIS SUMMER
Last Thursday, I had my first guided tour of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (MLA). Although I've visited the MLA hundreds of times, I never rode the special tram or listened to a tour guide's description of the MLA's dozens of beautiful gardens and plant collections.
Our guide was Peter Moe, the MLA's director of operations. As we left the Snyder Building and passed by the many specialty gardens, I thought about how we so often go to showrooms to pick out our cars, kitchens and bathrooms. Why don't more homeowners go to the many "showrooms" at the Arboretum to pick out their front yards, backyards, hedges and flower gardens? It makes perfect sense to me, especially with the building boom taking place in many parts of Scott and Carver County.
This is the 40th anniversary of the MLA and Moe and his staff have the grounds in beautiful condition. Admission is even free on Thursday evenings! If you're contemplating any changes in your home gardens, I highly recommend a stop at one or more of these MLA display gardens:
Home Demonstration Gardens - There are nine individual gardens at this site, and each is designed to inspire ideas that you can apply at home. There's a rock garden, a container garden, a garden for small spaces, an herb garden, a cut-flower garden, a garden for outdoor living, a small fruit and vegetable garden, a naturalized garden, a deck and patio garden, and an open planting area that is planted each year to different and unusual plants.
Wilson Rose Garden - If roses are your passion, this colorful space features more than 200 varieties of hybrid teas, florabundas and grandafloras. One of the most beautiful weddings I've attended took place in this garden, which offers wheel-chair access. Dozens more old-fashioned and shrub roses are displayed further out on 3-mile drive.
Howard Fern and Hosta Glade - Walk along shady paths and view many varieties of ferns and more than 300 varieties of hostas - one of the largest hosta displays in the U.S.
Culinary Herb Garden - Herbs are attracting much more attention these days, and this garden features dozens of plants that can be used for cooking, including basil, thyme, sage, garlic and many exotic herbs.
Wildflower Garden - Wildflowers are capturing the imagination of more and more gardeners, and this newly renovated area promises to be spectacular in the years ahead. Bring along a notebook when you visit this area because you'll want to jot down the names of some of these beautiful but unfamiliar plants.
Bennett/Johnson Prairie - When the glaciers receded 10,000 years ago, nearly a third of Minnesota was covered by a sea of grasses and flowering plants known as tall-grass prairie. The Bennett/Johnson Prairie is a broad collection of native species found within the prairie communities of the Upper Midwest. If you've thought about establishing native prairie on your property, I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful wild area. A blooming prairie tour takes place every Sunday at 1 p.m.
Weeping and Small Tree Collections - If you're searching for just the right small or unusual tree for your yard, a visit to this section of the MLA's 3-mile drive can give you some great ideas. Specimens include pea shrubs, willows, crab apples, blue beech, smoke bush, fringe tree, apricot, hawthorn, Peking lilac, fringe tree and many varieties of evergreens.
Hedge Collection - Hedges in this display have been created from a surprisingly diverse range of trees and shrubs. I won't even begin to name them all, but if establishing a hedge is on your to-do list, visit this area for some great ideas.
Ornamental Grasses - Dr. Mary Meyer, director of the state Master Gardener program, has been conducting some very useful research in recent years on which ornamental grasses perform best in our harsh Minnesota climate. If you want to add year-round visual interest to your landscape, take a look at these grasses during August or September and note the grass you like best. Some of the best grasses for our area are in the Miscanthus family and grow to 9 ft. tall!
Shade Trees - My specialty as a Master Gardener is trees and I answer hundreds of phone calls from homeowners each year about tree problems resulting from insects, disease and the environment. Many problems faced by tree owners can be prevented by proper tree selection.
One of the best ways to ensure that you select the right tree is to observe many varieties of trees growing at various stages of maturity. The best place I know to observe trees is the MLA.
I've described just a handful of the MLA's beautiful gardens and displays. I hope you will visit the MLA soon, and don't' forget to pack a camera and notebook.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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