| |
RIVER GLEN GARDENS A HORTICULTURAL TOUR TO REMEMBER
I signed up for the tour without really knowing what to expect. The description said "Travel to River Glen Gardens, Ron Wienhold's famous 75-acre property that has attracted gardeners since he purchased it in 1953. Containing a river, high hills and many springs, the diverse habitat is suitable for one of the largest collections of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in the state."
Here are some of the facts scribbled hastily on my notepad as I tagged along at Wienhold's heels, soaking in what is truly one of Minnesota's horticultural treasures.
At age 18, Wienhold paid $2,000 for 72 acres located eight miles north of Sauk Center (he later added a three-acre parcel). Even as a teenager, Wienhold had a vision of how he wanted to develop this beautiful piece of land that is bisected by the Sauk River.
Leaning on a six-foot walking stick and wearing a wide smile, Wienhold met our tour bus at the end of his heavily wooded driveway. He prepared us for our two-hour walk by stating that, if we were to divide all 75 acres into 2-foot squares, each corner of every square could be represented by a plant personally placed in the soil by Wienhold over the past 45 years.
As we began our walk up the driveway, Wienhold aimed his walking stick towards some brilliant purple asters and explained that any plant that is just now (mid-September) blooming and setting seed could also survive in the Arctic Circle. Native plants, in other words, adapt to those areas where the climate allows them to grow, flower and produce seeds in a single growing season. This is why oak trees are found no further north than Minnesota.
Standing beneath towering red pines he planted nearly a half century ago, Wienhold invited us to return next April when the closely clipped lawn beneath his feet would be replaced with thousands of blooming daffodils. Each fall, Wienhold plants hundreds of "fire sale" daffodil bulbs in pots and stores them in a root cellar. Then, beginning in January, he retrieves two or three pots each week and enjoys the flowers inside his beautiful home. When the blooms expire, the bulbs are planted outdoors for enjoyment in future springs.
Pine needles from Wienhold's Ponderosa and red pines are harvested each fall and used as mulch on his 200 hostas. In spring, hostas push up through the 3-inch cover of pine needle mulch which, in turn, discourages slugs.
Throughout his life, Wienhold has traveled to climatic zones throughout the world that are similar to Minnesota's Zone 4b climate and collected cuttings and seeds of plants. His property has 50 varieties of hardy cactus, some of which were collected from 7,200 foot elevations in Colorado and from mountains in other parts of the world.
Wienhold's property is blessed with a calcareous fen (natural spring) that keeps some of his ground at 50 degrees all winter. This phenomenon permits many warmer-climate plants to thrive despite Minnesota's harsh winter. The fen is Wienhold's water source for his Japanese-style home, which he designed and built several decades ago near the center of his property.
Of the 12 varieties of larch (tamarack) that grow in Minnesota, nine are thriving on Wienhold's property, as is the largest Serbian spruce in Minnesota. As Wienhold pointed to a stand of native black spruce, he explained that the needles were once brewed into tea by Indians as a source of vitamin C. More than 100 varieties of willow grow here, including a variety of Dutch willow used to weave dikes in Holland.
Near a spring-fed stream, we marveled at the 2-foot leaves of big-leaf butterbur from Japan and cupflowers that collect water from dew.
Pink and white lady slippers, the Minnesota state flower that puts on a colorful show in the woods each spring, are propogated, Wienhold said, by deer. The seeds are precisely pressed 1-1/2 inches into the soil - the optimum planting depth - by the pointed hooves of deer.
Giant smartweeed, known by gardeners as "Kiss me over the garden gate," was in full, glorious bloom in Wienhold's garden, as was Love lies bleeding (amaranthus).
Wienhold's property is home to 125 varieties of lilac, more than 100 varieties of ornamental grass, 75 varieties of arborvitae and hundreds of hardy roses.
Not surprisingly, Wienhold enjoys feeding birds and claims that birds follow him around his property in winter. A nuthatch named MamaNutty has been his friend for 17 years and eats out of his hand or from his hat, where he places seeds as he walks outdoors in winter. Clark, a nine-year-old nuthatch, can be beckoned by name from anywhere in the woods, according to Wienhold, when he hears his name called.
Near the end of our tour, Wienhold stopped near a Brandywine crabapple tree and described it as "the nicest crabapple every created. If you don't have room to plant one next to your garage, move your garage."
I tried to figure out how Wienhold singlehandedly accomplished all that I observed on our tour. For 43 years, he was employed full-time as a printer in nearby Long Prairie. He says he developed River Glen Gardens as a hobby. One possible explanation, I decided, was that 43 years is a long time to pursue any hobby, especially when you're single, which Wienhold is. Speaking from experience, a hobby can be pursued by a single person with much more zeal and devotion than is possible when a spouse and/or children are vying for time.
Wienhold is now fully retired and gives tours of his property during the first two weeks of June, July and August. He has hosted up to 15 busses in one week. If you ever get the opportunity to tour River Glen Gardens, don't hesitate for a minute.
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
 |
| |
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
 |
 |
| |
|
