Photo Courtesy of Three Rivers Park District
Noerenberg Gardens
Noerenberg Gardens
Lyndale Park Rose Garden and Peace Garden
The roses are gorgeous and planted to bloom from summer through fall. Across the street, the sculptural Peace Garden holds stone pillars, tiny bridges—and spontaneous photo shoots under every cedar. Lake Harriet, 124 Roseway Rd., Mpls.
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
Because it’s fenced in, and free from deer, Eloise Butler gives you a chance to see the uncommon plants you’ll rarely find in the metro, like lady’s slippers and trilliums. Is that why 60,000 garden walkers pass through annually? Theodore Wirth Park, 1 Theodore Wirth Pkwy., Mpls.
Arneson Acres
Is there anyone in Edina who hasn’t been to a wedding at Arneson Acres? Without the distraction of a bride, you can see one of the state’s biggest plantings of lilies. Baffled by all the cultivars? Ask one of the volunteers from the North Star Lily Society. 4711 W. 70th St., Edina, edinamn.gov
Oliver Kelley Farm
What would it have been like to food garden in the 1860s? Well, you’d be feeding your family out of the yard, for one thing. Come see rare heritage chickens and heirloom sorghum, squash, and beans—cultivated in the old ways, by gardeners in period garb. 15788 Kelley Farm Rd., Elk River, mnhs.org
Ordway Japanese Garden
A Japanese garden follows principles of design that govern not just the plants and rocks you see close up but also the distant trees and the way the space unfolds as you move through it. You’ll see that mastery of detail at the Ordway Japanese Garden—along with some fantastically elderly potted bonsai. Como Conservatory, 1325 Aida Pl., St. Paul, comozooconservatory.org
Vera’s Garden
This lush hillside display must be the city’s most visited community garden. A lot of visitors pedal past: The plot flanks the Greenway near the Lyndale entrance. Next time, dismount for a moment to appreciate this enduring volunteer project. Midtown Greenway, 2901 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls., facebook.com/Veras-Garden
Noerenberg Gardens
Formal gardens have become rarer and rarer in our casual world: meticulously tended trees and shrubs alongside beds full of color-coordinated foliage and flowers. Noerenberg Gardens presents a splendid garden landscape on Lake Minnetonka’s Crystal Bay. 2865 Northshore Dr., Wayzata, threeriversparks.org
Florence Bakken Medicinal Garden
What’s a physic garden? In medieval times, healers harvested their cures from well-documented medicinal plants. Thinking about the Dark Ages a little more than usual? You may take a few ideas from this lovely landscape right off Bde Maka Ska. 3537 Zenith Ave. S., Mpls., thebakken.org
Caponi Art Park
Italian artist Anthony Caponi came to study at the Walker Art Center School in 1946 and eventually became an art prof at Macalester. His life’s work became this 60-acre wooded park in Eagan, filled with dozens of his original works—including a monumental cement snake that took him 20 years. 1220 Diffley Rd., Eagan, caponiartpark.org
The Maze Garden and Chinese Garden
How do you pick a favorite garden from the 1,200 acres at the Arboretum? Woodland azaleas or dwarf conifers? For your consideration: Visit the mythical-seeming hedges at the Maze Garden, or the pretty red pavilion and tree peonies in the Chinese Garden. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska, arb.umn.edu
