Tag Archives: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

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Time out in Minnesota: 3. The flowers that bloom in the Spring

It was hard to imagine, when we landed in the Twin Cities on 29 May, that only five or six weeks previously there had been snow on the ground and sub-zero temperatures.

Why? The trees were in full leaf (as you can see in this photo below as we landed at MSP – so many trees in the Twin Cities!), many plants were in full flower, and some even setting seed. Spring and early summer arrive quickly in Minnesota.

During our stay (of three weeks) we had just one day of rain (and then not all day), and during daylight hours the temperature never dipped below 70°F, often rising to 90°F or more. I don’t think we’ve ever experienced such a long dry spell on any of our other visits there.

Over the couple of decades or more that we have been visiting the Twin Cities, one of our favorite places to visit is the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Como Park.

Just scroll out to see its location in St Paul.

The Conservatory was opened in 1915, and in 2002 renamed in honor of Marjorie McNeely (right), a remarkable woman who made many contributions to arts and culture during her lifetime.

Each season, summer and winter, the staff of the Conservatory develop elegant planting schemes, and we always look forward to whatever they have designed, bringing together sympathetic varieties and colors.

We’ve had two particularly memorable visits to the Conservatory. Our elder daughter Hannah married Michael at the Conservatory on a particularly cold evening in May 2006 – although it was beautifully warm inside.

Then, at Christmas the following year, Steph and I spent the holiday with Hannah and Michael in a very cold St Paul. Our first white Christmas. But inside the Conservatory, it was red and pink Christmas poinsettias everywhere.

This year the planting scheme was less flamboyant compared to what we have seen before, but nevertheless quite beautiful.

There is also a tropical wing to the Conservatory, with many moisture-loving (and some edible plants) on display, including a range of orchids and bromeliads.

Outside, you can wander through the peaceful Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden or admire the delicate bonsai specimens on display.

A visit to the Conservatory is always worthwhile. When we arrived, there were loads of schoolchildren already disgorging from their buses. But not to visit the Conservatory (which, unusually, we had to ourselves for about 10 minutes). They were headed to the Como Park zoo.

Entrance to the Conservatory and Zoo is free, but recommended donations are welcome.

The other venue we have visited several times is the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, about 26 miles due west from St Paul. Since we were last there in 2019, the Arboretum has rebranded itself as the arb!

Entrance tickets for adults are $30, but children 15 and under go free.

We took our grandchildren Callum and Zoë to the arb after they finished school for the year. In past years, we have walked quite some distance around the various gardens close to the visitor center or along the Three Mile Drive. Due to my reduced mobility this year, we concentrated on the Three Mile Drive and just a selection of some of the gardens (map).

I think my favorite is the prairie garden, and across the road, the staff have set out to recreate a prairie community that once covered vast areas of the country before agriculture changed the landscape forever.

The whole site was covered in tall Baptisia alba (I think it was) and other species in full flower. Quite a sight!

The Chinese Garden was quite new when we last visited, and there were some large steel dragons, now removed from the garden. But it was a tranquil setting to spend a few minutes of contemplation.

The Harrison Sculpture Garden is located on about 3 acres (1.2 ha) surrounding the arboretum’s High Point. Even though we didn’t notice any new additions to the garden, it’s always a pleasure to view the 26 pieces (some by very famous sculptors like Barbara Hepworth – she has three there) in different light and from different angles. Here are five that caught my attention this time.

‘Canto Notturno’ 1984, bronze, by Italian Mimmo Paladino (1948 – )
‘Disc Spiral’ 2000, green and black granite, by American Jesus Bautista Moroles (1950 – 2015)
‘The Cathedral’ 1960, bronze with green patina, by Argentinian Alicia Penalba (1913 – 1982)
‘Stone Arch’ 1995, limestone, by Swiss René Küng (1934 – )
‘Gahn Dancer II, Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer’ 1993, bronze, by American San Carlos Apache Craig Dan Goseyun (1960 – )

The bedding plants near the Visitor Center had yet to flower in profusion, but the Rose Garden was just beginning to come into its own.

After a quick lunch in The Eatery (and inevitable ice cream) we headed home after an enjoyable visit of around four hours. We’ll be back.

Since Callum and Zoë had a 10 days free between finishing school for the year and summer camp, we had many opportunities to enjoy their company on day trips. Another favorite venue of ours is Taylors Fall on the St Croix River, just over 53 miles northeast of St Paul. There, in the Interstate State Park (with Wisconsin on the opposite bank of the river), there is a fascinating formation of glacial potholes formed at the end of the last Ice Age when the St Croix was one of the world’s greatest rivers.

Then we headed south to Stillwater (also along the St Croix), a small town very popular with tourists, where we took a short walk along the riverfront, and then enjoyed some of the best toasted cheese sandwiches at Leo’s Grill and Malt Shop in the town center, an establishment we have patronized on several occasions before.

The historic Stillwater Lift Bridge across the St Croix River, connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin, now closed to traffic since the St Croix Crossing south of the town was opened in August 2017.

Other blog posts in this Minnesota series:

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Ten days, eleven states (7): Revisiting the Twin Cities

St Paul, Minnesota is almost a second home. I’ve been visiting there regularly since 1998 when Hannah, our elder daughter, transferred from Swansea University in the UK to Macalester College, a private liberal arts college in St Paul. Incidentally, Macalester is the alma mater of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Hannah settled in St Paul after graduation, completed her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, married Michael, and home is now complete with our two American grandchildren Callum (who will be seven in mid-August) and Zoë (five last May). So you see, Steph and I have many reasons for returning to the Twin Cities.

St Paul was the destination of our 2800 mile road trip from Georgia, beginning in Atlanta on 31 May and lasting 10 days, and covering 11 states. It was a great trip, but I was somewhat relieved when we pulled into Hannah’s driveway on the Friday afternoon, having covered the final 333 miles from Iowa City, looking forward to almost three weeks with the family and exploring favourite haunts, and hopefully discovering a few new ones. We are less familiar with the other half of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis (and currently in the news for all the wrong reasons), that lies on the opposite bank of the Mississippi from where Hannah and Michael’s home is in the Highland Park area of St Paul.

Callum finished the school year on the day we arrived, and Zoë didn’t complete her final childcare year at the St Paul Jewish Community Center until the following Wednesday. For the first three days of that first St Paul week we had Callum to ourselves, and both of them for the Thursday and Friday. So we had to find some fun things for Grandma and Grandad to do with them. The second week they went off to summer camp.

We visited Camp Butwin to check it out. Then the following Monday, it was Callum and Zoë’s first day. I was on drop-off and pickup duties!

Stillwater
Stillwater, a small town on the banks of the St Croix River (the state line between Minnesota and Wisconsin), some 27 miles east from Hannah’s home, is one of our favorite places. I first went there in 2004 with Hannah and Michael, and heard my first Lake Wobegon monologue from Garrison Keillor as we sat in the car park beside the river.

It’s a pleasant riverside town, that will become even better once the new bridge over the St Croix River is opened in August. This bridge will replace a narrow, 80 year old lift bridge in the town center.

This is the first time I have seen the bridge raised, to allow a paddleship through. The new bridge can be seen in the distance
The Lift Bridge at Stillwater

Being a main route over to Wisconsin, much heavy traffic currently passes through the town center; this should disappear after August. No doubt to the relief of Stillwater residents and presumably many businesses. But will the diversion away from the town center take away some passing trade? Probably not, as Stillwater has its own attractions for visitors.

Stillwater high street has numerous antique and souvenir shops, and bookshops. One gift shop, Art ‘n Soul, on the corner opposite the lift bridge, sells beads, mainly crystals. Every time we visit Stillwater, Steph (an avid beader) has to pop in just to check things out.

On the hillside above the town there is an excellent children’s play park, and Callum spent a very enjoyable hour amusing himself on all the apparatus.

The St Paul-Minneapolis Light Rail
Opened in June 2014, the Green Line of Metro Transit connects downtown St Paul with downtown Minneapolis, passing through the campus of the University of Minnesota. On a very cold June day in 2014, we queued up to take the first train from St Paul on the Green Line. Then the heavens opened, and we beat a hasty retreat to the car parked nearby. This was our first opportunity since then to ride the Light Rail.

Callum and Zoë couldn’t keep still, and I warned them about standing up while the train was moving. It travels at quite a lick, as the clip below shows, and the cross-city journey takes about 40 minutes.

On the return from Minneapolis (we’d met up with Hannah and Michael in downtown Minneapolis for lunch), and as we were approaching the Capitol/Rice St stop, there was an almighty bang, and the driver slammed on his brakes. We’d hit a car (with five passengers, including a baby) that had apparently tried to run a red light. Within minutes we were surrounded by police cars, rescue vehicles, the fire service, and ambulances. One woman was taken to hospital although did not appear to be seriously injured. For our part, Callum and Zoë happened to be sitting when the impact occurred. No-one was hurt on the train.

While St Paul exudes ‘old money’ and extravagant mansions along Summit Avenue, downtown Minneapolis is the bright and brash commercial center. Skyscrapers gleaming in the sunlight, reflections, and on one building, celebrating a local boy made good. Who? Nobel Laureate (for Literature) and sometime troubadour, Bob Dylan.

Local boy made good . . .

The McNeely Conservatory at Como Park
This is one of St Paul’s jewels. It is always a treat to see what delights the seasonal planting design brings. So, it is no surprise that we had to visit once again this year.

American Swedish Institute
Midsummer, and we headed off to the American Swedish Institute, just off E 26th St in Minneapolis. It was a very hot Saturday, so we were glad to be able to tour the Turnblad Mansion, the focus of the institute today. Built by newspaperman Swan Turnblad at the turn of the 20th century. It’s ostentatious but so elegant, and a delight to view. I was fascinated by the Swedish ceramic stoves, known as a kakelugn, in many of the rooms. I didn’t have my Nikon with me, so the quality of the photos I took with a small Casio is less than I’d like. Nevertheless, they do give you an impression of this beautiful building.

Although I’d never been to the American Swedish Institute before, I was ‘familiar’ with the Turnblad Mansion, as I mentioned to one of the volunteers, John Nelson. The mansion featured in one of the programs by Tory politician-turned-TV presenter, Michael Portillo (he of the flamboyant trousers and jacket) about the Twin Cities, in his series Great American Railroad Journeys (a spin-off from his popular Great British Railway Journeys), and broadcast earlier this year on the BBC. I mentioned this to Mr Nelson, and he told me he had sat next to Portillo in the sequence where he dined at the mansion. He said he hadn’t seen the program nor met anyone, until that moment, who had!

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
This was our third visit to the arboretum. Again, we enjoyed a tour round the ‘Three Mile Drive’, discovering new landscapes where we didn’t stop last year, and renewing our acquaintance with those we had see previously only on the Autumn.

The St Paul waterfront
Finally, we took advantage of the excellent weather to explore the walks along the Mississippi close to where Hannah and Michael live, at Hidden Falls Regional Park, and beside the Downtown area of St Paul.

Finally, of course, we had time to sit back, relax and just enjoy being with Hannah and Michael and the grandchildren. And, of course, the addition to the family: Hobbes the cat!

All too soon our 2017 visit to the USA was over, and on 28 June we headed back to MSP to catch our overnight flight on Delta to AMS, with a connection to BHX. It’s three weeks today since we came home. It seems a lifetime ago. But there’s always next year!

 

 

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Can’t see the wood for the trees . . .

During our visit to Minnesota in September 2015, we visited the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (owned by the University of Minnesota) with Hannah and Michael, and grandchildren Callum and Zoë. Being a year younger than today, we had to get back home so they could have a post-lunch nap. So we really only had time to see the various gardens closest to the Oswald Visitor Center (click here for condensed visitor guide and map)

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Steph and I returned to the Arboretum almost a month ago, and this year we took the Three Mile Drive around the site. There is so much to see, and the various plantings are laid out splendidly. The crab apple collection particularly caught my attention.

So rather than try to wax lyrical about the Arboretum, I’ll let you follow the links I’ve made here to the various websites, and let my photos speak for themselves.

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