Lake Harriet Rose Garden and Peace Garden – Field Trip #2

I wasn’t ready to go home after my visit to Eloise Butler, so I drove the parkways and headed over to Lake Harriet to see the rose gardens and the Peace Garden. I don’t remember ever having seen the perennial/annual gardens there, but they’ve been there since 1963, so either I was very focused on the roses on previous visits and skipped the perennials altogether, or visited at a time the gardens didn’t impress me.

This year, however, the perennials and annuals impressed me much more than the roses did. I didn’t see anything in these gardens that I added to my wish list, though. Sadly, almost all of the roses were infested with Japanese beetles. Eeew. One of the things I love about roses is the names. I saw Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Betty White, Ole, and Lena! Some of the roses were fragrant, but they weren’t that pretty to look at because of the beetles. So sad. Only one of the fountains was working and I did take advantage of the splashes to cool myself off.

The highlight of this visit was the Peace Garden, where I made my first ever peace crane! The sculpture “The Spirit of Peace” provides origami paper and instructions on bronze plates for creating the cranes. I saw people of all ages and heard several languages as we all walked around the sculpture and folded our cranes. I didn’t remember to take photos while I was there, but another blogger visited earlier this year and did take photos. I would make this visit again in a heartbeat.

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary – Field Trip #1

If you can’t stand the heat, go on a field trip. I tried working in the garden yesterday, honest. It was one of those days, though, where making breakfast made you sweat buckets. So, I decided to get out of the kitchen and my garden since I really wasn’t up for perma-sweat two days in a row. I packed a picnic and went on a couple of field trips.

First stop – Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. It’s close, and as I said in an earlier post, I haven’t been there since the third grade. Interestingly, two other women on the “History Tour” had the same comment!


I walked the garden twice – once on my own and once with a guide. I was surprised at how many more things I saw with the guide. Because everything is so far ahead this year, all of the woodland and wetland plants – including the Lady Slippers -- had already bloomed. The prairie, however, was just getting going! I saw a few plants I’d never seen before and am considering adding to my gardens.

Prairie coneflower is the first on my plant wish list. I thought these flowers looked like delicate ballerinas. Their cone is more thimble shaped than cone shaped and the petals drape gracefully rather than protrude stiffly from the cone. Lead plant is the second plant I’m considering. It has interesting foliage and the flowers seemed iridescent moving from deep purple bases to orange tips. The third plant on my wish list is chicory! Yes – the plant whose root was/is used as a coffee substitute. The flower is very much like the annual bachelor button and can get as tall as 3 ½ feet. The pale blue is a fantastic contrast to the yellows and pinks in the prairie right now.

I’m definitely going back to this garden – and I’m not going to wait 40 years to do it.

Summer Vacation Plans in Two Lists

I’m starting to plan my summer vacation, which starts the 2nd of July. Like most people, I typically spend my vacation traveling with my family or having family visit me. Once in a while, I travel alone to a favorite spot. This year, though, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before. I’m going to stay home—in the garden!

My plan is to get done the long list of things to plant, move, mulch, and weed. I also want to try to get in the stone steps from the sidewalk to the water spigot. And, if there are stones leftover, I’ll use them for a path between the Hosta hill and the Azalea garden.

I’ve started another list for my vacation, too – a list of gardens and garden centers to visit! I’m sure I haven’t been to Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden since I was in 3rd grade. I think the last time I visited the Conservatory at Como Park was 15 years ago – and it’s practically in my backyard. The Rose Gardens at Lake Harriet are also on the list – as is the neighboring Peace Garden. It was winter the last time I was at the Arboretum, and I love it in summer, so that’s on the list, too. And, a friend recommended Noerenberg Gardens in Wayzata – a garden I’ve never visited before.

Two more places I’ve never been are Ambergate Gardens (near the Arboretum) and Gertens, in Inver Grove Heights. I’ve been told for a long time they are “must sees.”

So. Vacation plans are shaping up. It feels like I’ve got a good mix of projects and field trips planned. If you’ve got a favorite garden or garden center I should visit, and it’s within an hour’s drive of the cities, post a comment and let me know.