The region’s gardens put on a colorful show each summer for visitors to enjoy.
Whether you like to stroll or simply sit and look at the flowers, here are some places that are worth a visit.
An Old World-style fountain is the centerpiece of Selvig Park in downtown Willmar. The small formal park, at the corner of Fourth Street and Becker Avenue, was created to commemorate Willmar’s relationship with its sister city of Frameries, Belgium. It is landscaped with flowers, shrubs and benches.
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Rustic Designs Flower Farm is open for free self-guided tours 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays June 5 through first frost.
One-hour guided tours of the farm are also available to groups of 20 people or fewer. Tours, which are $40 per group, include the flower growing areas, workshop space, and cooler. All guided tours are by appointment only. Call 320-333-2275 or email rusticdesignsbelgrade@gmail.com to register for a class or plan a tour.
Picking hours are available from 8 to 10 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday June 5 through first frost. Visitors will pay by the stem for flowers they pick, which ranges from $1 to $6 per stem.
Rustic Designs will host its sixth annual Harvest Fest on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees are invited to walk the grounds, check out the craft vendors, eat some food, walk the flower field, cut some flowers, check out the farm store and take lots of photos.
The Abbey Arboretum, run by St. John’s University, is a 160-acre landscape established in 1997. The arboretum focuses on vegetation native to Minnesota and habitat restoration. It also serves as a living laboratory for student education with public outreach to visitors and students of all ages.
There are 50 acres of prairie — the Roscoe Prairie located near campus is the largest remaining piece of undisturbed Minnesota prairie — and 35 acres of oak savannah. Visitors are encouraged to explore the 15 miles of hiking trails and attend informational sessions throughout the summer.
The large information kiosk off County Road 159 leading to St. John’s is a source for information and brochures on the Arboretum and its restoration projects. It is surrounded by prairie plants that are well labeled. Nearby begins a walkway through wetlands that leads to portions of the restored oak savannah.
The arboretum’s peak viewing season is late summer into fall. There is no admission fee to walk the grounds. For more information, visit
www.csbsju.edu/outdooru/abbeyarboretum.
In the town of Dawson, Scandinavian lore comes to life in the form of gnome statues that populate Gnome Park on U.S. Highway 212 and can be found scattered at businesses and private yards around the city.
A prized collection of hand-carved wooden gnomes is on display at the Dawson Public Library.
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
is a mini-arboretum on the northeast shore of Lake Ripley on the edge of Litchfield, accessible from Minnesota Highway 22. The public garden has many varieties of exotic and familiar flowers, shrubs and trees that can be viewed from a paved, handicapped-accessible walking path. Plants bloom all season long to create a colorful experience.
A gazebo in the park is a popular site for summer weddings and afternoon teas. For reservations, call Litchfield City Hall at 320-693-7201 or download a copy of the city’s special use permit form, found at
, and mail it to Litchfield City Hall, 126 Marshall Ave. N. 55355.
While in Litchfield, make another stop at Central Park downtown, where the bandstand has been restored to its 1910-era glory.
Learn about plant and agricultural research at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, located one mile east of the University of Minnesota-Morris campus on Minnesota Highway 329.
The outdoor gardens are open to the public from sunrise to sunset and include rose gardens, shade gardens, a heritage garden, children’s garden, water gardens and an international garden with flowers and shrubs from all over the world.
Since 1990, the garden has been on the All-America Selections list of display gardens for testing new varieties of plants. It also is an All-America Selections flower trialing site.
A scenic overlook garden interprets the region’s prairies, rivers, agriculture and environment. It is designed to integrate the gardens with a bike and walking trail maintained by the city of Morris.
Pamphlets are available for self-guided walking tours.
The center will host its annual Horticulture Night on Thursday, July 31, from 4 to 8 p.m. Check the website at
or call 320-589-1711 for more information.
Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
A sculpture garden featuring bronze sculptures from the 35-year career of Arthur Norby, 204 Birch St. SE, in New London, is open daily except Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., free to the public, May through October.
The Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud were established in 1915 and are part of the St. Cloud City Park System. The gardens are located between Michigan Avenue and 10th Street Southeast on Riverside Drive, along the Mississippi River.
The gardens are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day from spring through fall. There is no admission fee to walk the gardens, although guided tours can be arranged in advance for larger groups.
The Munsinger Clemens Gardens will once again host its free summer concert series Music in the Gardens on alternating Sundays at 3 p.m. near the gazebo. Concert dates are June 8, June 22, July 6, July 20, Aug. 3 and Aug. 17. The Aug. 3 concert will also include the Memorial Butterfly Release put on by Quiet Oaks Hospice House, weather-permitting.
The Annual Art Fair in the Gardens will take place 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 17, where visitors are encouraged to browse and purchase artwork from more than 60 artists. Food vendors will be in attendance, and live music performed throughout the event.
For more information, visit