Grand Rounds Gardens

FORMAL GARDENS

Minnehaha Falls Pergola Gardens

This perennial garden feature native wildflowers and grasses that border the new pergola overlook at the falls.This spectacular display attracts visitors and butterflies from May to September.

The gardens are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Lyndale Park Gardens

Located on the northeast shore of Lake Harriet, immediately adjacent to Roseway Road, Lyndale Park Gardens encompasses three distinctive gardens.The Rose Garden is an official AARS test rose garden. It is the second oldest public rose garden in the United States with roses in bloom from mid-June until late in September.

The Rose Garden and Perennial Garden are connected via a small plaza, home to the Heffelfinger Fountain. The Perennial Garden begins its show in May with spring bulbs and perennials. Peak display time is from mid-June until frost.

The east end of the Garden is anchored by the Gateway Fountain, complete with spitting turtles.Across the street from the fountain is the Peace Garden. Hardy alpine plants and dwarf conifers are featured in this recreated rock garden.

Bloom time begins in April and continues till frost. Peak bloom time occurs before June 1^st. Immediately adjacent to the Peace Garden is the Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary.This is an excellent location for birding, particularly in April and May during the spring migration. The ponds regulary attract summer-nesting waterfowl.

Thomas Lowry Park

Formerly known as Seven Pools Park, this charming park was recently restored. The vine-covered brick pergola offers a shady spot from which to enjoy the view of St. Mark’s Cathedral. Seven manmade pools cascade down the slope of the park with perennials planted alongside. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Located in the shadow of downtown Minneapolis, this 11 acre sculpture garden is a joint project between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Walker Art Center.

Open to the public year-round, the Garden features some 40 sculptures by leading American and international artists, the Cowles Conservatory, and Spoonbridge and Cherry, a giant fountain-sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

The Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, designed by Siah Armajani, connects the Garden to Loring Park and downtown Minneapolis. A section added in 1992, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, features groves of deciduous trees, a rectangular granite-paved sculpture plaza, a 300-foot-long vine-covered arbor, and a perennial garden.

The Cowles Conservatory, which contains the Regis Gardens, houses permanent and temporary exhibitions of horticulture and works of art. The glass-and-wood sculpture Standing Glass Fish, by California architect Frank Gehry, is on view in the Conservatory's center house.

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary

Located in Theodore Wirth Park, this is the oldest wildflower garden in the United States. Meandering trails lead visitors through woodland, bog and prairie areas. Trilliums, jack-in-the-pulpit, lady slippers and big bluestem are just a few of the treasures waiting for you. The garden is an excellent place to test or develop your birding skills.

Guided “drop-in” walks are provided each weekday at 6 pm. Different programs are offered each weekend, including full moon and new moon hikes. Program schedules are available at Minneapolis Recreation Centers, the Garden, or by calling 612-370-4900.

The Garden is open daily from 7:30am to dusk April 1^st to October 15^th. The Crone Shelter is staffed by Naturalists Monday to Friday from 3:30 pm to dusk, Saturdays from 10 am to dusk, and Sundays noon to dusk. For directions to the Garden or further information, please call 612-370-4903.

Quaking Tamarack Bog

Located in Theodore Wirth Park, this hidden five-acre bog is unique to the metro area. A floating boardwalk will carry you across the open moat to the kettle depression also known as the “quaking bog.” Nearly 200 mature tamaracks shade the understory of sphagnum moss in this acidic bog. This is a great location to listen for songbirds and frogs as well as to look for dragonflies.

Please stay on the boardwalk to avoid compacting this rare eco-system.

Lake Nokomis Savanna Restoration and Prairie Garden

In the spring of 1998, the steep hillside southeast of the Nokomis Community Center was planted in grasses and wildflowers.Three perennial gardens, using only plants native to this area, were installed near the intersection of Lake Nokomis Parkway and 50th Street East.

While the hillside restoration will closely replicate the original savanna ecosystem, the gardens provide ideas on how to use native plants in your own yard.