Best Gardens In The Twin Cities

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. Luckily, in the Twin Cities there is an abundance of breathtaking gardens where blooms are guaranteed to put on a spectacular show year after year. See below for some of the best gardens.

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary

Theodore Wirth Parkway and Glenwood Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55422
612-370-4903
www.minneapolisparks.org

The 100-year-old Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is the oldest public wildflower garden in the United Sates. Today the property stretches over 15 diverse acres in Theodore Wirth Regional Park complete with 500 plants and 140 bird species. A 2/3-mile trail invites guest to see the grounds "off the beaten path" and learn more via the 49 interpretive stations.

University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

3675 Arboretum Drive
Chaska MN 55318
952-443-1400
www.arboretum.umn.edu

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum spans more than 1,000 acres and had 32 displays and specialty gardens, 48 plant collections and more than 5,000 plant species and varieties. Visitors can roam over 12.5 miles of garden paths and hiking trails or opt for the Three-Mile Drive to see the arboretum's extensive collection.

Lyndale Park Rose Garden

4124 Roseway Road
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone: 612 230-6400
www.minneapolisparks.org

The 1946 Lyndale Park Rose Garden is proudly the second oldest public rose garden in the United States. Situated in the 64-acre Lyndale Park, the 1.5 acre rose garden contains 3,000 plants with more than 250 varieties. The gardens are located near the northeast corner of Lake Harriet.

Memorial Rose Garden

75 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
www.mnhs.org

Our beautiful Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul is more than a beautiful structure; the grounds display the beautiful and historically significant Veterans Memorial Rose Garden which has been a living memorial to Minnesota veterans since 1955. The garden is located near the Veterans Services Building.

Noerenberg Memorial Park

2840 North Shore Drive
Wayzata, MN 55391
763 559-6700
www.threeriversparkdistrict.org

Situated on the former estate of Grain Belt Brewery founder Frederick Noerenberg, the Noerenberg Memorial Gardens sits alongside Crystal Bay on Lake Minnetonka. Designed in English Landscape Style, it is regarded as one of the finest gardens in Minnesota. Accents include eye-catching tiered rose beds and Northern Lights azaleas.

Normandale Japanese Garden

Normandale Community College
9700 France Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55431
952-832-6000
www.normandale.edu/japanesegarden

The Bloomington Affiliated Garden Clubs established the Normandale Japanese Garden in 1964. Designer Takao Watanabe, landscape architect for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, added traditional Japanese features including a gated entrance, bridges, symbolic islands, stone lanterns, rocks, streams and waterfalls.