Published: April 24, 2008 11:55 am            

History, hardiness grow at arboretum, horticulture center

Originally published in the April 18, 2008, print edition.

Long ago, 100 years to be exact, the land between Chaska and Excelsior was about to begin a rich history.

A history of being the land that created some of the hardiest developed fruit in Minnesota, fruit that even the most stoic Minnesotans would rave about. The University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center is on this land.

The HRC will be celebrating its 100th birthday this year and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will celebrate its 50th. Both are located next to one another near Chaska.

Peter Moe, director of operations for the HRC and the arboretum, has been working there for 33 years. Both facilities are owned by the University of Minnesota and managed jointly. According to Moe, both generate research projects while the HRC focuses on areas such as apple and grape breeding, and the arboretum does more flower and plant-based research.

The HRC began because “in the 1880s and early 1900s very little fruit was shipped into Minnesota,” Moe said. Most farms grew their own fruits and vegetables. But for example, apple trees that were brought to Minnesota from other parts of the United States would not thrive in our harsh conditions. The U of M began the Fruit Breeding Farm at the HRC’s current location. The area near Lake Minnetonka was a big fruit breeding region.

According to Moe, another reason the spot was chosen was because the streetcar went from the U of M to a stop adjacent to the HRC. The spot also offered “rolling hills and a lake for irrigation,” Moe said. It didn’t take along for the HRC to begin creating fruit that grew and flourished in Minnesota’s difficult climate. “By 1922, Haralson apple was released,” Moe said.

This triumph kept the program strong. It has remained strong today with “several new apples named in the last 10 years,” he said.

While the apple breeding program is still prominent, the HRC recently built an oenology lab. Oenology is the study of wine; grape growing has taken off in the state with more and more people interested in learning how to grow grapes.

While the arboretum is opened to the public, the majority of the HRC is off limits to the public due to on-going research being conducted.

Because of the success of the fruit breeding program, local garden clubs and others were interested in doing the same for shrubs and plants. Money was soon raised to create the arboretum and purchase the initial 160 acres. The arboretum started with gardening classes for adults, now there are many classes for all ages.

The location of the arboretum is a “beautiful natural site” Moe said that offers “different exposure.” Because of the varying terrain there are many types of moisture conditions found in the soil that allow for a multitude of plants and shrubs to grow.

The arboretum has released hardy rose bushes named Sven, Ole and Lena that are resistant to black spot. According to Moe, the rose bushes along with other shrubs have to not only be good in Minnesota but be able to compete with other shrubs of their kind from all over the world.

The two anniversaries will be celebrated in many different ways throughout this year. On June 22 Target is sponsoring Family Day, a day when people can come to the arboretum for free, enjoy some birthday cake, and the best part is the “roses will be in full bloom,” Moe said.

He encourages people to bring their families and get ideas for their own gardens. The arboretum this spring will have hundreds of flower containers around the grounds.

The arboretum will also be showcasing their “Treeology” exhibit that honors the role of trees in our world. There will be 17 trees designed by Minnesota artists and designers along the walkway at the arboretum in a piece called “Art ’n’ Trees Trail”. Trees have been a vital component to the arboretum and this exhibit honors their importance. The “Treeology” exhibit opens May 24 and runs through Oct. 12.

If you visit the arboretum in May, Moe recommends that you “drive the three-mile drive” around the grounds that show you the vast array of flowers, shrubs, plants and trees at the arboretum. The self-guided walking tours are “the best way to see the gardens,” he said. There will be 50,000 bulbs in bloom during that time.

With 1,047 acres of land at the HRC and arboretum there is bound to be something amazing blooming from spring to fall. Since the mid-1990s they have purchased more than 100 acres and are trying to purchase a couple more parcels, assuring that the long history of research and development will continue and that people will have the opportunity to view beauty in all colors, varieties and breeds for a long time to come.

For more information and arboretum hours, log on to www.arboretum.umn.edu.

        

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