by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Space is limited for a July 19 bus trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Horticultural Research Center in Chaska.
The trip is sponsored by the Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Program of Benton County
The bus will leave at 8 a.m. Tuesday, July 19 from the St. Cloud East Shopko parking lot and return there by 6 p.m. Lunch is not included in the $40 cost of the trip.
Visitors will have a chance to tour the breathtaking gardens filled with flowers, shrubs, trees and sculptures. A tram trip (fee included in trip cost) will allow visitors to explore the entire 1,040-acre property.
Visitors will also hear from researchers at the center, visit the new Bee and Pollinator Center, and see where the famous Honeycrisp apple was developed. The arboretum does have a dining facility, but those on the tour are welcome to bring their own bagged lunch if they like.
For more information or to register, call 320-968-5077 or 1-800-964-4929. Checks for $40 can be made out payable to Benton County Master Gardeners and mailed to Arboretum Trip, P.O. Box 650, Foley, Minn. 56329.
Those who are currently Extension Master Gardeners or who have arboretum memberships will be charged only $31 for the trip.
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska was established in 1958 by several organizations, including the Men’s Garden Club of Minneapolis, the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and other supporters.
There are more than 5,000 plant species in the arboretum, which has become one of the finest horticultural field laboratories and public-display areas in the nation.
