Photo by Johanna DeBuhr
HORTICULTURE
ERIN BUCHHOLZ • GEORGE AND MARY LOU KLACAN PLANT HEALTH SPECIALIST
What happens to the koi? In the summer, visitors often admire the Woodland Azalea and Japanese Gardens’ resident koi fish. “The koi are super interesting and people really enjoy watching them,” said Horticulturist Matt Horth (above right) who oversees these gardens. The gardens’ water features are cementlined and not heated, so the fish are removed during the winter months. They vacation in a heated barn during the winter, and once spring weather resumes, the fish return for visitors to enjoy. Photo by Mark MacLennan
Every year, beginning in the fall, Arboretum staff begin the important task of preparing the gardens for the winter ahead. In order to hit the ground running in the spring, our staff spends the fall taking care of many tasks spread out across our acreage, protecting our gardens from low temperatures, animal damage and other potentially detrimental elements of our Minnesota winters.
Photo by Tom Lany
Goodnight, roses The beautiful hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras and miniature roses — found in the Wilson Rose Garden and across the Arboretum’s grounds — are not hardy in our climate. If we were to leave them unprotected during the winter, they would die. So, we bury them! In October, Horticulturist Ted Pew, along with volunteers from the Minnesota Rose Society, tie the canes with twine, dig up one side of the roots (opposite a newly dug trench) and tip the roses into the trench before covering them with the soil that was just removed. This process — known as the Minnesota Tip Method — is completed with a layer of straw mulch that blankets the plants. In the spring, the whole process is reversed once the soil temperature warms and the growing season begins.
8 | A R B O R E T U M M AGA Z I N E // D E C E M B ER 2023 • J A N UA RY 2024
Oh, deer. Not again! While the Arboretum is mostly enclosed by a perimeter fence, the grounds are not free of white-tailed deer. Arborvitae, pine and yews — and sometimes juniper — are browsed by deer, depending on the scarcity of food and the severity of the weather. To prevent damage, we apply repellents, but physical barriers are best. Each fall, Horticulturists Darwin Pellett and Aleah Bingham are responsible for installing temporary fences around the display gardens near the main entrance. It may be unsightly, but nothing works better to protect our gardens from foraging deer.
