Gardens

Twenty-eight separate gardens on one small Edina block — formal beds, a daylily garden, a hosta glade, a woodland walk — plus a greenhouse, a gazebo, and the Edina Historical Society in the same grounds.

A glass conservatory at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden — palms and seasonal blooms under glass, free and warm year-round, steps from the Spoonbridge and Cherry.

The country's oldest wildflower garden — 18 acres of woodland, meadow, and wetland in Theodore Wirth Park. Gated and open April through October. Free.

A formal 13-acre garden by Minnehaha Falls, built around a central arbor with a downtown skyline view. Free.

The gardens above Lake Harriet — the nation's second-oldest public rose garden, plus a peace garden and perennial beds. Free, year-round.

St. Paul's glass conservatory at Como Park — a domed palm house and sunken garden that bloom all winter, next door to the free zoo. Free; a donation is suggested.

A former Lake Minnetonka estate garden on Crystal Bay, known for its daylilies and formal beds. Open the warm months, May through October. Free.

A two-acre Japanese garden on the Normandale college campus in Bloomington — koi ponds, bridges, and clipped pines. Free; open spring through fall.

A St. Paul–Changsha friendship garden on Lake Phalen — a three-story pavilion modeled on Changsha's Aiwan Pavilion, a moon bridge, and a Hmong cultural plaza. Free.

The University of Minnesota's 1,200-acre arboretum in Chaska — display gardens, a three-mile drive, miles of trails, and a giant model-train garden, open 363 days a year. Admission for adults; kids free.