Street Address:
Gustavus Adolphus College
800 W. College Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
Directions:
Off Hwy.169 between College Ave. and Jefferson Ave., off 7th Street
Phone Number:
507 993-7003
Website: http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/arboretum/
Run by:
Gustavus Adolphus College
Date Established:
1973
Size:
55 acres
Designer:
Landscape Architect Herb Baldwin
Cost:
No admission fee
Peak Season:
Summer through fall
Extras:
Restrooms in the Interpretive Center
Free parking lot at entrance
Hiking through 55 acres
Bird watching
Comments:
These 55 acres have been cultivated as an arboretum by Gustavus Adolphus College, as a resource for their students and as an educational and inspirational resource for all visitors. The Arboretum is named for famed botanist, Carolus Linnaeus (1707 - 1778) who was responsible for instituting bi-nomial, Latin nomenclature - genus and species. There is a bust of Linnaeus at the Arboretum entrance. The three natural eco-systems of Minnesota (the conifer forest of the north, the prairie of the south and west and the deciduous forest of the state's mid-section) are represented at the Arboretum in expansive areas. These large habitats emphasize the natural associations of plants within each eco-system. There are collections of specific woody species as well - lilacs, oaks, lindens and ironwoods. Near the entrance is an interpretive center (open selected hours) which hosts exhibits and programs and is a source for printed materials on the Arboretum. Surrounding this building are display beds of garden plants and trees not native to Minnesota. There is an herb garden, a hardy rose garden containing nearly 50 species of roses, a shaded hosta collection, a white garden and several annual and perennial planting beds. Plants are well tended and labeling, especially on deciduous trees, is good. There is a restored Swedish pioneer cabin built in 1866 which was moved onto the Arboretum grounds, within the deciduous habitat, in 1996. |
