Hennepin County Master Gardeners tour this weekend

One of the biggest educational garden tours in Minnesota is coming to Minneapolis and Edina.

The 2024 Hennepin County Master Gardener Volunteer Learning Garden Tour is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 13, rain or shine.

The tour highlights ten gardens across Edina and Minneapolis, demonstrating landscapes that can be adapted to a wide variety of situations. Each stop is a home garden of a Hennepin County Master Gardener volunteer. Over 1,200 people took part in last year’s tour.

The gardens offer unique opportunities to learn about the latest trends and techniques, all backed by university-based research. This year, one garden tour stop has two neighboring front-yard gardens that feature small-space gardening and raised beds. The location also includes a food truck and educational resources from the University of Minnesota Extension and other community partners.

The 2024 Learning Garden Tour emphasizes gardening practices that are achievable in almost every setting and by the beginner or experienced gardener. Tour features include:

• Ten one-of-a-kind gardens showcasing a wide variety of designs, locations, and styles.

• An education station at every stop featuring topics such as edible landscaping, rain gardens and living with jumping worms.

• Gifts and goodies at the “Garden Shed,” offering gardening-related accessories, and the “Book Nook,” which is stocked with a variety of books for kids and adults.

• Featured plant lists and garden stories.

• A chance to get trusted, reliable information from Hennepin County Master Gardener volunteers.

• An opportunity to explore urban and suburban garden settings.

Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Children under 12 can attend for free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased at shorturl.at/3e130.

Garden locations will be available at hennepinmastergardeners.org/events/learning-garden-tour.