Visit Our Minnesota State Fair Garden

Anise hyssop is a favorite plant with pollinators. The Minnesota State Fair can be a hot, dusty and crowded place, but there are places of refuge. One of them is the MSHS State Fair Garden, which is at the corner of Underwood and Judson in the southeast end of the fairgrounds. The garden is designed to show how lush a Minnesota garden can be in late summer.

The centerpiece of the garden is a water feature, which includes a small waterfall and a pool filled with pond plants. Surrounding the stone-lined water feature are plants that flourish in our Minnesota summers: hydrangea, tall Rudbeckia, Joe-Pye weed, hardy hibiscus, anise hyssop and many others. A fence near the sidewalk is edged with the Monarch series ageratum developed by David Zlesak, a University of Minnesota PhD, who now teaches at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

The garden is alive with the sounds of water flowing and bees buzzing. It includes a few places to sit and bits of shade here and there. The garden is maintained by wonderful volunteers from the St. Anthony Park Garden Club, and you’ll frequently find a volunteer in the garden who is happy to answer questions about the plants and garden care.

While you are in the area, be sure to walk through the nearby Agriculture/Horticulture building to visit our booth on the north end. The MSHS booth is located near The Dirt stage.

Below are some photos of the garden this year. Hope you can visit!

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