The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
A fun and outstanding tour of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
UMRA celebrated Earth Day 2025 with a forum presentation by UMRA member Peter Moe, who is the recently retired director of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. He gave an energetic and thorough presentation that highlighted the history of the Arboretum and its many programs, gardens, and—of course—development of apples and other fruits and plants. It was a tour de force that was well received by an enthusiastic audience.
The first land for the present program was purchased in 1908 and utilized for fruit research. In 1958, the Arboretum was formally established, and since then it has grown into a gorgeous set of gardens, demonstration plots, research facilities, and buildings that stretch over 1,200 acres southwest of Minneapolis in Chaska. Nearly 700,000 people visit annually, and 1,836 volunteers provided support last year. The Arboretum is largely self-funded (92 percent) through philanthropy, sales, and endowment earnings.
High-quality apples, grapes, plums and more
Its most famous program is apple breeding, which has been going on for 117 years. While many apples have been developed, its most successful brands are Honeycrisp, Honeygold, Zestar!, SweeTango, and First Kiss. Recently, the U of M has developed Triumph, an offspring of Honeycrisp and Liberty that is resistant to apple scab, a perennial problem for apple trees and the most common disease of apple and crabapple trees in Minnesota.
We also learned that the Arboretum has been responsible for developing grape varieties for many decades. Its most recent cultivar is Clarion, which produces high-quality, dry white wines.
The Arboretum has also developed the Alderman plum tree, which is valued as a hardy ornamental for home gardens. Moe told us that plums are the easiest and cleanest fruit to grow at home.
With his dynamic slide presentation, he also took us on a virtual tour of the trees, gardens, demonstration plots, and flower gardens. He particularly talked up red maples and the Northern Lights series of azaleas, and suggested that you visit and see the well-developed plants and gardens at the Arboretum as you decide what to plant.
Our thanks to Peter Moe for an outstanding and fun presentation.
—Bill Donohue, UMRA Program Committee
Celebrating the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Earth Day
Tue, April 22, 2025, at 11am
Peter Moe
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director, retired
University of Minnesota
Midland Hills Country Club
2001 Fulham Street
Roseville, MN 55113
UMRA’s Earth Day forum on April 22 at Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville will feature a presentation by Peter Moe, the recently retired director of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. He started working for the Arboretum as a student gardener in 1973 and stayed some 50 years. He served in increasingly responsible positions until he was appointed director in 2016, the position he held until he retired in 2023. He is well known and admired for building an incredibly successful facility and program for the University.
Moe will provide us with a brief history of the Arboretum and information on how its research programs, gardens, plant collections, displays, and educational programs provide a resource for home gardeners. He will cover several of the high-quality fruit and landscape plants developed at the Arboretum, including apples from the famous Haralson and Honeycrisp to Triumph and Kudos; well-adapted shade trees, including the Northwood Red Maple; and the Northern Lights series of hardy azaleas that has been so successful.
A 1975 graduate of the University, Moe holds a bachelor of science in horticultural science and master of agriculture from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. His wife and all three of their children are U of M graduates. “I decided I would attend the U of M while I was in the second grade,” Moe said in a 2024 interview with the UMRA newsletter. Not surprisingly, he is also an avid gardener.
The Arboretum predates Earth Day (first observed in 1970) but, as Moe has pointed out, its mission, programs, and plantings match up well with the goals and objectives of Earth Day.
We are lucky to have such a timely and talented speaker, and we invite all to come and learn and get ready for spring in Minnesota.
Make your reservation and prepay today for UMRA’s luncheon forum at Midland Hills on Tuesday, April 22.
—Bill Donohue, UMRA Program Committee
Upcoming Events
Meeting to plan books for next year.
There has been a lot in the news recently about the University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota Physicians, and Fairview Health Services. Please join us at breakfast on January 8 for a respectful and engaging discussion of their relationship.
The theme for January is great MN views.
52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander will be the selection for discussion when the UMRA Book Club gathers via Zoom for its first monthly meeting of 2026.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota, including my grandfather whose unusual relationship to several churches and religion in general was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
UMRA’s Cabinets of Curiosity tour on Thursday, February 12, will offer an inside look into the rich resources of the University Libraries Borchert Map Library. Map Librarian Ryan Mattke will showcase the treasures and innovations of one of the largest map libraries in the U.S.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.