Collections behind the Snyder Building

Peonies along the peony walk

Peony collection. Photo by Jason Boudreau-Landis

Location

Along the paved walkways behind the Snyder Building

Path Type
Accessible; Paved
Type of Garden
Specialty Gardens

Various walkways wind behind the Snyder Building and along them, visitors will find a variety of smaller plant collections. Daylilies, lilies, dahlias, mums, lilacs and peonies enchant visitors throughout the year. For a full list of plants in each collection, check out our Plant Finder where you can search by location.

About the Collections and Displays

Lily collection sign and orange lillies
White and gold lillies
Orange and pink lillies
White and pink lillies

Lily Collection

Located on the Lindquist Walk above the Dwarf Conifer Collection, the Lily Collection features more than 100 varieties of lilies (Lilium) in a wide array of colors, sizes, flower forms and varieties including martagon, Asiatic, Oriental and more. 

Blooming primarily in June, the bloom time of the collection as a whole is extended by the wide variety of lilies in the collection, some of which bloom earlier, and some later. 

The continued development of the Lily Collection is supported by the North Star Lily Society, which provides advice on plant selection and lily culture.

 

Dahlia Display

In late summer and early fall, visitors delight in the show of towering, colorful dahlias found in the Arboretum’s Dahlia Display. Located just up the hill from the Lily Collection, the display typically features over 50 varieties of stunning hybrid dahlias. 

Dahlias are not winter hardy in Minnesota, and the tubers of the dahlias must be dug in the fall and stored in a cool, dry location over the winter. The Arboretum typically buys new tubers each year to halt the spread of disease and to ensure strong blooms in August and September. 

Hummingbirds can often be spotted flitting among the border of annual salvia that complements the display. 

Red and magenta dahlias
Hummingbird on a dahlia sign
Peach dahlias
Yellow orange dahlias

 

People walking in the daylily collection
Assorted daylilies
Peach daylily
Maroon and red daylilies

Daylily Collection

The Daylily Collection is home to three species and more than 300 unique cultivars of daylilies. While they aren’t true lilies, both the common name, daylily, and the Latin name, Hemerocallis, refer to the beautiful — but brief — bloom of the individual flowers. The brightly colored blooms generally last about one day, but the plant quickly replaces the lost flowers and can exhibit blooms for about a month. 

Native to Asia, daylilies have been introduced all over the world due to their hardiness and beauty. Be sure to stop by in late June through July to see this collection in peak bloom. Learn more about daylilies with Extension

 

Chrysanthemum Collection

Commonly known as mums or garden mums, chrysanthemums bloom in late summer and early fall and are a popular choice for seasonal displays and fall planters. While they can be treated as an annual, the University of Minnesota’s mum breeding program — which began in the 1920s — has developed more than 90 garden mums that are hardy enough to survive Minnesota’s harsh winters.

Located across from the Dahlia Display, the Chrysanthemum Collection features examples of University of Minnesota-developed mums including plants from the popular Mammoth™ series of shrub cushion habit mums.

Stop by the collection in September and October to view the mums in peak bloom. Learn more about the mum collection on our blog

Mum collection
Multicolored mums in the collection
Yellow mums
Purple mums

 

St. Francis in the lilac collection
Dark purple lilacs
Zoomed in image of lilac blooms

Lilac Walk

Located across from the Lily Collection, the Lilac Walk features a display of fragrant lilacs in a restful, secluded setting. Here, visitors will discover a statue of St. Francis — patron saint of animals and the environment — by artist Douglas O. Freeman surrounded by an array of lilacs that burst into bloom in the spring. 

This small, grassy area is great for picnicking or enjoying from a nearby bench in the spring. Learn more about growing lilacs in Minnesota

 

Lang Peony Walk

In late spring, the Lang Peony Walk comes to life as the massive flower heads of peonies (Paeonia sp.) burst into bloom. 

Native to northern climates in Europe and Asia (and even one native to North America), these perennials need a cold winter to thrive. After a good chill, they bloom with large, fragrant flowers in an array of white, pink, red and pale yellow in late May and early June.

Located along the curved pathway behind the Annual Garden, the Peony Collection was moved to its current location and renamed as the Lang Peony Walk in 1983.

Peony walk
Dark pink peony
Light pink peonies