St. Cloud’s Spectacular Munsinger and Clemens Gardens Blooms with 100,000 Reasons to Visit

(KNSI) – The award-winning Munsinger and Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud has 100,000 reasons for people to grow to love them.

That’s how many types of annuals, tulips, roses, perennials, shrubs, and other flowers and plants make up the city’s top tourist attraction. The gardens were rated number eight on USA Today’s Top Ten US Gardens for Plant Lovers’ List, released in March.

According to the article, Munsinger Gardens feature a more informal and natural landscape with winding paths adorned with colorful flowerbeds. Clemens Gardens offers a more formal and structured experience. It’s divided into various themed gardens.

St. Cloud Garden Supervisor Nia Primus has made the place her first love since 2008 and believes the charm surrounding the garden’s location was a big part of getting the recognition. “First of all, it’s on the banks of the Mississippi River, and you’re not going to find many gardens that have the views that we have. It’s also free. So, a lot of people can come and not have to pay admission. So I think that is a big draw for the gardens.”

Jake Judd/KNSI News

She and her staff ordered all the flowers the summer before. The stars of the show start arriving at the end of March. That’s also when 22 part-time workers join the garden’s three full-time employees. Together, the crew of 25 begins to prepare the grounds. The team spends the days cleaning out flowerbeds, getting all the water features cleaned out and ready, and getting the roses uncovered and tipped back up. All those little steps are done leading to the end of May when planting starts.

While everything needs to be planted by early July, Primus tells KNSI News that doesn’t mean the grounds aren’t worth a visit now; “The tulips are the main feature. Everything else is coming, or it’s already been done. Magnolia, so far, has already bloomed.” The daffodils are also in bloom.

The famous peacocks arrived in the 1970s. The beautiful birds are considered a staple of gardens. The tradition dates back to the Greeks, who believed they represented immortality.

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