Breaking Blooming News: Duluth’s Roses Need a Helping Hand This Saturday

By Diana Pierce, October 23, 2025

Volunteers at Duluth’s Leif Erikson Park use the “Minnesota Tip” method to prepare roses for the long winter ahead. Photo courtesy of the Lake Superior Rose Society.

Up in Duluth, where the winds off Lake Superior turn sharp by late October, even the roses get tucked in for winter.

This Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m.–noon, volunteers will gather at the Duluth Rose Garden in Leif Erikson Park (15 S 13th Avenue East) for one of Minnesota’s most beloved garden traditions — the Minnesota Tip.

It’s an ingenious technique that helps protect roses through the long, cold season by gently laying each plant into the soil and covering it for warmth. No experience is needed — just gloves, curiosity, and a love of blooms.

Tools will be provided, and experts from the Lake Superior Rose Society will guide volunteers through the process.

You can even bring a bag of clean, tied leaves to donate for extra insulation — but supplies are limited, and drop-off will close once enough are collected.

It’s messy work, sure — but also beautiful work. The kind that makes spring possible.

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