Fresh Cuttings: When Gardens Remember

Diana Pierce
Oct 29
3 min read

Minnesota Blooms From Altar to Winter

by Diana Pierce, Oct. 29, 2025

From golden marigolds honoring ancestors to the first spruce pots of the season — discover how our gardens, traditions, and communities keep blooming forward, even as the year grows quiet.

Woman with colorful shawl stands by a vibrant Day of the Dead altar with flowers, food, skulls, and a photo. Red truck in the background. — Monica Vega with her Ofrenda (altar) at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Photo: Diana Pierce

Honoring Those We’ve Loved

Community Ofrenda at the Weisman - Día de los Muertos

Wednesday, October 29 | 5–8 p.m.

University of Minnesota Campus

Altar remains on view through November 9

Free Admission

Presented with Centro Tyrone Guzman & artist Monica Vega

Bring a photo of someone you’ve lost. Artist Monica Vega welcomes everyone to add to this year’s community altar — each image carefully preserved and displayed, year after year, in an ever-growing circle of remembrance.

Read last year’s story about Monica’s art of remembrance .

Dance, Drum, Remember

Midtown Global Market - Día de los Muertos

Saturday, November 1 | 11 a.m.–3 p.m.Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis

Featured: Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue & Ballet Folklórico México Azteca

Last year, dancers from Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue filled the Minneapolis Farmers Market with drumbeats and swirling feathers — a breathtaking celebration of heritage and spirit. This fall, they join Ballet Folklórico México Azteca for another vivid performance honoring ancestors through movement and song.

Dancers perform in vibrant, feathered attire in front of a mural wall. A drummer plays in the background. Atmosphere is lively and colorful. — *Aztec dancers in traditional feathered regalia at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Photo by Diana Pierce*

7 Million Reasons to Dream of Spring

From Remembrance to Renewal

While marigolds fade, another kind of bloom is stirring beneath the soil.

In the Netherlands: Gardeners at Keukenhof have begun their annual fall ritual — planting 7 million tulip bulbs by hand, including a stunning new flower bed shaped like the garden’s logo.

Four people kneel around a tulip-shaped design made of various bulbs on the ground in a grassy area. The design is colorful and detailed. — Bulbs placed into position for the new Keukenhof Logo. Photo Credit: Keukenhof Social Media.

Personal note: I have a trip planned to take photos there next year and I’m really excited.

At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Fall cleanup begins this week as display beds are tilled and composted before tulip planting. “We’ll lay out the new design with twine before planting,” says Duane Otto, Display Gardens Horticulturist.

The gardens are already dreaming of spring.

New to fall planting? Check out these two helpful guides:

The Do’s and Don’ts of Fall Planting from Proven Winners

And, FAQs on Bulb Planting- from Proven Winners

Bring the Forest Home

As the landscape quiets, it’s time to fill porches and doorsteps with the beauty of evergreens.

Spruce Top Pot Workshop at Tonkadale

Saturdays: November 1, 8 & 15 | 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.Tonkadale Greenhouse, Minnetonka

$20 workshop fee + materials (No outside greens, please)

Create your own fresh spruce pot in the warmth of the greenhouse — fragrant, festive, and ready to greet visitors all winter long.

When Life Imitates Bloom

Sometimes the universe has perfect timing.

Just days after my Bloom with Me story “Something Wicked This Way Blooms” — a playful nod to Little Shop of Horrors and its carnivorous Audrey II — this gem surfaced from New York’s Halloween Dog Parade: Halvor, a French Bulldog dressed as Audrey II himself.

You can’t make this stuff up.

ICYMI