Rest & relax in the Picnic Garden Area
The Picnic garden area offers a scenic spot to rest or enjoy a meal during whatever activity brings visitors to the fairgrounds. The garden sometimes serves as the backdrop of trophy pictures for winners of the many horse and dog shows that are held at the fairgrounds each year.
This segment is also where some of the Master Gardener activities take place during the Washington County Fair. In the fall, the picnic table is utilized for applicant interviews when new members apply to become Master Gardeners.
While this area is not part of the original gardens that were established in 1994, this garden does feature three rose bushes transplanted from the original U of M Extension test plots elsewhere in the garden.
In 2022 this segment went through a complete redesign by a new Master Gardener team. The butterfly benches, which used to be orange in color and located in the cottage garden, were painted blue to match the picnic table. The three trellises, built by volunteers, support the climbing vines of the honeysuckle Kintzley’s ghost, a rare heirloom native plant.
In 2023, the hosta portion of the picnic area was expanded to accommodate a memorial bench for a beloved Master Gardener. The hostas featured around the bench came from her home garden.
Now in 2024, some tiger-eye sumac became invasive and had to be removed. It was replaced with a vraiety of sedums to show the various colors and shapes of these beautiful plants.
Plant list
A assortment of annuals including melampodium, zinnia, cosmos and marigold; Orange along with some pink varieties of cosmos that are volunteers from last year, zinnia is State Fair mix.
B ornamental crab – Malus
C Japanese lilac tree – Syringa reticulata
D honeysuckle Kintzley’s ghost – Lonicera reticulata “Kintzley’s Ghost”
E gazania – Gazania rigens ‘ “Kiss Mix”
F sedum – Frosted Fire
G siberian dogwood – Cornus alba ‘sibirica’
H sedum – Sedum takesimense “Atlantis”
J goats beard – Aruncus dioicus
K Midnight Marvel hibiscus – Hibiscus moscheutos
M china rose – Rosa chinensis
N sedum – Rock’n Round ‘Bright Idea’
O purple coneflower – Echinacea purpurea
P russian sage – Perovskia atriplicifolia
Q sedum – Autumn Joy
R sedum – Abbydore stonecrop
S sedum – Purple crush
T1 sedum – Sunsparkler series Dazzleberry
T2 sedum – Sunsparkler series Lime Zinger
T3 sedum – Sunsparkler series Firecracker
U spotted joe pye-weed – Eutrochium maculatum
V Empress Wu Hosta – Hosta “empress wu”
W Autumn frost – Hosta “autumn frost”
X Paisley print – Hosta “paisley print”
Y Curly fries – Hosta “curly fries”
Z First frost – Hosta “first frost”
ZZ hostas – varieties in process of being identified
AA canna lily – canna
BB red dahlia – Dahlia coccinea
Garden map
Photo gallery
Come through the arbor and enjoy the shady & colorful picnic area. A new bench was added in 2023, surrounded by hostas from a beloved gardener’s home. 
A “before” photo of the picnic garden. 
A “during” photo of the picnic garden. 
An “after” photo, a much more inviting spot to sit. 
An heirloom native plant, the honeysuckle Kintzley’s ghost features yellow blooms in spring that attract pollinators. 
The picnic garden features the original rose plants used when the Fairest Garden was first established as a testing site for the U of M Extension Service. 
On a hot summer day, take a break in the shade near the hostas. 
Tiger eye sumac and Joe-pye weed create a leafy buffer from viewing the road behind the plants.