Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS)
MSHS to serve Northern gardeners through education, encouragement, and community. Through a variety of educational programs, classes and conferences, and by publishing an award-winning magazine, Northern Gardener, MSHS helps its members and the general public to be better gardeners in USDA plant hardy Zones 3, 4 and 5. MSHS’ plant donation network, Minnesota Green, started in 1988, serves the greening efforts of volunteer gardeners throughout the state. Minnesota Green promotes grassroots efforts to revitalize communities by coordinating the donation and distribution of nurseries and greenhouse’s flowers and trees to be planted in public spaces statewide.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Horticulture
- Market Focus:
- Nationally (across the country)
About Us
Our mission is to serve northern gardeners through education, encouragement and community.
Established in 1866, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) is one of the country's oldest horticultural societies. Gardening in the North can be challenging, and we seek to help new and experienced gardeners alike have positive experiences with plants and success in their gardens.
Goals
We seek to help the community and our members - novice and experienced - learn how to grow plants in our challenging northern climate, become better gardeners and positively impact the environment.
Cultivate CommunityWe connect people and plants. Through our ongoing educational and community outreach programs, we provide knowledge and plants to help gardeners grow their own food and beautify their neighborhoods.
Encourage GardeningWe inspire people to become better gardeners and community members by sharing the stories of other gardeners, providing simple solutions for starting a garden and promoting the benefits plants have on people.
Our Work
Northern Gardener is the only magazine edited exclusively for gardening in USDA Hardiness Zones 3, 4 and 5. It's Minnesota's only homegrown gardening magazine that's written by people who garden here. Each issue is filled with timely columns and feature articles that cover all areas of gardening and skill level. Our award-winning magazine, which includes a digital edition, is one of the many benefits of being a member of MSHS.
Minnesota Green coordinates donations of plants, seeds and gardening tools from growers, garden centers, seed companies, individuals and groups and redistributes them to community and public space gardens. Grown and organized by community members, these gardens beautify neighborhoods, provide space to grow healthy food and serve as places members of the community gather, socialize and learn.
Our raised bed vegetable gardening program donates raised bed boxes, soil, compost, vegetable plants, seeds, webinars and other educational resources to organizations serving low-income or at-risk children and families. The Garden-in-a-Box program connects people to the food they eat by showing them how it's grown, and encourages healthy eating habits through garden commitment and simple, tasty food preparation options.
We provide many educational opportunities to our members (who get discounted rates) and anyone else who wants to learn about plant- and garden-related topics. Classes, presentations with garden writers, hands-on workshops, tours and exhibits at large events.
MSHS History
MSHS was founded in 1866 as an association of fruit growers who took on the challenge of growing apples and other fruits in a northern climate. Two years later, the association changed its name to recognize the importance of all phases of horticulture development in rural and urban Minnesota.
Today, MSHS serves northern gardeners and the horticultural industry in Minnesota and additional cold climate regions and is a resource to over 15,000 members and subscribers—individuals, garden clubs, plant societies, and the horticultural industry.
We publish Northern Gardener magazine and reach the broader Minnesota community through our programs: educational classes and events, our Minnesota Green program, and our Garden-in-a-Box program.
In 2016, MSHS celebrated its 150th anniversary and is looking ahead to address current issues in horticulture, such as helping gardeners provide habitat and food for pollinators and helping low-income families vegetable garden.
