If your green thumb has frostbite, you might want to consider one of the garden tours sponsored by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The first trip, March 8 to 12, explores San Diego and Palm Springs, Calif., and includes the San Diego Zoo, world-famous for its diverse natural landscaping, Balboa Park's Japanese garden, the Quail Botanic Gardens and the Living Desert botanic garden in Palm Springs. The price is $2,095 including airfare.

For a more exotic destination, consider a tour of the tulips along the Rhein River from Strasbourg, France, to Amsterdam (March 29-April 7), the gardens and mansions of Long Island, N.Y. (June 5-9), the Danube River (July 24-Aug. 6) and the gardens of Scandinavia (Aug. 13-22) and Southeast Asia (Nov. 7-19).

For more information, contact Pat O'Brien at 952-443-1443 or obrie060@umn.edu.