Flowering crabapple trees overlooking a 10-acre pond. A towering Northern Catalpa with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant, white flowers. Massive oaks and drooping willows.
Sound like a park? A city garden? The manicured grounds of an exurban campus? Nope. It's a cemetery. Lakewood Cemetery, to be exact.
Lakewood is known for its sprawling 250-acre grounds and architectural treasures, but it has also gained a reputation for its landscaping.
Now, the careful curation and care of its more than 4,000 trees, shrubs and specialty plants have put the south Minneapolis cemetery on the global map. A top international industry standards group, ArbNet's Arboretum Accreditation Program, recently gave Lakewood Level 2 accreditation. The Chain of Lakes landmark was cited for its top-notch maintenance, which focuses on combatting climate change and tree diseases, and educational programs include birding and tree tours as well as cultural events.
Only the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum at Level 4 ranks higher in the state. Globally, there are 597 ArbNet-accredited arboretums across 39 countries.
"Nature is and always has been an absolutely integral part of the Lakewood experience," Lakewood President Chris Makowske said in a news release. "Our green spaces impart a sense of peace and calm. ... Becoming an accredited Arboretum validates this important aspect of our historic legacy and future vision."
The cemetery, founded in 1871, has an estimated 10,000 visitors annually. The grounds — including 9 miles of roadways and a pond — are open to the public. Lakewood is trying to get out the word about that, said spokeswoman Katie Welch Len.
"People think you have to have someone buried there and not many people know it is open to the public," she said. It's already a destination for bird watchers and tree lovers and became popular with walkers during the pandemic.
