Part of the fun of being a water gardener is visiting other water gardens! Historic water gardens fascinate me. It seems even gardeners from times’ past considered gardens and grounds “complete” with the addition of ponds and fountains and the Plummer house is no exception! This past summer Jeff and I had the opportunity to tour the Plummer house and gardens in Rochester, MN.

The house construction began in 1917, near the time Dr. Henry Plummer began working with Dr. Mayo in Rochester. He and his wife Daisy, a talented musician, build their Tudor style house on 65 acres just outside the city. The house is beautiful and contains a special “organ room” in the basement which I mistakenly believed was for doctor related things but was actually for the pipes from Daisy’s huge pipe organ!

Trails wide around the house, past large white pines, a garden built over a swimming pool, a greenhouse, and down into a large sunken garden area between limestone rocks.

In each end of this large garden are two ponds, tucked against the cliffs. A small waterfall trickles over one.

Both ponds are built from concrete and I believe the fountains and the little waterfall are the only aeration. They also use dye to suppress algae growth but being in shady garden corners, one doesn’t notice the dye and the ponds bring a softness to the harshness of the rock walls.

This type of rock is prolific in southern MN. The Minnesotan limestone is very soft and easily falls apart, esp in water gardens. It is useful for road base and other things but is not recommended for ponds.

Limestone from other states like Wisconsin and Missouri is more durable and suitable for building waterfalls and ponds.

Dr. Plummer and Daisy wanted to create a home always open to others and that continues today. After their deaths, the home was donated and now the Rochester Park and Rec Department operate and maintain the home and 11 acres of outdoor space. For tour information about the Plummer house, visit: Plummer House | Rochester, MN

****************************************************************************************************