Andersen Horticultural Library Off-campus
Located at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Andersen Horticultural Library (AHL) is a reference library specializing in horticulture, botanical art, plant sciences and natural history.
In addition to the reference collection, custom-built Nakashima furnishings make this space a welcoming retreat for reading and reflection.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
Collections
Digitized collections
Andersen Horticultural Library's digitized items are freely available online through the UMedia Archive.
![Seed Catalog Illustration from A. Currie & Co., 1922](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2021-12/16607081588-189b5e7953-o.jpg?h=4ba9f21e&itok=cW9p3lDX)
Minnesota Seed and Nursery Catalogs
![Photograph of six color plates depicting various fruits](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/smithed-platebook.jpg?h=c2036a09&itok=vWAabU23)
Nurserymen's Platebooks
![Postcard for Lippincott Flower Seeds featuring young girl and nasturtiums](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/lippincott-flower-seeds-postcard.jpg?h=6fad9927&itok=_Ze4TVeX)
Three Minneapolis Seedswomen
![Hand drawn illustration of a green frog sitting on a leaf](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/ffi-frog.jpg?h=f13e70f2&itok=lgg_GpJD)
Flora and Fauna Illustrata
![Painting of three white dogwood flowers](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/agnes-williams-cornus-florida.jpg?h=76cfb439&itok=MBClo-70)
Botanical watercolors
Produced by Emma Roberts and Agnes Williams (1880s-early 1900s)
![Illustrated garden design plan from the MN Landscape Arboretum](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/garden-plan4.jpg?h=82e5043d&itok=BjU3I47k)
MLA Garden Design Plants and Photos
Special Research Collections These collections can be viewed by appointment.
Seed and Nursery Catalogs
One of North America's largest seed and nursery catalog collections with over 76,000 items dating from 1614 to the current year. More than 8,000 firms are represented.
Rare books and journals
Rare books and journals on horticulture, botany, garden design, botanical art and illustration, trees, birds, flowers, and other natural history subjects from the early 1500s to the present.
The Library collection is a rich resource for everyone from the weekend gardener planning a perennial border to the professional horticulturist.
Its collection of nearly 20,000 books and 300 subscriptions to magazines, newsletters, and scientific journals provides information and inspiration.
Areas of specialization include
- horticulture,
- botany,
- landscape design,
- botanical illustration,
- garden crafts,
- cookbooks, and
- natural history.
Included is a children's collection of books for readers of all ages.
Events
![Photograph of person reading to a group of children and their adults](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2023-05/storytime-web.jpg?itok=QtWn2Lpr)
StoryTime
StoryTime at the Andersen Horticultural Library is now every Thursday, and the last Friday of each month at 10:30 a.m.
We’ll celebrate plants, nature, and foster a love of reading as we explore the library's vast catalog of children’s books. StoryTime is recommended for ages 0-5, but all ages are welcome!
![Photograph of an open book on a desk](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2023-05/book-stack-sale-web.jpg?itok=mev_Iund)
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Become a Friend today to show your continued support for the Andersen Horticultural Library, and gain access to perks including a bi-annual newsletter, quarterly speaker events, and of course early-access to the 2024 Book Sale!
Donations of new and gently used books of all genres, DVDs, and puzzles are now being accepted! Please bring your items to the library during open hours, or call in advance to donate a large number of items.
![Hand drawn illustration of a pink and white tree peony](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-03/tree-peony-ffi.jpg?h=ee56472d&itok=hfVJ2SiM)
Call for artists
Artists from around the world are invited to show us the best of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s flora and fauna. Information about this joint project, as well as submission guidelines are available at Flora & Fauna Illustrata.
Exhibits
![Illustration of green maidenhair ferns](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2023-08/maidenhair-fern-rhonda-dick2.png?itok=fOi85xKz)
6th Annual Flora & Fauna Illustrata Exhibit
Delight in the world of botanical art during the 6th Annual Flora & Fauna Illustrata exhibit from the Andersen Horticultural Library. Get a glimpse into the process artists use to create exquisite, scientifically accurate representations of the plants and animals found at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. From aeonium to wisteria, experience nature through the eyes of the artist as they capture the beauty and detail of their chosen species.
![Illustration of blooming violets plant](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2023-08/violets-web2.png?itok=aYKIdhzv)
Petals and Poetry: A Floral Journey Through the Works of Shakespeare
Visit the library and step into the enchanting world of William Shakespeare's flora and fauna, where the playwright's natural surroundings come to life. Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, delicate blooms and lush foliage that inspired his poetic imagery from the Andersen Horticultural Library will be on display. Explore the enchanting plants and animals that inhabit Shakespeare's plays and echo the rhythms of his verse.
![Illustration of a Monarch butterfly on milkweed flowers](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/files/styles/350w_23_10_color/public/2022-04/ffi-mary-anderson-monarch.jpg?h=aaf9bade&itok=W3Cv01wY)
Flora and Fauna Illustrata
The Flora and Fauna Illustrata [FFI] collection is the Andersen Horticultural Library’s ongoing project to document all the species of plants, animals, insects, and fungi living at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum through scientifically accurate fine art.
The FFI collection is currently made up of over 90 juried two-dimensional works of art donated by over 30 different artists, many of whom are local. This exhibition features selected outstanding works from the FFI collection, from aspens and butterflies to turtles and water lilies, as well as process materials from FFI artists.
Give to the collection
The Andersen Horticultural Library relies on the generosity of the community to help fund its operations. Your funds to help us get books, seed and nursery catalogs, and journals unique to our collection. Benefactors ensure our library's ability to educate and inspire.
Make a gift or become a Friend of AHL today.
Visit the Andersen Horticultural Library
![](/sites/www.lib.umn.edu/themes/umnlib/img/library/bw/ahl.jpg)
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Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
3675 Arboretum Drive
Chaska, MN 55318 - Call
- 612-301-1239
- HortLib@umn.edu
Plan your visit
Located in the Leon C. Snyder building at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Andersen Horticultural Library is open to the public. There is an admission fee for entry to the Arboretum, but it is waived for visitors who come only to research at the library. Get directions to the Arboretum, or view an interactive map of the Arboretum grounds.
AHL is part of the University of Minnesota Libraries. A reading and reference library; items cannot be checked out. Search the library's holdings by using the University Libraries' catalog.
To make an appointment to view rare and historic materials, contact the librarian, Kristen Mastel.