A man planted thousands of flowers for his sick wife. Now, hundreds of thousands visit every year

In St. Cloud, Minnesota, the Mississippi River serves as a barrier between downtown business and natural beauty.

"It is a lot of work, but it's rewarding work," Nina Primus said.

The work at Munsinger-Clemens Gardens involves maintaining more than 1,000 roses, which are in full bloom this time of year.

"We have yellow, pink, purple, orange, peach roses," Primus said.

She is the garden supervisor and oversees the 21-acre site.

"Munsinger Gardens started in the 1930s as part of the Works Progress Administration under Roosevelt," Primus said.

It's named after Joseph Munsinger, who was the first park superintendent in St. Cloud. The Clemens side of things came later. And it starts with namesake, Bill Clemens.

"When I grew up, this was all grass. And the rumor was they were going to build a gas station where the rose garden is now," Primus said.

Clemens didn't want the natural beauty to be bought out, so he acquired the property and donated it to the city, which, in turn, planted rose bushes. It was the favorite flower of Bill's wife, Virginia Rose Clemens.

"She had multiple sclerosis and was basically in her house most of the time. This way she could look outside and see all the roses across the street," Primus said.

Today, married couples like Karen Froslie and her husband, Cliff Froslie, enjoy what the Clemens helped build. They drove two hours to be here.

"It's beautiful. Impressive," the Froslies said.

Competing with the roses for attention are the fountains. The Renaissance Fountain is front and center.

On a hot, windy day, some of that fountain water blows over to the 100,000 annuals on site.

But flowers and plants aren't the only things you'll find here. Munsinger-Clemens also has peacocks, which add their own color and flair.

Still, for the most part, this is a place where people and pollinators can immerse themselves; a chance to find serenity in the city.

"Relaxation. Just being able to come and enjoy, sit back and watch the water coming out of the fountains," said Primus. "It's just a real, genuine, family-fun place."

Munsinger-Clemens Gardens has about 350,000 visitors a year. The garden is located on Riverside Drive in St. Cloud. It's open year-round and is free to the public.