Leon Carleton Snyder[1] (March 11, 1908 – August 8, 1987) was an American professor, writer, and radio personality and co-founder of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
He taught botany for a while at South Dakota State College where he met a minister's daughter Vera Ferch, who would become his wife in 1934.
In 1956 the Men's Garden Club of Minneapolis met with the Minnesota State Horticultural Society with the desire to create an arboretum.
During his time as director Snyder helped expand every aspect of the arboretum, from its size, eventually to 630 acres (2.5 km2) to its research capabilities and its facilities for visitors.
With his immaculate rows of vegetables and carefully tended rose beds, for anyone to enjoy on a moment's notice, he sent visitors home to try harder at gardening.