Rare

OUTDOORS
FEARLESSGARDENER

IN
FORM
METRO-AREA BOUTIQUE NURSERIES OFFER
OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUR GARDEN
BY ALYSSA FORD

G arden centers are great for loading up on standard-bearer annuals and

perennials, and grabbing a pair of garden gloves or maybe a colorful
concrete gnome on your way out the door. Boutique or specialty nurs-
eries don’t have accessories, gnomes, or even gardening tools and fertiliz-
ers. What they do have is plants—interesting, unusual, hard-to-find, and fabulous
plants grown by people who started out as rose or dahlia or hosta enthusiasts and
got carried away. You, too, can be an aficionado. Here are just eight of the Twin Cities
discerning boutique nurseries to visit this season.

Hostas
Tucked into a quiet residential neighborhood in Edina is a 2.5-acre nursery that
sells hostas—more than 1,600 varieties. Owned and run by Arlene Savory and son
Dennis, Savory’s Gardens is a family business that was started back in 1946. The
jam-packed display gardens mix well-known varieties—‘Gold Edger’, ‘Sum and Sub-
stance’—with Savory-hybridized ‘Golden Jubilee’, a $125 mini-hosta with rippled,
all-gold leaves and lavender blooms.
Savory’s Gardens, 5300 Whiting Ave., Edina, 952-941-8755, savorysgardens.com

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 Martagon Lilies
Bob “Doc” Gilman
grows martagon lil-
ies—he’s not exactly
sure how many, and
availability is always
shifting, though he does ship to customers
as far away as Germany. What he might
do—provided you call first, preferably
in late June or early July—is show you
around his lush backyard and then take
you out to the 2-acre Hartle farm down
the road, where dense clusters of marta-
gons are planted among old oaks and hos-
tas. Point out the ones you love, and Doc
Gilman might just sell you a bulb or two,
some of the most unusual in the Midwest.
A sure-bet for beginners is ‘Claude Shride’,
a prizewinner with red-lacquered tapels.
Hartle-Gilman Gardens, 4708 E. Rose St.,
Owatonna, 507-451-2170,
geocities.com/hglil

Culinary
Herbs
Why settle for basil
when you can have
sweet and spicy
‘Ararat’ basil with
hints of anise, or bright and lemony ‘Mrs.
Burns’ basil, or ‘Napoletano’ basil with
leaves so huge you can sub it for lettuce in
BLTs? Since 1977, Jim and Theresa Mie-
seler have been expanding herb horizons at
their Chaska farm, where eight greenhouses
produce 13 varieties of sage, six varieties of
mint, and more. For the best selection, shop
in May, and bring a picnic lunch so that you
can dine in the sunshine and wonderfully
fragranced air.
Shady Acres Herb Farm, 7815 Highway 212,
Chaska, 952-466-3391,
shadyacres.com

Hardy Roses
Sam Kedem has heard
it a thousand times:
“I just can’t grow roses.” That sad refrain
prompted him to start his cold-climate
rose nursery back in 1989 to prove that

April/May 2009 MHMAG.COM 35

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 OUTDOORS

rose growing is often more about the vari-

ety than gardening skills. “The big garden
centers, even now, like to stock warm-cli-
mate roses in the summer, which just frus-
trate people,” he says. At Kedem’s nursery,
Minnesota rose-growers will find 225 vari-
eties of roses hardy to Zones 2 through 5,
including a huge selection of Griffith Buck
roses, hybridized at Iowa State University.
If you covet a specific variety, such as the
double apricot-blush ‘Dakota Song’, one
of Kadem’s own introductions, call ahead
to reserve. Otherwise, just swing by for a
tour of the display gardens and Kedem’s
gentle reassurance that roses are absolutely
within your reach.
Town & Country Roses, 12414 191st St. E.,
Hastings, 651-437-7516, kedemroses.com

Tropicals
It doesn’t make one iota’s
worth of difference to
Ricardo Edelstein what
“Zone” he’s in—when win-
ter comes, he just bundles
up his banana trees and potted palms,
hauls them inside, and lets the Cuban jazz
band in his heart play on. Edelstein caters
to other like-minded gardeners with his
huge selection of tropicals, which includes
cascading bougainvillea, pinwheel-shaped
plumerias, gardenias, jacarandas, 14 hues
of hibiscus, and 50 varieties of palms.
Whether you buy tropicals to enjoy as
annuals, or keep them in a sunny inside
corner all winter, Edelstein has a hot cup
of Caribbean coffee and a tropical sugges-
tion for you.
Tropical Plants & Topiaries Unlimited, 16155
Forest Blvd., Hugo, 651-488-7717,
tropicalplantsunlimited.com

Minnesota Natives
Gardeners looking to
lighten their load on the
environment and celebrate
Minnesota’s native flow-
ers and grasses will find kindred spirits at
Landscape Alternatives in Shafer. Co-own-
ers Karl Ruser and Roy Robison sell real
native container plants, all grown on their
60-acre farm from seed they collect in the
seven-county metro area. You’ll find more
than 230 varieties of ready-to-plant flowers

36 MHMAG.COM April/May 2009

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mh0509p036 36 4/1/09 11:47:39 AM

 and grasses, everything from wild indigo to
partridge pea to dwarf-crested iris, and two
very passionate tour guides.
Landscape Alternatives, 25316 St. Croix Trail,
Shafer, 651-257-4460,
landscapealternatives.com

Dahlias
At the far end of a grav-
el road in Long Lake is a
glorious scene: bed after
bed of dinner-plate sized BLOGS Twin Cities Design,
Ahead of the Curve
dahlias, more than 150 at MHMag.com
varieties of them. This is the playground
of Lisa Ringer, who quickly and cheer-
fully admits that she grows the “poodle
Editors obsessions
of the flower world,” a Mexican native
flower that requires special braces for
Decorating Dilemmas
its top-heavy stems and little umbrellas Fabulous Giveaways
to shade the blooms. Ringer offers both by the editors of Designers Secrets
dahlia tubers and pre-started dahlias in
gallon pots, as well as a specialty com-
Midwest Home +
industry experts
The Best Sales
Exclusive Events
post tea. Visit in mid-summer for the
showiest tour and more than 30 varieties
of fresh-picked heirloom tomatoes.
Two Pony Gardens, 1700 Deer Hill Rd., Landscaping with Native Plants
Long Lake, 763-473-0783
Native Plants for Corporate and
Rare and Residential Landscapes
Wonderful
Even in her 70s,
plant-enthusiast
and garden designer
Betty Ann Addison
will not slow down,
and she’s definitely not retiring. When
her long-time nursery in Blaine folded
due to an invasive highway project,
she simply packed up her rare alpine
plants and dwarf conifers and headed to
her home in Fridley to start anew. Her
smaller-scale operation doesn’t have the
same “wow” factor Rice Creek Gardens
once had, with its six-step waterfalls and
overflowing beds, but if you’re hunting
for a native ladyslipper, an unusual prim-

Prairie Restorations, Inc.

rose or violet variety, or just something
to turn the neighbors’ heads, Betty Ann
will not disappoint.
Gardens of Rice Creek, 1315 66th Ave. NE,
Fridley, 763-242-5009, ‡•‹‰‹‰ǡ•–ƒŽŽ‹‰ƒ†ƒ‹–ƒ‹‹‰ƒ–‹˜‡ƒ†•…ƒ’‡•
gardensofricecreek.com ‡–ƒ‹Ž–‘”‡•‹”‹…‡–‘ƒ†…ƒ†‹ƒ
ALYSSA FORD IS ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF MIDWEST
HOME.
”‹…‡–‘ǡ ͹͸͵Ǧ͵ͺͻǦͶ͵Ͷʹ ’”ƒ‹”‹‡”‡•–‘Ǥ…‘

April/May 2009 MHMAG.COM 37

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 When it comes to interior spaces, most of us are
uncompromising. Paint colors are meticulously evaluated for undertones
of gray or brown; rugs selected for their pattern and durability; tassles
and shams must carry just the right “mood” to a room. Yet many of our
outdoor spaces make do with a couple of shade trees, basic foundation
plantings in the front and back, and a vast expanse of turf grass—nothing
that urges us to while away a warm evening with Scotch and the stars.
¶ That’s a shame, say homeowners who know better. Well-designed,
well-planned landscapes yield wonderful benefits to their owners. Some
of those benefits are hard and practical—landscapes buffer noise, add
privacy, and pay back nicely upon resale. Others are more difficult to
quantify—the scent of springtime lilacs, the calming trickle of a water

gre e
fountain, a richer connection with the seasons—but are just as important
to the people who live with these spaces, day after day.

Grow
Your

mh0509p038 38 4/1/09 11:53:05 AM

 Scott Ritter, founding partner at The Nature Group
in Minneapolis incorporated a retaining wall into
the Kenwood landscape of Ertugrul and Karen
Tuzcu, but made it something special, with rough-
edged limestone block and a trickling fountain.
The red-tinged checkerboard “floor” mimics red
accents on the Tuzcus’ house, built by Eden Prairie
firm Keith Waters & Associates.

Investing in your landscape pays dividends—

both financial and personal
BY ALYSSA FORD & COLBY JOHNSON

en
PHOTO BY DANA WHEELOCK

April/May 2009 MHMAG.COM 39

mh0509p039 39 4/1/09 11:53:11 AM

 ❶ Pays Back
During economic times as turbulent as these, we all
wonder where in the world to invest. In stocks? In bonds?
In the mattress? Perhaps a better answer lies in your own
backyard. Literally. The fact is, landscape improvements pay
back—anywhere from 100 to 200 percent, according to the
Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. “The only
home improvement project that yields more return per dollar
than landscaping is paint,” says James P. Sweeney, founder and
senior designer at Mom’s Landscaping & Design in Shakopee.
❷ Increases Curb Appeal
The O’Brien house in Eden Prairie wasn’t terrible to look at, it was
just ... plain. “It looked like a normal, builder-built house with an
aggregate sidewalk, a little edging, mulch, and overgrown vibur-
num,” says Sweeney. But after the O’Briens invested in their out-
door living spaces, they have something far more interesting: crash-
ing waterfalls, lava-black taconite stone, and unusual tree varieties
such as ‘Summer Glow’ tamarisk and chamaecyparis ‘Pom Pom’.
“Suffice it to say, when people come to visit this house, it really
makes an impression,” says Sweeney.
❸ Expands Living Space
Since outdoor rooms become expansions of a home for at
least six months of the year, it’s important they connect to the
rest of the house, says Keith Waters, president of Keith Waters
& Associates in Eden Prairie. He smoothes the transition
from inside to out by using similar materials and architecture
details. Such well-designed exterior spaces make an impact on
40 MHMAG.COM April/May 2009
mh0509p040 40
lifestyle. Folks who have never been outdoorsy find themselves
gravitating outside; homeowners take up stargazing and bird-
watching just to be in the spaces they have created. That’s cer-
tainly true for Lee and Barb Boerbon, who embraced outdoor
living after adding exterior “rooms” to their North Oaks home.
Summertime now means gatherings and get-togethers on their
loosely jointed bluestone back patio. Friends and neighbors
can mingle among the planting beds or sit on their low lannon
stone wall. The Boerbons grill well into winter and take refuge
under the deck, where a small, wall-mounted fountain spills
into a pool surrounded by hostas, symphoricarpos, evergreen
groundcovers, and ferns. “For us, the landscaping really is part
of our home,” says Barb.
❹ Creates Privacy & Shields Noise
Before their backyard was landscaped, grilling a steak in Ertu-
grul and Karen Tuzcus’ backyard felt like quite a presentation.
Neighbors to the left and right could peer right in, and the
neighbors on a hillside had a bird’s eye view of the action.
Plus, there was ambient noise from traffic. Scott Ritter, owner
of The Nature Group, sheltered the Tuzcus’ space with a 3-
to 4-foot-tall mixed limestone retaining wall that holds back
soil, while the trickling sounds of a fountain blocks noise.
Behind the wall, he added a 6-foot-tall barrier of arborvitae,
and behind that, a canopy of maple trees will eventually
stretch leafy arms over the scene and form a natural ceiling.
“They have another patio on the side of the house with great
views of downtown Minneapolis, but this is the one they use
because it feels so protected,” says Ritter.
4/1/09 4:19:22 PM
 OPPOSITE PAGE In
designing this North
Oaks project, landscape
architect Meg Arnosti
of Windsor Companies
thought of the space as
a room. She used Chilton
flagstone pavers to
create the “floor,” spaced
each stone widely, and
planted grass between
them. “The area gets a
lot of sun, so the grass
not only adds a nice
visual element, it also
cools the stones,” she
says. THIS PAGE James
P. Sweeney of Mom’s
Landscape & Design
transformed this Eden
Prairie front yard into an
Eastern-influenced oasis
for the O’Brien family who
wanted to be reminded of
their annual, month-long
trips to Bali. The aromatic
gardens, with tropical color
and foliage throughout,
features four waterfalls,
Japanese koi, and a statue
of a Balinese temple.
photo LEFT page by paul crosby: photo above courtesy of momslandscaping & design

❺ Cuts Heating & Cooling Costs

Heating and cooling buildings accounts for 32 percent of all the
energy used in the United States. One lush and beautiful solution:
Trees and shrubs that break winter winds and provide summer shade.
Landscape architect Meg Arnosti and her colleagues at Windsor
Companies in St. Paul brought these considerations to the Boerbons’
home in North Oaks. Now towering spaded conifers provide a wind-
break and also shade the house to the south and west.
❻ Awakens the Senses
Green spaces promote true well being—for our bodies and stressed
out minds. Kirsten O’Brien and her husband, Hayes, can attest to the
calming powers of their wonderfully fragrant Eden Prairie landscape
with ‘Miniature Snowflake’ mock orange, ‘Westerland’ shrub roses,
‘Royal Star’ magnolias, and ‘Sensation’ lilacs. “People say they’re going
outside for five minutes, and inevitably they are gone for 20 or 25,”
says Kirsten. “As soon as I step outside, I can feel my heart rate calm-
ing, my blood pressure slowing. It’s a magical thing.”
alyssa ford is associate editor and colby johnson is managing
editor of midwest home.
For more information on featured products and suppliers, see page 136.
Pro Tips
Have a master plan. Even if you complete
your landscape in stages, know where you’re
going. “Work on the landscape of your dreams
with a designer, and then break it up into
reasonable sections to do over time,” says
James P. Sweeney of Mom’s Landscaping &
Design in Shakopee.
Discover your own garden aesthetic.
Do you like curvy or asymetrical? Formal or
informal? Spare or filled up? Visit the Minnesota
Landscape Arboretum or other public gardens.
Go on garden tours and take snapshots. Cut out
pictures from magazines or books.
Imagine your dream landscape. Are you
entertaining large groups? Stargazing? Tending
an herb garden? Napping in a hammock
between two big oaks? Knowing yourself and
what you want will make your landscape project
easier and more fulfilling. —A.F.

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