A Garden Worth Gathering For: Hosting the MN Horticultural Society’s 160th Celebration

This fall, 85 guests walked through the garden of one of our longtime clients to celebrate the Minnesota Horticultural Society‘s 160th anniversary. Among them were current and past directors of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. For a gardener, that’s about as discerning a crowd as it gets.

As the homeowner put it afterward: “Many, many wonderful comments about the garden.” Here’s a look at the garden, the partnership behind it, and the thoughtful practices that make it special.

A Collector’s Garden

This property isn’t a typical landscape. It’s filled with unusual plants the homeowner has collected over the years, many of which you won’t find at a standard garden center. A garden like this needs more than routine maintenance. It needs a team that understands the plants, respects the owner’s vision, and knows when to step in and when to step back.

A True Partnership

The homeowner is a longtime Southview client, and her garden is cared for through our Fine Gardening service. Rather than following a fixed checklist, the work is guided by her. At the start of each week, she sends her Landscape Care Representative, Shane Eherts, a list of priorities for the gardening team.

That flexibility mattered this year. She spent part of the growing season overseas, so our team completed a larger cleanup in June to keep the garden on track while she was away. Operations Manager Kim Goplen also stopped by throughout the season to handle extra weeding and path care, making sure everything was ready for the big day.

Gardening With a Lighter Touch

What makes this garden truly stand out is how it’s cared for. Many of its practices are ones any homeowner can learn from:

• A bee lawn along the road. Instead of traditional turf, a pollinator-friendly bee lawn is mowed only when she decides it’s time.
• No irrigation system. The garden relies on rainwater, which she collects in a container system alongside her home.
• Three rain gardens. Runoff from the driveway feeds three rain gardens that filter and soak up stormwater on site.
• Composting on site. Our crews leave garden debris behind so she can compost it and return it to the soil.
• Minimal chemicals. Treatments are limited to the cracks in hard surfaces and walkways, never the planting beds.
• Push mowing. The backyard has no access for larger equipment, so our maintenance crew mows it with a push mower.

The result is a garden that is beautiful, resilient, and in balance with its surroundings.

The Celebration

When the Minnesota Horticultural Society came together to mark 160 years, this garden was ready. Guests gathered beneath the mature trees, listened to speakers, and explored the plantings, rain gardens, and pollinator spaces. For our team, it was a proud moment to see a season of careful work appreciated by some of the most knowledgeable gardeners in the state.

What Fine Gardening Looks Like

Every garden has its own personality. Our Fine Gardening service is built for homeowners who want a skilled team that adapts to their garden, their priorities, and their way of doing things. Whether you have a collector’s garden like this one or simply want your landscape to look its best, our team can help.

Ready to give your garden the attention it deserves? Contact Southview Design to learn more about our Fine Gardening and Landscape Care services.