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Ready, Set...Wait

Gardeners know T.S. Eliot was right: April is the cruelest month. And nowhere is that essential truth more apparent than in Minnesota.

Spring seems tantalizingly close as the days lengthen and temperatures moderate. I can feel the earth warming and stretching in the sun’s strengthening rays. I’ve caught the scent of the musty damp leaves that cover my perennial beds. The early risers—the daffodils, snowdrops, and hyacinths—are already waking. I know because I can’t resist turning back their snug covering of mulch just a bit to check up on them.

But I have experience with this. Even if we hit the mid-70s by mid-April, as we seem to do more frequently these days, I’ll resist. I won’t give in to the temptation to uncover my gardens in earnest. I’ve fallen for this one before, only to lose an entire border of showy tulips, arrogant victims of an icy blast that turned them all to watery pulp.

So instead of trusting the early April sun, I’ll content myself with strolling through the gardens we gathered for you last summer. This issue is dedicated to gardening, and we’ve got something for practitioners of nearly every persuasion.

For those who love an abundance of lusty blooms, there’s the “Passionate Profusion” of Megan Hertzler and Aaron Gebauer’s garden. You’ll find another style altogether—still awash in colorful flowers—in Jackie Overom’s “Healing Garden”. In striking contrast is the Japanese art of bonsai, on display in “Bonsai Bond”. If you’ve ever been intrigued by these living sculptures, you’ll enjoy the story of how Bob and Pam Hampel discovered the hobby they both love.

You’ll also see inside—and very nearly through—a home on the shores of Square Lake that is tucked so unobtrusively into the woods, we call the story, “Tree House”. If the tranquility of hosta-embroidered woods is your pleasure, visit the shady paradise two neighbors conceived in “Shared Vision”. And don’t miss “City Hideaways”, the tale of three urban retreats created by Twin Cities gardeners.

Okay. Take a deep breath and repeat after me, “Patience is a virtue.” Go to a garden center or a conservatory or a garden show. But stay out of the garden. It won’t be long now.

Chris Lee, Editor
clee@midwesthomemag.com