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FeedSplendor in the Grass
By Michelle Baltus
Photo by ERIC MOORE
Harvey began his career by beautifying public spaces, including the campus of Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, where he managed the grounds while earning an undergraduate degree in environmental science. He intended to study medicine before a professor turned him on to horticulture. Harvey soaked up plant nomenclature like a garden does a good rain. “My passion was in the plants,” he says. “I had no idea there was a field called landscape architecture.”
His first job out of college changed all that. He landed a position with the von Trapp family (of Sound of Music fame) in Stowe, Vermont, and the work opened his eyes to the artistic expression his plant expertise could afford. For a year, Harvey oversaw every green inch of the family’s public lodge and private grounds.
“Maria had a need, in the European tradition, to present a very tidy, manicured look,” Harvey says. “Working with the von Trapps allowed me to see what [a landscape] could be; to think, there were people who valued and respected that.”
When the lodge burned to the ground (it was later rebuilt), Harvey moved to Minneapolis to pursue a degree in landscape architecture, and launched Edelweiss Design at the same time. The firm emphasizes residential landscape design, installation, and maintenance, and consults with professionals in landscape architecture and horticulture. Harvey currently leads a volunteer effort to reintroduce American elm trees into the state landscape; some 200 disease-resistant elms have been planted since 2004.
A lifelong painter and talented singer, Harvey’s creative talents also take root in landscapes across the metro. His eclectic, energetic, and meticulous designs have earned him peer recognition and frequent client referrals—neighbors often share his services, but never the same look.
The father of five young boys, Harvey’s own lawn belongs to balls and bikes. He still spreads cheer, but he does it via container gardens and hanging plants.
Michelle Baltus is a St. Paul freelance writer and frequent Midwest Home contributor .
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