Julie Carley & Gary Mosiman Garden

As you drive up to our home, on the west side of the road is our sun garden, filled with old favorites such as phlox, monarda, gas plant, and sedum. H. ‘Patriot’ border the front yard with Holmstrup arborvitae defining the west edge while astilbe and reblooming daylilies add summer color. Through our arbor, the narrow hosta walk leads to the back yard where rustic timber walls form multi-level gardens filled with hosta and perennials. The back half of our 1¼ acre lot, which borders the Minnetonka walking trail, is designated wetlands making it is a constant battle to hold back the garlic mustard, buckthorn, stinging nettles, burs, creeping charlie and ravenous animals like bunnies and deer (long-legged bunnies) which come in from the area. There was a time when the area was more heavily wooded, but Dutch Elm has taken 60+ trees. On the school grounds next to our yard, we started a garden to replace a large area of hard-to-remove buckthorn and other invasive weeds. This has definitely been a work in progress, but it’s much better than the weeds!