Stephen and Pam Upton

Pam Upton's garden began in the spring of 1992 after a visit to the Anoka Area Gardeners annual plant sale. While there, Pam met Don Dean, who, while unable to convince her to buy H. 'Stiletto' for ten bucks, did assure her the hostas would be a great and carefree plant in the shade of the many oaks in her Ramsey garden.  Don sold her the first four of what was to become a good sized hosta collection.

Hosta beds were laid out in the back yard after the unused play house was torn down and the resident groundhog was dispatched by her eager dogs. Betty Peterson generously contributed a batch of H. sieboldiana type seedlings which she didn't have room for during her garden move.

In 1999, a major reconstruction project replaced a swimming pool with a water garden. This space has a focus on plants which are attractive to birds as well as butterflies. The crumbling timber walls were replaced with boulder walls and the decks were recreated to enhance the outdoor living space.

Upton's three acre property now contains many types of shade and sun loving perennials, flowering trees and shrubs, a raised bed vegetable garden, cutting garden, and many containers full of annuals.