LOVELY LILIES LEAN.
Clematis cascade.
Sixty to seventy fish (guppies and koi) swim in the Siegfrieds’ pond.
Captive koi circle.
And the sun blazes brilliant on a Sunday summer afternoon in the yard of Karrie and Mike Siegfried.
Pond, pergola and bridge create a focal point in the yard.
The couple has created an outdoor retreat just off busy Minnesota State Highway 3 on the northern edge of Faribault. I admire the property every time I pass by. But on this late June day, I view the yard up close while on the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour Garden and Landscape Tour benefiting Full Belly, a local soup kitchen.
The Prickly Pear Cactus, which will winter over in Minnesota (and is native to sections of southwestern Minnesota) grows in the Southwest Garden. Mike nearly gave up on the plant. But this year it bloomed.
This spacious yard features everything from ponds to shade gardens to a Southwest garden complete with cacti to a lawn sprawling enough for a wedding (Karrie’s son’s).
Dubbed the Southwest Garden, this plot features cacti and Southwest style pottery.
Perennials like clematis, coral bells, lamb’s ears, lilies and more fill borders and soften fence lines. Petunias, geraniums and other annuals spill from pots. Clumps of strategically placed ornamental grasses rise and sway, adding visual interest. Just like the art created by Mike.
Mike’s copper leaf and acorn art.
A plumber by trade, Mike took an interest in copper art after attending the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. In 2013, he opened an etsy shop, Mystical Copper. He crafts copper into mostly fish and butterflies, but also does custom pieces. I didn’t ask about the intricacies. But the art involves pounding and then heating the copper to get variations in color.
Mike’s copper walleye.
Mike’s one-of-a-kind art enhances the Siegfrieds’ already impressive landscaping. Three patches of tall ornamental grasses front an oversized copper walleye attached to a fence. The scene mimics a lake setting. It takes an artist’s eye and a gardener’s knowledge to create such a vignette.
Shadow the cat greeted garden tour visitors.
In the Siegfried’s yard, art and plants blend artfully and beautifully into this escape, this retreat, this lovely place bordering a busy Minnesota highway.
FYI: Check back for more stories and photos from gardens featured on the Garden and Landscape Tour. Click here to read my first post about Fully Belly.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Wowie wow!!
What a beautiful place they’ve created!
Lovely photos, Audrey. I especially like the koi pond.
Shadow is a perfect name for that gorgeous kitty.
Wow is an appropriate reaction. The Siegfrieds have created a lovely retreat off a bush highway.
Interestingly enough, I saw black cats at three of the gardens. I don’t know the names of the other two. One was a stray, which the garden host suggested I take home.
The copper wall art is stunning, isn’t it? I love visits to gardens and this one is lovely so can’t wait to see more from your tour. Glad Shadow made the post as well.
Did you check out Mike’s etsy shop to see other pieces of his art?
There were black cats at two more gardens. It was uncanny. One latched on to me and followed me all around the yard, wrapping around my legs.
Nice gardens.
Yes, I was wishing this was my yard.
Great photos and I really liked the copper pieces on the fences. I love garden tours and this ones looks like a wonderful summertime activity.Its so inviting to be outside and appreciate all that natures has to offer.
I’m with you on loving garden tours. Be sure to check out more of Mike’s copper art on his etsy site. Those fish would fit right into the decor of a lake home or cabin.
Beautiful Captures 🙂 There is nothing better than a multi-use garden – fauna, flora, water, various materials used, butterflies & bees, fish, a cat or dog, etc. Happy Day – Enjoy!
Thank you. And, yes, definitely a multi-use garden. Wish it was mine.
What a lovely place.
Yes, it is.
Very NICE that’s the kind of neighbors I like to have. My next door neighbor has a green thumb too! Their yard is full of flowers, wind whirligigs statues and other interesting things, no fish pond though. It is such a beautiful yard that tourist buses stop there for photos. I try my hand at a limited amount of flowers every spring but there is no way I can keep up with the neighbors. I have resorted to mixing fake flowers in with natural flowers as I certainly have no green thumb and can raise withered and dried flowers no problem! I love the copper art Mike does and I bet it weathers nicely. Humm I wonder what he does with the fish in the winter?
That must be quite some yard if tourist buses stop. Lucky you to enjoy such gardens without the work.
I believe the Siegfrieds keep the fish in the pond over winter. But since I didn’t write down what they told me, my information may be incorrect.