Out Is In

This is Minnesota; summer is short. Get out there and enjoy it.

By Chris Lee

Photo by Steve McHugh

Last year about this time, I had a brilliant idea: Mulch the backyard. At least, mulch the half of the yard worn bare by two large, rambunctious dogs who love to run laps around the house. My husband wasn’t sold on the idea, but I talked him into it. We’re never going to get grass growing in well-shaded, well-trod areas, I argued. Cedar mulch is the perfect, budget-conscious solution—less grass to mow and no muddy paw prints in the house when it rains. He wasn’t enthused, but ordered the mulch anyway.

As soon as two towering pallets of bagged cedar appeared in the driveway, I had second thoughts. Hmm. Not so fast. How about we use flagstone instead for a path? And while we’re at it, let’s add a fire pit and steps to the deck. Several months and a landscape designer later, we had a lovely new hardscape (and a couple pallets of mulch in the driveway, which we spread between the path and the house just before it snowed). Come spring, wet dogs covered in mud would be a distant memory.

Wrong. This year, we had wet dogs covered in mulch from head to tail, merrily tracking in chunks of cedar-cum-splinters to be picked up by unsuspecting bare feet.

No matter. The addition to the backyard gives us an outdoor hearth room to enjoy and a great open-air gathering spot for family and friends—exactly what we Minnesotans want when we shed our socks and sweaters and move it outside for the summer.

You’ll meet a number of them in this issue. First up, Sarah Nettleton, the Minneapolis architect and author of The Simple Life (Taunton, 2007), whose home and garden are featured in “Slow Living” (page 54). At another Minneapolis residence, Chris Andersen and Eric Butler created six discrete “rooms”—three indoor and three outdoor—that encourage garden gazing and meandering. You’re invited to their “Summer Blockbuster” gathering on (page 72). Then, visit city dwellers who enjoy the summer months aloft. In “Sky is the Limit” (page 58), see green rooftops that are great for relaxation and—added bonus—the environment. For more traditional lake country getaways, travel to a “Sunny Sojourn” (page 82), just outside the metro area, and a secluded “Sweet Spot” (page 78), a minimalist Madeline Island cabin designed by award-winning architect James Dayton.

This is Minnesota; summer is short. Get out there and enjoy it. And be sure to check out Midwest Home’s new blog at www.mhmag.com. I’ll fill you in on my latest inspiration for dog-proofing the backyard (moss!), as well as other metro home and garden happenings.

Chris Lee, Editor
clee@mhmag.com

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